Entitled Generation?
I was having a conversation with my aunt the other day, and she started by stating, in a very irritated manner, that I come from an extremely entitled generation. Knowing it was not a personal attack, I asked her to elaborate. Which she did without hesitation.
“You people think that just because you are well educated, because you have a Degree, that the universe owes you something. You feel entitled to things you have not worked for! We worked for everything we have, knowing full well that we are not owed anything by anyone.”
It got me thinking, and almost agreeing with her. Yes, we do feel entitled, because we feel like we have worked hard to get that Degree. We feel that it is not fair that we have worked hard, and we need to be rewarded for our efforts. We feel that we should not apply for 10 jobs, just not to get even a single one. Why? Is it not what we were promised?
“Work hard, read hard, you will succeed”. So when we work hard, read hard, what do we expect? Obviously success. Who owes us that? Is it the universe? Are we even owed?
Millenials
Millennials have been accused of wanting instant success. We have been accused of being entitled. We have been accused of not knowing delayed gratification. All this, in my opinion, is in response to the mounting pressure on young people to succeed early in life. I have personally seen my peers chasing multi-million dollar deals, which they expect to be finalized within a few months…3 at most! And why? Why do we want to succeed so quickly? Why must we build a legacy our previous generations spent over twenty years to build, in 3 years?
So, when I reflected further, I came to realize, I actually agree with her. We feel owed, because it is what we were promised. What we were never told is how long the success would take, how many jobs we would have to apply for and be rejected, how many times we’d stumble and fall trying, and get back up to try again.
No-one owes us anything. The uncle who told you “Maliza Degree alafu unitumie CV” (Finish your Degree then send me your CV) owes you no job. The company you applied to, having met all the base qualifications, with your right fit, owes you nothing. If anything, the world has been even more competitive, and an attitude of “How can they do this to me? How can they not pick me?” has no time to be entertained. We only owe it to ourselves to work hard, try each day to build a legacy step by step, with patience and grit, like our predecessors. Actually, even better than them; We have more opportunities.
Gen Z
Incidentally, I doubt my aunt has worked with anyone from Gen-Z who seem to be even more “entitled” than Millennials. There’s been a lot of talk lately about how people admire that Gen-Z is not taking any *insert whatever word you deem appropriate here* from employers.
However;
Let’s be very honest, sometimes you do have to take the *repeat the word you had picked earlier* that life throws at you. Why? It’s just life. It’s not fair. It’s just life. No, I don’t advocate for toxic work cultures and unconducive work environments, just for the sake of earning a salary, but it can’t be that all work environments and all work cultures are so bad that it’s rendering nearly a whole generation unemployable. Even as they seek to be self-employed and self-reliant, any entrepreneur will tell you that this requires more discipline and more grit than employment. How will this generation learn this?
Nonetheless, what Gen-Z has brought to light is that there needs to be a change in how things are done. For instance, just because I go to the office from 9am to 5pm, doesn’t mean I have 7-8 hours of productivity, as opposed to flexibly where you can set aside 6 hours aside a day to completing the tasks you have.
There’s a positive shift in some aspects being brought about by this generation, regardless of how many people don’t like their methods.
At Impact Africa Network, there are various programs that seek to not only empower the younger generation, but also ensure that they own their work and step out into the world as is it were with full confidence. For example, there is the Kinetic for Schools program, which seeks to equip teenagers who are just about to be done with their high-school education, with entrepreneurial skills that they will require once they are done with their high-school learning. There’s The Bridge which aims to fill the gap between what has been taught in class and the skills that are required to thrive in the 21st century and there’s even Kuzah, which aims to create a savings culture within young people.
All in all, there has to be a balance. I’m no expert but I know that there has to be balance. Life isn’t linear, and good things don’t just come, but, one does not have to endure long suffering to have good things. At Impact Africa Network, we are aiming to strike this balance for this and future generations!
Never forgetting,
Let’s keep pushing!
