Graduation Ceremony

This past weekend I had the distinct pleasure to witness my gorgeous daughter’s achievement of a personal goal – graduation from college!!!  It was the culmination of years of hard work, advocating for herself with professors/counselors, working part-time, being responsible for herself – cooking, cleaning, living with other girls in a dorm/apartment – she is an only child, problem solving – car trouble in route to job interview and fun times with friends/classmates.

Tech-Savvy: My daughter’s generation, Millennials or Generation Y, faces technological and economic challenges that my generation, the Baby Boomers, didn’t face.  Generation Y grew up with technology (laptops, cellphones and other gadgets) and tend to rely on it – being plugged in 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.  Thus, her college courses were filled with Google Groups, e-black board, on-line bulletin board, web-based grade books and email/text/twitter messages to professors.  Gone are the days of attending class to obtain the printed syllabus, receiving the printed test with score and scheduling an appointment to meet with the professor.
Achievement-Oriented:  Generation Y is confident, ambitious and achievement-oriented due, in part, to the nurturing and pampering parents wanting to avoid the mistakes of past generations.  They have high expectations of their employers and themselves.  Baby Boomers were raised to be loyal and devoted to employers; do a good job and the next job will be waiting for you.  Generation Y is willing to trade higher pay for flexible schedules and a better work/life balance, providing a position is available in their chosen field in today’s economic job market.

Team-Oriented:  My daughter, like so many Generation Y children, was involved in group activities such as Girl Scouts, CAR and AWANAS, team sports that included softball, cheerleading and dance; and play groups with friends and neighbors.  This fostered teamwork and the desire to be included and involved.

Attention-Craving:  Generation Y craves feedback and guidance.  My daughter values my viewpoint and life experiences - the early morning phone call while she was on vacation seeking my opinion about her summer class.  They also seek out new challenges - white water rafting, snow skiing, jumping off a cliff at the lake; and are not afraid to question authority. 

I see all of the above qualities in the young woman that I am blessed to call my daughter and friend, and the workforce is privileged to have her skills, knowledge, energy and personality to propel our society into the future.