Generations Lost (Part 1)
Have the younger generations become lost generations? This is the first in a series of posts exploring problems that could have contributed to the loss of purpose in the younger generations.
Have younger people always been directionless? Or is this more of a recent problem? Is this a result of the direction that society and culture have gone? Did younger generations miss out on learning essential skills to help them succeed (although things change every generation)? This is the first part of a series of articles exploring possible reasons contributing to why younger people, Millennials and Generation Z, are now directionless and lost generations. Generations lost.
Told Everyone Is Equally Skilled At Things
The younger generations, Millennials and Generation Z, were raised along the lines that everyone must get a trophy. This implies that everyone is equally good at things and that people don’t have different skill sets. This way of thinking harms people because it does not make people want to work to discover their unique skills.
This equality myth has made younger generations believe everyone deserves the same outcomes even though not everyone is equally skilled or has the same qualifications or expertise. They were raised being told they could be anything they wanted to be (although subject to vary in the family they were raised by). But that was primarily the societal message of the time they were growing up and what they were told in school.
If everyone can win, then there are no silver and bronze medals. It also means that there are no losers. This does away with the reality of the world, which is very competitive. If you are not always trying to find ways to improve yourself or figure out new platforms in the Internet age, you will get left behind. You may be left behind if you do not know your strengths and how to monetize them as soon as possible. You could become destitute by never learning your skills.
Everyone is unique and has different skills. Each person must work to figure out what those skills are. Rather than focus on learning what they are passionate about, their strengths, skills, and weaknesses, everyone is told to go to college. Young people then waste away their lives in college only to get indoctrinated and never learn any practical skills.
Each person has their passions, strengths, and weaknesses. Each person is responsible for figuring out those three things and finding ways to monetize their skills.
Told They Must Go To College
The younger generations mainly were all sent off to college. They did not question why since they believed it was what they should do. Their parents likely did that, and it worked out for them. This creates a normalcy bias that just because it worked out for the past generation does not mean it is the best option for the next generations.
Most of them may have gone into debt to receive a degree in a non-practical field from a college. During college, they may have spent more time partying, hooking up, drinking, and going out with friends rather than studying. Although, studying is not very useful when you are learning book knowledge.
By taking on student loans and going into debt at an early age, the younger generations were brainwashed into thinking that debt is typical. They may be more willing to go into debt for other things because they have never known anything else.
CNBC reports on the average debt per generation:
Generation Z = $16,043
Millennials = $87,448
Generation X = $140,643
Baby Boomers = $97,290
They then likely changed what they studied at college because their interests changed. This may have resulted in them delaying graduation by at least one semester. It also resulted in them paying more tuition and dorm fees since they were in college. This may have increased their college debt.
Book knowledge is simply information that is not practical. It does not improve your life. These are the types of books that students are required to read in college to pass a professor’s quiz or test.
If you think about it, the whole higher education system mostly makes no sense. You are sent off to learn from a professor for at least four years. You must memorize information to pass a test. The grades you get from those tests will determine your adult future. Employers care more about your final GPA than whether or not you have the hard skills to do the job you are applying for. Yet, this is considered normal by society and widely accepted by people. The purpose of college is not to educate the younger generations but to indoctrinate them and make them go into debt.
On top of those issues, you are learning from a professor. A professor is likely teaching at a university because they could not make it in the private sector. Or, they may consider book knowledge as the superior form of knowledge. Or, they may think highly of themselves because they write in an academic journal read mainly by most of their fellow academic buddies. The ordinary person could care less because academic papers are boring and mostly pointless.
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College Then Leads To A Career
According to MSNBC, nearly half of Millennials wish they had chosen a different career path. According to the Wall Street Journal, many Millennials and Generations Z are now reconsidering the value of a college education. This is unsurprising given that you don’t know yourself in your twenties. Instead of using their twenties to figure out what they wanted to do, they probably partied in college and studied, thinking that was what they wanted to do.
Most of my “former friends” that I had in college are doing things that had nothing to do with what they got their degree in. One even studied business but now is a full-time writer for a small online magazine. The one closest to what they do now received a Political Science degree and is now a full-time consultant. Although, he probably didn’t need a Political Science degree to do that.
Another example of why college is worthless and does not lead to a career. I was on a group call with members of a well-known YouTube influencer. I won’t say which one. The influencer discussed ways to build your income and how getting certifications or the right degree could help. Someone on the group call said they applied for a mid-level information technology position that paid close to six figures yearly. The person on the call said they got the job by lying on their resume saying they attended an Ivy League university. The employer did not check, verify, or ask for proof that they attended the college or received the degree. Just because the person put it on their resume was enough for the employer. The person got the job.
This example above reflects poorly on all parties today: individuals who lie, the higher education system is needed for a job but not needing to be verified, and employers not checking if a potential employee is honest. Still, the employer hired someone based on the college they said they attended when they never spent a day in college. An employer today cares more about what type of overpriced piece of paper someone lists on their resume than if they have the proper skills to do their job. These are also more signs of a declining empire.
The only people I know who work in the career field that they studied for are mostly lawyers, doctors, nurses, and engineers. Those fields have more professional training and legal requirements that most other careers do not have. It is still a stupid requirement that most jobs require candidates to have a college degree when the skills are more critical than an overpriced piece of paper. But welcome to the modern age, where you are expected to go into debt to receive something that may not benefit you.
That is why it is best to go on a journey of self-discovery to learn about what you enjoy doing. You can figure it out sooner rather than later. You can then find ways to make money from what you love doing. This is much easier today with the Internet.
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Solutions
If you are lost and directionless, you must figure out how to find your life purpose. This is not some metaphysical version of your purpose but a practical way to direct your life.
The four ways to discover your life purpose are:
Find a need in the world or a problem that you care about.
Discover what you love to do. What you are passionate about.
Learn your strengths, skills, interests, and your weaknesses.
Find ways to get pain and monetize where the three intersections are (passion, skills, fixing a problem, and making money from what you enjoy doing).
Generation lost, we don't sleep at night, we don't give up
Generation lost, make a fist and close your eyes, yeah
Generation lost, we're here to stay cause we've had enough
Generation lost, middle fingers in the sky
Become a secure single.
Thank you for sharing.
How have the younger generations become lost?