You know if I blog twice in one month, something has to be especially compelling. So here goes. (This isn’t all doom and gloom–read all the way through to the end.)
I’ve been thinking about this year’s graduates. Here are a few factoids:
1. In 1960, the vast majority of men and women had experienced a major life transition (graduated college, established a career, gotten married, left home) by the time they were thirty years old. In 2012, that’s true for only a minority of young men and women.
2. Not surprisingly, 37 percent of twenty-somethings are currently unemployed or under-employed.
3. College was more of a given until 1990.
4. In the 1970s and 1980s, people left college with manageable debt. Graduates today are likely to be lost in tuition debt, wondering if and whether they will ever be able to repay it.
5. One in four “Millennials” think it is likely that they will be famous.*
6. There are long-term social and societal implications to all of the above–for all of us.
Whether you call them Gen Y’s or Millennials (i.e. people coming of age right now), our recent high school and college graduates are in trouble. They also bring with them unique gifts
The opportunities are still there. And in today’s “freelancer economy”, we can coach twenty-somethings in the necessary skills and resilience for capturing them.
f you know and love a Millennial, here’s an idea for a graduation gift this year. We at SeattleCoach have designed a summer package that will help graduates:
- To understand and begin to use their key strengths
- To find vocationally where their interests and aptitudes intersect
- To learn and practice key professional communication and networking skills (+ a good handshake)
- To find ways in the market place where they can offer their best gifts professionally and intergenerationally
- To complete a baseline resume and practical understanding of how to customize a cover letter
- To practice interview skills and preparation
- To establish a solid and simple web presence (and savvy about social media)
- To get lots of immediate feedback
- To know how to take a calculated risk, and
- To create appropriate visibility for all of the above
This generation is longing to learn this stuff in the context of mutual respect.
Send them our way, and we’ll help them get it.