I heard a news report the other day that cereal sales have dropped significantly over the past several years mainly because millennials find washing the bowls too inconvenient. I have an extremely hard time believing this. I'm 36, not that far removed from this generation, but far enough I guess. If this is true, it screams lazy to me. Each generation is different, and a lot has to do with the generation before it. Honestly, I have not worked with many that are much younger than I, so I don't really get the perspective. I do believe it is a lot tougher for them to get jobs. I don't believe they are any lazier than those from previous generations, they just have quicker expectations. I at least know what it was like before there was internet, growing up with it all your life changes perspective. I often wonder about this because I'm raising kids in now. What the hell will they be able to do when they get older. I don't know. In my profession, when I graduated in 2004, I could find a job anywhere I wanted. Price for college was not cheap then but it has only gotten worse. Today, someone graduating in my profession will most likely get a good job if they can find it, but may not be where they want or for the price they want. It's a massive change really. I often think if I was in high school right now, what would i do. I don't know. I probably wouldn't have picked what I'm doing now. Something in tech maybe? You get zero experience out of high school and are expected to know what you will be doing for the rest of your life. It's tough, and I do think its a lot tougher now than it was when I graduated high school. Just want some thoughts.
Changing demographics (fewer young people to which the market is oriented); increased competition from energy bars/yogurt; a tendency for a lot of people to shun all that sugar; and fewer people generally eat breakfast.
Drago wrote: In my profession, when I graduated in 2004, I could find a job anywhere I wanted. Price for college was not cheap then but it has only gotten worse. Today, someone graduating in my profession will most likely get a good job if they can find it, but may not be where they want or for the price they want. It's a massive change really. I often think if I was in high school right now, what would i do. I don't know. I probably wouldn't have picked what I'm doing now. Something in tech maybe? You get zero experience out of high school and are expected to know what you will be doing for the rest of your life. It's tough, and I do think its a lot tougher now than it was when I graduated high school. From what I've seen 'it's not what you know, it's who you know' has become increasingly important in whatever line of work one gets into. College may be an advantage... ... but if one doesn't get the opportunity to put to work what they've learned... ... then an education doesn't offer what the mainstream establishment professes... ... and the ability to pay off the mountainous debt for the education is never achieved. So the real advantage is the network one is either born into and/or builds to help them get the opportunity to attain a job or position. That usually boils down to luck and/or contacts, and whatever one can do to build one's skills to help them appear more desirable to a potential employer... ... which is not something that can be expected from someone 18 or even 24 years old... The corporate world needs to give more credit to older workers who have a better idea as to what they want to do in life... ... most 18-22 year old's don't have a clue as to 'what they want to do with their life'... ... (kudos to those who do)... ... because they don't have enough of an experiential background... ... to know what they want to do with their lives.
Well Drago, you being 36 you aren't that far from being a millennial, you only missed it by four years. Depending on who you believe if you're either Generation X or Generation Y. -> < http://www.theatlantic.com/national...on-begins-and-ends-according-to-facts/359589/ > But I concur, the Millennial Generation is the lazy generation who are the society owes me generation. Many economist blame the Millennial Generation for contributing to the Obama failed economy that they refuse to buy homes, refuse buy new cars and don't make major purchases of durable goods. They are happy with the status quo, don't demand quality and are actually clueless what quality is so they buy garbage at Walmart and many still live with their parents. Refusing to eat cereal or eating at McDonalds instead of preparing a meal at home because they don't want to wash a frying pan or a cereal bowl is an indication of just being lazy. The same people who never break a sweat or are scared getting dirt under their fingernails making a living.
I recently read that the group called Millennials are now the largest group in the US...larger than the Baby Boomers. This means no matter what they are up to, their group is large enough to effect change in the US. But how is this any different from past decades in which we see cultural evolutions change the landscape from one group to the next? And it's not just how these birth groups respond that makes a difference; it is also the state of affairs in the USA whether it be economic or wars or politics, etc. IMO every group has similar challenges, but perhaps varying opportunities, but there's a place for every American who puts forth the effort to fulfill their potential...
I think something has to fundamentally change at the high school level. In the past it was ok to say, just go to college, figure out what you want to do and most likely you will get a job and be fine. Those days are gone in my opinion. It's too damn expensive with very little guarantee you are going to be able to afford your debt and actually get a job coming out of college. US changed from a producing economy to a service providing economy a long time ago. I think the hay day of that is over. There are always new opportunities that come about and that is certainly the case today, but I feel like a lot of professions/services will be hitting a huge brick wall in the near future. I will just say, I don't envy the millennials at all, I think it will be challenging for that generation.
Quite a bit is produced in the US, from produce, to animal products, to building materials, to various manufacturing, and lots of research and design. Spend some time around Silicon Valley and other high-tech areas of the US and you will see huge demand for the right talent. I don't believe the root problem is graduating from high school or college...I believe the root problem for those who cannot find employment, cannot find their niche, is their own personal failure in seeking employment and creating a sustainable life. I remain of the opinion that 99% of what we achieve in life stems from how much effort and focus we apply in our personal lives. No one wishes to talk about it, but IMO most Americans are not that bright or energetic or focused or presentable or communicative or making good decisions so no surprise whatsoever to me why so many act like a fish out of water! It's easy to blame others, blame the system, blame government, etc. Further, the idea of 'work hard' and 'live within one's means' is the last thing people focus on. How can any of this change to allow more Americans to achieve their potential...I think we're SOL and we're just seeing one of the results and downside of societal evolution...
Well, I think the washing cereal bowls isn't the real reason cereal is down. I know I (and my kids) only eat cereal on occasion, while growing up, it was my go-to breakfast. I think it's the microwave and convenience foods taking it's place. I'd rather microwave some pancakes than eat Count Tutti-frutti cereal. I think the youngest generation is always lambasted for laziness. I know Gen X-ers were, as were Baby Boomers. Change chatter for smartphones, and we have our description of today's youth.
How many drive-thru breakfast places, coffee places, do we have today...hundreds of thousands of them. Why screw around at home when we can grab a Starbucks or McDonalds or Chorizo Blue Cheese Breakfast Burrito? We eat in the car, on the bus/train, at work because we're usually late and in a hurry. But, and I'm sure it's for the same reason, but I don't understand why more people don't cook their evening meals from scratch? Every store today has a huge profit center called prepared foods where we stop after work to collect our dinner. Times are a changin...
We aren't lazy. We'd love to work hard if we could get some work in the first place. It's like my generation got thrown into a monopoly game towards the end and the only property left was Baltic avenue, of course we're not going to do well in the game and no amount of hard work is going to solve it.
That's why I brought up the post in the first place, I tend to agree with you. There is always "those people" in each generation that strive to no end to achieve greatness or are just plain (*)(*)(*)(*)ing lucky, but most aren't that way, and I think it's getting tougher each and every year for your normal, everyday person that wants to work hard and "achieve the American Dream", whatever that may even be today. Your example of Monopoly is pretty spot on.
I didn't say we don't produce, of course we do, but it's no longer even close to the bulk of our economy. If you look at certain graphs you will find that over 70% of US GDP is that of service oriented business. That can only go so far. You need people to serve to maintain that and when there are little producers, you run out of room. It's just how it works. Times change, so should the way public schools work. Education should be jammed in the first three years, the senior year of all high school students needs to be more focused. Many high school students will go into trade, their final year should be based on that. Others will want to go to college for specific profession, it should be catered to that, and even more have no (*)(*)(*)(*)ing clue what they want to do, and should be focused on that individual on what their strengths, weaknesses and interests are. Saying blindly, you just need to go to college is a (*)(*)(*)(*)ing joke, not in todays society, not when jobs become smaller, more specified while, college continues become more and more unaffordable, less return on investment and at sometimes an absolute con.
Things evolve...so what? Maybe we have less manufacturing but we have 300% more medical related work. Maybe we produce 100% less but today we service 100% more. These are trends which job seekers must understand and seek out whatever qualifications are required to be in these careers. I continue to wonder why the US cannot supply more to the 7 billion consumers outside of the USA? Are we incapable of competing in every sector, every product, etc.? No one really knows the purpose of public education? Is it to learn reading, writing and arithmetic? Is it to learn social skills? Is it to prepare kids for college? Is it to prepare kids for work? Is it to learn computer code? I don't agree that education is the primary issue holding workers back because I know a high school dropout, with great work ethics, with quality performance, with communication skills, can obtain a minimum wage job and work themselves up the ladder to higher paying jobs and/or management. Since I believe this to better represent society today, doubling down on education will only have minimal positive effects. IMO people who are not hard workers, who do not provide quality workmanship, who don't communicate well, who are not presentable, who are not creative or good problem solvers, absolutely must attain college credentials to get them in the door. I paid my way through college working part time and taking seven years, a young kid who works for me is graduating this year with zero student debt as an environmental biologist...the cost of college is an excuse...not a barrier...
With more mature adults displacing teenagers and young adults from former entry level positions, the job opportunities are pretty limited. The high cost of housing in many regions of the country does not help. This started even before the so-called "Recession". All the young people were being pushed into college because there were not a lot of good jobs elsewhere that could pay for the cost of living. As early as 2005 there were signs something was wrong, but it seemed like everyone kept saying the solution was people needed more education. Actually, this is probably a decades-long trend that started many years before that that, but the dot.com bubble and then the real estate bubble kind of covered over the chronic economic issues for a time. Trying it make the U.S. "compete" with the low wages in the rest of the world was one of the biggest problems, and trying to "strengthen" the market for big real estate developers by bringing in millions of foreigners was another.
I can guess in most cases, like in the greater San Francisco area, the reason we have high housing costs are two-fold; First there is a finite supply, and second, high tech/professional wages are quite good. Unfortunately, in all economic areas, we still need the services of lower skilled, lower educated and lower paid workers but they can never afford to live and play in the area where they are working. I don't have much to say about college except...it's better to have college than no college, and, if one's degree is directly related to their hopeful career, make sure the degree will pay for itself. I know it's not easy to start a business but it's always an option for people. Regarding the US competing around the globe, we really have no choice but to compete. Greatly expanding US exports to serve the other 7 billion consumers in the world is IMO imperative. We can't do it based on labor rates but we can do it being smarter, automation, technology, etc. And we can't just be all pissy and refuse to give it a go...
Well, the higher earning middle class segment of the population does not absolutely need low-paid unskilled workers, but their overall cost of living might be higher if they were not there. When you live in a high cost of living area, things cost more because the workers have to be paid more to afford living there. When you have foreign workers that are willing to cram a big number of people into a tiny apartment, it helps keep the price of lower-skill labor down. Says who? The U.S. is a big country with plenty of resources. The economy could operate perfectly fine even if the entire country was completely blockaded from trade with the rest of the world. The only thing the U.S. might have trouble with is oil. The U.S. has a huge trade deficit, and this has been on ongoing chronic issue. If the U.S. did not import so much there would be no need to have to worry about expanding exports. But the U.S. has not been doing that. It hasn't really been working.
As there become more people with lower incomes who have trouble making ends meet, and as job opportunities decline, there are going to be more and more people who find that it does not make sense anymore to eat out so often. When you have someone in the household who is out of the labor force, they will be likely to take over the food preparation for the family. In some ways things are going to go backwards to the way they were a long time ago.
On the subject of cereal sales, I'm 27 and I think cereal is great, I ate cereal for breakfast and sometimes dinner during childhood. There are many socio-econ factors and increasing competition for that breakfast meal. Many of those economic factors being pointed out also lead to younger people working odd schedules, and the pressure is definitely there because employers like to remind us that we are easily replaceable by any of the other dozens or hundreds of applicants for a position. Also the health craze or whatever people want to call it, many people I know are leaving milk behind and moving on to soy, or almond milk and I imagine a certain number of people just don't think that goes as good in a bowl of cereal. There's much of misinformation being spread around younger circles that people are lactose intolerant and there's no point in eating milk, though the price per gallon isn't helping either. The misinformation being spread about young people grows to new heights every day. Soon they will be saying young people prefer not to wear clothes because its too much of a hassle to push the start button on the washing machine. I'm saying I do not believe its a true statement, they classify me as a millennial, everyone I know washes dishes and I do too.
