We’re not all about money, but money IS important
I keep seeing articles like this one (featuring quotes from the talented Penelope Trunk) saying that Generation Y isn’t all about the money. The conclusion, often, is this:
•Work is not about the money. Young people watched their baby boomer parents work hard and get laid off, Trunk said. “Consequently, they really do believe life is about relationships,” she said. “It’s insulting if you offer to pay them to work the weekend.”
I tend to agree with this, as it’s certainly true in my case. I seriously wonder about my friends going to lawschool - I know they’re after the high-paying salary, but do they really want to end up working so much?
I worry, though, that the stigma that Gen Y is after more than a salary will translate into some employers think they can pay us nothing as long as they let everyone leave the office early on Friday. It is not, as some might think, that we’re willing to sacrifice a high salary for increased flexibility — rather it’s that we’re not willing to let a high salary dupe us into devoting our whole lives to work.
And then there’s the fact that we tend to be savvier when it comes to money, and how it works. Since we get married later, have fewer kids later in life and tend not to have the same kind of giant-house-in-the-suburbs dream as our forebears, we’re not as likely to end up in the same need-a-giant-steady-paycheck-above-all-else situation. (That’s not to say Gen Ys don’t have their own issues with debt — it’s just a different kind, what with credit cards and all.)
And, finally, there’s charts like this — from this article — , showing that the relationship between your job, the hours you work, and the money you make isn’t as clear cut as you might think:
Interesting stuff, isn’t it?
This entry was posted on Sunday, June 8th, 2008 at 10:01 pm and is filed under Attitude. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
Knowing What Others Earn Is About Having Control Over Your Life : Brazen Careerist June 20th, 2008 at 8:07 am
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