The Stigmas That Are Attached to a Millennial

There’s something lurking in millennials’ shadows. Something that is influencing potential job offers, judgments from colleagues, and how millennials view themselves. This something takes the form of stigmas. My fellow coworkers, who are also millennials, cringe every time they’re referred to as a millennial. They speak as if they were witches during the Salem trials, attempting to pass off as non-Wiccans. They don’t act like a “typical millennial,” so therefore they couldn’t possibly be a millennial. These stereotypes are tainting our generation’s name. Our work ethic and personality traits are pessimistically perceived.

We’re spoiled. We’re entitled. We’re party animals. We’re indecisive. Have another one that you care to share? I’d love to hear it.

Numerous articles have discussed these stereotypes staining our credibility.  

Every story has two sides. Here’s mine.

We’re Spoiled Brats

When I picture a spoiled brat, Ms. Veruca Salt from the 1971 film, Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory is the first one that comes to mind. Oh, what hullabaloo she caused when she was denied a golden egg to take home. Now that is the epitome of a spoiled brat.

I was fortunate enough to grow up with AOL dial-up and AIM. My mom bought me my very first Motorola cell phone in high school. I also went on nice family vacations from time to time. I took receiving high marks in school very seriously. Yeah, I played hard in college. But I worked harder. Being a closet nerd, I strived for straight A’s every semester. Call it an inner competitive streak. I was a hard worker nonetheless.  

I graduated college and scored a full-time position with the company I interned for. I did that. Not my mom. Not my teachers. Me.

We’re Party Animals

Just because you can’t physically see us bright and early in the morning glued to our desks, doesn’t mean we’re not checking and responding to emails before we come into work or when we come home from work. It’s also no secret we like to play hard. However, we have a mentality to play hard but work harder. We’re constantly striving to climb up that corporate ladder, or take the entrepreneurial path.  Either way, we know you don’t get there by getting white-girl wasted Monday through Friday. If there’s a healthy balance between work and non-work, how about you let us enjoy the one life we have.  

We’re Entitled Rascals

We’re not entitled. We’re just not willing to settle for a mediocre job position. We know our worth. With the help of LinkedIn and other job finder and networking sites, it’s not about scoring a job, but one that we believe will help us pursue our dreams. Let’s substitute the word “entitled” for tenacious.

We’re Wishy-Washy Whippersnappers

Think of it as absorbing as much experience as possible. We’re always looking at how we can gain yet another leg up in this highly competitive work world. You see us as an uncommitted and indecisive generation. We see ourselves as ambitious and self-motivated.

Millennials will make up half of the global workforce by 2050. It’s important to rid our generation of these existing stigmas. When I think of what it is to be a millennial, I think of the following —We’re go-getters. And because we’re technologically savvy, we like to take on new challenges. We’re constantly adapting to change. And we want to try it all.