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Dear NBC/Today Show intern,
Thanks for helping to give Gen Y a bad name — now on national television (skip to 4:30, then approximately 10:45).
Sincerely,
Angela Stefano
***
Newsflash, Gen Y-ers: older generations (and, judging from this video, some with some serious clout in the entertainment/news industry) think we’re spoiled, self-absorbed, entitled little brats. And, with real-work-world evidence and a UNH study backing them up, they might be right.
Our superiors and potential future bosses, instead of finding eager young minds ready to do whatever it takes to make their way into their industry of choice, are encountering interns who want it all, but haven’t done — and don’t think they should have to do — the work to get it all.
The cliche movie-style intern who gets the coffee and makes the copies? Not us, says Gen Y.
Call me crazy, or tell me I’m in a minority, but I’d heard “no thank you” (or even worse, nothing at all) so many times when I was applying for internships, I was just happy to have something, anything, paid or unpaid, coffee-fetching included (which I only ever had to do once or twice). Those menial, not-so-fun parts of the job? They were totally worth it because I got to write every day, whenever I wanted, as much as I wanted, for publication.
Supposedly, however, this entitlement complex stems from the “self-esteem movement,” wherein we were always told as children how wonderful we were, how great a job we were doing, and how we deserved only the best. All that coddling that educators complain has resulted in “helicopter parents” and kids not prepared to live on their own is apparently affecting us in the work world, too.
But there’s a difference between having self-esteem and being a self-righteous jerk. The former knows they deserve and can achieve the best, and they’ll work for it; the latter thinks they deserve the best, and will settle for nothing less, because they’ve simply been given it their entire life. If you’re always told how awesome you are, but you’ve never been given a chance to prove it, you’re going to sound like a tool.
That’s not to say that it’s a bad thing to get an internship or a job via your connections or who you know, as long as you’re the best person for the job. But once you have the position, you should have to — no, you should want to — prove that you’re the best person for the job, that you didn’t just get it because of who you know or how much you paid for the opportunity. Someone else can get you a job, but only you can keep it.
And there are a lot of Gen Y-ers out there ready and willing — and wanting — to prove that we’ve got what it takes to be the boss. We know we’re awesome not because we’ve always been told it, but because we’ve fetched coffee and made copies, and when those brief, shining opportunities came along, we took them and ran with them and impressed the big wigs.
We know it’s all part of climbing the ladder, so that some day we’ll be the ones complaining about spoiled kids not wanting to get us our coffee.
***
Dear Kathie Lee and Hoda,
I will totally look up phone numbers for you any time. And I promise that there are more people my age who would jump at the chance than there are those who would turn their up noses at it. Don’t let one bad one ruin your opinions of the rest of us.
Sincerely,
Angela Stefano
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Comments
05.28.10
Great lesson at 6:00 in the Today Show video. Note that the intern who was willing to do the uninteresting work (making copies) was the one whom Hoda sought out the next time she needed something. This lesson is HUGE, and I try to teach it to younger professionals every chance I get: Show that you're willing to do the dirty work and earn others' trust, and soon you'll find you're being pulled into the more important (and more interesting) work.
The one who was too good to do cold calling? I'm sure that by the end of the summer she was complaining that no one would give her challenging work. Why not? Because no one wants to deal with a headache, especially when there's work to be done!
05.28.10
I just happened to watch a documentary on coddled children and hyper-parenting yesterday. I think that on some level Gen Y has to learn to pay their dues. Partially it stems from parenting. Not that there is anything wrong with wanting your child to have the best, but there is also the flipside of wanting to protect them from everything so they don't know how to fail, and don't know how to pay their dues.
I agree, though, that there are so many people out there is a competitive job market who would jump at the chance for an internship like this one. And yes, there is nothing wrong with going about confidently in your life. Just know that at some point, everyone fails, so you had better learn some life skills and fast!
05.28.10
Interesting video and a statement made by Kathie Lee at about 6 minutes into the video ( ... and before it was asked ) reminded me of one of the most important lessons I learned in the workplace while working at one of my summer jobs. It's good to take on and complete all the work assignments that come your way. However you'll stand out if you can anticipate and volunteer to help boss or colleagues before someone comes to you with something to do.
06.01.10
When I saw our department manager mopping floors in a suit and high heels, I was mortified, horribly embarrassed. She didn't have to say a word. We didn't have a friendly relationship by any definition but I took the mop from her and led her back to her office and got her a cup of coffee. Then I finished mopping the floor.
11.14.10
Learning keeps you open and allows you to grow with confidence. Being connected to others through personal experience makes your journey to success more alive and can help to generate excitement in your pursuit. buy wow accounts
11.23.10
The one who was too good to do cold calling? I'm sure that by the end of the summer she was complaining that no one would give her challenging work. Why not? Because no one wants to deal with a headache, especially when there's work to be done!
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