The young and their workplace cockiness

[Muta]

Finishing up my BComm at Haskayne with a General major, but I too can see the graduate cockiness starting to already develop amongst my peers.

I'm no expert in the working world yet (I'm still 'green', as my Dad likes to call me) but I can say this.... I've been working with the same copmany for the last four years - part time during school and full-time during summer. I worked my way up from the bottom into a supervisor position within this timeframe, all while continuing my studies at university (BTW, anyone who uses the excuse that they can't work during school is just being lazy; I work and take five courses a semester at the same time, and I get a decent GPA - if I can do it, then anyone can do it. You just gotta put in the effort).

I'm not expecting any kind of glam job when I graduate, unlike alot of other business students. I've seen where grads start and boy, it is a wake-up call for them. Hell, I even supervise some of them from time to time, and they sure don't like that. But I worked to get to that position.

In terms of grad cockiness, however, it's typically accounting and finance students that it comes across for me. Finance students seem especially bad; if they aren't a senior securities analyst within their first year of graduation, they've failed. It's sad really. I like Marketing and HR students the best though - they seem to be more social or more street-smart or something like that. Alot of them have the 'arts' in them, while alot of other management students don't.

I'm probably taking a different route than most others though, as I plan to go into sports management (and I get heckled for it by my peers), but it's what I want to do. I have an idea of where I will probably start, and I'm willing to pay my dues where necessary.

[Daradon]

'The third instalment in our ongoing Meaning of Life series is No-Fear Factor, a four-part look at a generation of young adults raised to believe nothing can get in their way.'

One only has to look at the first sentance to see this writers obvious bias. Or feel it I suppose...

Although a lot of what Anne says has merit, she seems to put a negative slant on it, for instance...

'"What I was trying to do was to find a career that would let me travel to the parts of the world I want to see, while getting paid to do a job I enjoyed," he says.'

Really what's wrong with that? As Table 5 said, work is less nine to five now. The boundaries have changed so viewpoints have changed. It's more a part of your life, or at least, a part of your life without becoming your life.

She goes on to say...

'Though Mr. Murray's attitude might seem typical of youth, remember that those just a decade ahead of him, people now in their mid-thirties, rarely talked this way. They were more apt to talk about success and salaries, promotions and prestige.'

So we've moved from salary and prestige? To me this is a good thing. A generation of people who don't see an additional dollar as success or happiness. A more well rounded life.

On second read it's not as negative as I thouht it was.

[Golden Jet]

Originally posted by JiriHrdina@Jan 31 2005, 02:05 PM
I have worked with a number of new graduates over the years. My experience has been that there isn't much cockiness at all initially. In fact most are very scared of getting fired/laid off or stuck on a go nowhere job. I would suggest though that after about 2 years some cockiness does tend to creep in. Its a fine line though between having a confident employee who understands their own value vs someone that thinks "its all about them".

Maybe if the generation we're talking about WOULD MOVE OUT OF THEIR PARENT'S HOMES they'd fear being fired or laid off, they'd lose their cockiness. Nothing like having too much month for the money & being the sole person responsible for a roof & food over your head to change a person's perspective on life.

[Superfraggle]

Well being one of the younger generation in question, I've grown up with everyone always telling me to choose the job I like, find something I really love to do, etc., so it makes sense to have the attitude of "what can the job do for me?" coming out of school. That doesn't necessarily translate into cockiness, though, which is just foolish when you're an inexperienced dime-a-dozen young'un.

[Muta]

Originally posted by Superfraggle@Feb 1 2005, 12:46 AM
Well being one of the younger generation in question, I've grown up with everyone always telling me to choose the job I like, find something I really love to do, etc., so it makes sense to have the attitude of "what can the job do for me?" coming out of school.

Well, if you truly found a job you loved doing, wouldn't you be asking 'what can I do for the job"?

Seems to me that if you're asking "what can the job do for me", then you're not doing what you really want to do.

[Superfraggle]

Originally posted by Muta+Feb 1 2005, 12:20 AM--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>QUOTE (Muta @ Feb 1 2005, 12:20 AM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'> <!--QuoteBegin-Superfraggle@Feb 1 2005, 12:46 AM
Well being one of the younger generation in question, I've grown up with everyone always telling me to choose the job I like, find something I really love to do, etc., so it makes sense to have the attitude of "what can the job do for me?" coming out of school.

Well, if you truly found a job you loved doing, wouldn't you be asking 'what can I do for the job"?

Seems to me that if you're asking "what can the job do for me", then you're not doing what you really want to do. [/b][/quote]
In order to find a job you truly love, don't you need to know what that job does for you? If I can't stand sitting at a desk all day, do you really think I might find out that I "love" being a secretary? What if I find it really rewarding...say...helping children, instead? Shouldn't I go for that job, because of what it does for me?

Once you find a job, of course it's good to ask "what can I do for the job?" It's only right. I don't see why you can't ask both questions, though.

Seems to me that if you're doing what you really want to do, it must be because you're getting something out of the job. If the job does nothing for you, do you really think you're going to want to do it?

In choosing a job, priorities must be set, according to how good of a fit it is for you. Once you have a job, whether you really "love" it or not, it is only right to ask what you can do for the job in return.

In my opinion

[Ozy_Flame]

Two different contexts, Superfraggle. Muta is asuming having your compensation and environment taken care of in a place you truly want to work at, and you're talking about what that dream job can offer in compensation and environment.

I agree with Muta on this one. if I could have my dream job of choice, I would ask how I could contribute to the company and the industry to make my mark and become an expert at what I do. What I derive from that job in terms of satisfaction is not how easy or lavish the job makes it; its the work that really matters when it comes down to it.

[Superfraggle]

Originally posted by Ozy_Flame@Feb 1 2005, 09:52 AM
Two different contexts, Superfraggle. Muta is asuming having your compensation and environment taken care of in a place you truly want to work at, and you're talking about what that dream job can offer in compensation and environment.

I agree with Muta on this one. if I could have my dream job of choice, I would ask how I could contribute to the company and the industry to make my mark and become an expert at what I do. What I derive from that job in terms of satisfaction is not how easy or lavish the job makes it; its the work that really matters when it comes down to it.

Ok. That I agree with. I was assuming he was talking about finding a job, as implied by: In Part II, why young people entering the workforce aren't asking what they can do for a company, but what the company can do for them.. Once you've figured that out, I totally agree that you should ask what you can do for the job and that satisfaction is not drawn from "how easy or lavish the job makes it". When asking what the job can do for me, I'm looking for the satisfaction and happiness, not easiness or cushiness.

Sounds like we're all pretty much in agreement...just a little misinterpretation one way or another.