Argumentative Essay on Work Ethic in Millennials

The world is in constant evolution. The needs, purpose and intentions of one generation may totally differ from the next generation. This is very evident in the North America region which has seen the change in the ideologies, goals and values from the older generation to the younger generation.

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North America, in the early 1900s, was perceived by many as a place that offered possibility, dignity and liberty regardless of the place of origin or the status of the family one was from. As was in the country's constitution, it was a place of life, liberty and for the pursuit of happiness. The American Dream, a phrase that was used by James Adams is used to represent the values that North America stood for. The idea that a person can find freedom and fortune through hard work. This was during the industrial revolution whereby there were more jobs than there were workers, the production and manufacturing companies were 53% and the skills required to work were relatively uncomplicated. This is largely different than what we see today. The workforce now is mainly made up of the millennials; these are people who were born from the early 1980s to the late 2000s. They have different values and ideologies that change what the American dream once stood for and now have The Millennial Dream.

There is a vast difference in what appeals the millennials in the job market, what motivates them, their work ethic as well as how much emphasis is put on a salary, to what was in the older generation. The workplace has proven dynamic as time goes by everything changes. Advancements in technology have lightened the load once carried by the elder generation. Technology has made vast amounts of information from across the globe available at a touch of a button. It has changed the delivery of education, the ability to network with the rest of the world and how businesses are operated. Due to this ease and alleviation of hurdles that were in the older generations, the millennials have been described as coddled, lazy, less virtuous and lacking in work ethic. This perception is a huge misunderstanding of what is maybe the most entrepreneurial, realistic and independent generation that has existed.

Networking with other people all over the world is one of the key advantages of the technology to the millennials through social networks and crowdsourcing .this has led to them working in teams more than individually. The older generations view this as evidence of weakness and laziness but contrary to their beliefs, teamwork improves the quality of work and its efficiency. Millennials have shown to be more concerned about gaining skills and gain job variety as opposed to handling one specific set of skills. The workplace has been moved from a competitive environment to a more collaborative space as they are less interested in getting that paycheck and more in having a sense of accomplishment and a desire in contributing more which is very beneficial to a business. The way in which the work environment was once viewed is now changing, people now are putting more emphasis on how the workplace is having an impact on their lives and the lives of others. There is a merge between people's personal lives and the workplace and this is making the workplace a more beneficial space.

The rate of unemployment for the youth as well as college graduates has been steadily rising in the past years. Staggering statistics of 17.6% of youth between the ages of 16-24 are unemployed. Education for the older generation was seen as a means to a better life and a guaranteed job but this has proven wrong. Frustrations from the burden of loans have led to people rethinking the value of the degree or the kind of degree one gets. Due to this issues, millennials have resulted in being more entrepreneurial,

In schools, they have taken up the responsibility of gaining the personal skills and deeper knowledge of the basic subject content that they learn in school in order to make themselves more appealing to the job market. There has been a rise in the number of students who are attaining the grade A even though the average college hours have generally decreased. Statistics have shown that there is a rise in college students working full-time jobs and 44% help finance their college tuition. Millennials have strived more for financial independence as opposed to the older generations.

The emergence of the internet and all the social media networks have led to the employers and the older generations to believe that the Millenials are easily distracted and are not able to separate play from work. This has made the older generation to believe that millennials are ineffective and inefficient. Experts have proven that Millenials are better at switching from one task to another because of exposure of different stimuli as a child and that taking breaks during work makes people more effective.

The industrial revolution led to more pollution and destruction of the environment and their effects are still being felt to date. Millennials have shown a desire to be associated with companies that make a difference and give their employees a sense of purpose rather than just a means of making a living. There is an appeal to have a positive social impact in the world and do the right thing for the right purpose. In the years of 1986 and 2006, there has been an increase in the teenagers that are volunteering as well as the incoming college freshmen who have pledged to volunteer has risen to 31.2%.

Millenials have been observed to value experiences more than owning material things and more emphasis on the personal connections. There is a shift from yearning from co-operating companies to more impactful nonprofit organizations. Many workers are moving from high paying jobs and gain the job skills then moved to nonprofit organizations where they feel they have more purpose. They have the need to improve the quality of life for themselves and other people at large. They lobby for the creation of a more human, fair and just society for all.

Conclusion

In conclusion, change is inevitable in our human lives and as time goes by everything will evolve and environments will continue to change. The older generations should be more open to the changes in which the world has undergone as the environment that is present in an environment they have created. Millennials are misunderstood as having no work ethic and being lazy just because their environment seems easier to maneuver due to the advancement in technology. Technology has not only improved our quality of life but also alleviated the burden of work and problems that most of the older generations had been faced by. The world should instead shift its focus on what was, to what is to be, and the future is indeed the millennials. They form the largest percentage of the workforce and schools and businesses should embrace the facts that there is a shift in values and ideologies among the younger generation that could be very productive. Schools should teach practical subject matter that would give its recipients adequate knowledge and the skills to enable them to be appealing in the current job market. They should incorporate larger and better networking platforms in the education system as the world now is open to vast amounts of knowledge. Employers should shift their focus to creating more value for employees in their job description. Jobs should grow the employee skills and have a bigger impact in their lives other than just a means to earn a paycheck. They should ensure that they incorporate more projects that can benefit society at large. Cooperate jobs should get more involved in charity work and lobby for a better just world from within and without. Millennials are as a result of the environment created by the older generation and have their own set of challenges. The younger generation is the future and thus we should embrace the change that the future will bring and try to incorporate the beneficial values and ideologies that all the generations represent for a better, productive and happier life for all.