With 20-something women out performing men, and 20-somethings staying single longer while pursuing degrees, what is the role of the 20-something man? Think about it and you may end up as confused as we did. Who would have thought the Wall St. Journal would craft such a thoughtful article to get us closer to cracking the mystery. Read this fascinating article that digs into the societal trends that lead to our frat boy Judd Apatow culture.
Archive for the ‘Angst’ Category
Where Have All the Good 20-Something Men Gone?
Friday, February 25th, 2011The Dilemma of the Flummoxed Ambitious Twenty-Something
Sunday, December 5th, 2010
So we were told we could do anything, be anything we wanted to be. Awesome. But as we grow older it’s messing with our heads, our hearts, our career paths, and our families. Many of us equate insanely long hours with being relevant…and enjoy sacrificing work/life balance to the career gods. The Financial Times says we should “grow up”. Read this article about “Tribal Workers: Today’s generation of high-earning professionals maintain that their personal fulfilment comes from their jobs and the hours they work“.
Fortune’s 40 Under 40: You Don’t Have to Wait To be Successful
Tuesday, November 2nd, 2010
If you get inspired by seeing that you too can be insanely successful sooner rather than later, this is a post for you. Fortune has just released its 40 under 40, a list of movers and shakers innovating the world as we know it. There are CEOs and thought leaders, entrepreneurs, digital gurus, consultants, nonprofit leaders, and more. And they all are achieving great success before 40.
Notable twenty-somethings and just barely thirty-somethings:
- Mark Zuckerberg, 26, Facebook Founder & CEO
- LeBron James, 25, Miami Heat
- Andrew Mason, 30, Groupon
- Chris Cox, 25, and Bret Taylor, 30, Facebook technical bench
- Roland Fryer, 33, Professor of economics, Harvard University
Baby Boomers Agree – Millenials Have Unique Strengths as Employees
Monday, October 11th, 2010
It’s about time a boss stuck up for the awesome qualities twenty-somethings bring to work, right? Well, finally there’s an article from Fast Company explaining to our older coworkers “Why Bashing Millenials Is Wrong“…not even written by a millenial. Woohoo.
Some highlights:
“The very same characteristics that are frequently maligned are the very qualities that make millennials awesome employees.”
“A recent study found that millennials typically use up to seven devices, apps, and programs at once — texting, G-chatting, tweeting, and listening to music while working on that memo. Where I make a list and slowly cross things off one at a time, Aria Finger, Do Something’s 27-year-old rock-star COO, will sit in front of three screens (two PC, one iPhone) and plow through three times as many tasks in the same amount of time.”
“You say self-indulgent and self-obsessed, I say optimistic and self-confident. They are hungry for responsibility, and I give it to them.”
We’re not the only ones who thinks this decade is hard…NYT spotlights twenty-somethings
Friday, August 20th, 2010
Apparently our generation is facing unique challenges in our twenties that some worry are meaning that we postpone adulthood. As people who are living through it, well, yeah, it kinda feels that way. A New York Times article “What Is It About 20-Somethings” looks into the milestones that usually define adulthood (graduating, moving out, marrying, having a kid) and talks about why they’re happening later and later.
This of course begs the question of….why are the tables being switched on us in our 20s? Weren’t we *supposed* to wait to get married after we had a stable job? Weren’t we *supposed* to look for a career and not just a job and spend the time to figure that out? Weren’t we *supposed* to wait until we were financially stable to have kids? Aren’t we all *supposed* to be special and look for that special place in life and not flock like lemmings to adulthood? Isn’t that what our parents generation opened up as an option for us?
It’s just weird to see it all spun around and talked about as if it’s a problem for our generation. Yes, we may as a whole be waiting longer to embark upon these adult milestones, but will we be *happier* for doing so? Will we be better parents? Will we be more financially stable than the baby boomers who risk draining the financial system as they enter retirement without sufficient savings?
How are we 20-somethings supposed to be responsible in the eyes of the older generation when the game keeps on changing?
NYT: For Gen X and Y, adulthood is starting later
Wednesday, June 16th, 2010It’s probably no surprise for those of us living through our twenties that most of us didn’t feel like “adults”, get married, take on our life-long career, and start planning kids as soon as we got that college diploma.
The New York Times pulls together some research and interviews some twenty-somethings to profile “The Long Road to Adulthood“ in this interesting piece. Provides some calming stats that you’re not alone if you’re still figuring things out.
A Video Guide to your Quarter Life Crisis
Thursday, November 19th, 2009
When articles just aren’t enough, turn to this witty commentary on life from “A-Z Guide to your Quarter Life Crisis” for essential tips on work, friends, happiness, acceptance. Seems like this angst is felt across the Atlantic as well…
From the Archive: Are you a Douchebag??
Monday, November 2nd, 2009
Are you a member of the new Doucheoise? Details Mag delves into the psyche of douchebags…and claims that if it bothers you, it’s probably because you think you’re entitled to it. Uh-oh.
Learn more about our douchebag nation in this oldie-but-goodie.
Tips from the Trenches: “21 Things I Wish I Knew in My Twenties”
Tuesday, October 27th, 2009In this installment of “Tips from the Trenches”, a leadership/management/ethics blogger gives us his “21 Things I wish I knew in my Twenties.” Here’s a sampling of his advice…
1. This too shall pass.
2. What they say is required is not really what is required.
3. The whole world is not looking at you.
7. Don’t regard the spiritual as impractical. It may well be the most practical thing in your life.
8. If you are trying to impress someone, your priorities are skewed.
10. The journey from A to B often goes from A to Z, M, and D before arriving at B.
13. You are far from the only nervous person in the room.
14. Don’t burn bridges. You may need them sooner than you think.
15. There are many times when it is better to be kind than clever.
17. Talk more with your parents and, if possible, tape some of their reminiscences.
18. Be reluctant to assign bad motives to others. Most of us are blundering, not conspiring.
21. Try not to trip over the rocks on your way to the horizon. Don’t let your grand vision distract you from what is needed to achieve it.
“Money Talks to Have Before Marriage”
Saturday, October 24th, 2009
Raise your hand if you look forward to discussing spending & saving habits in a serious relationship. Didn’t think so. Based on informal T-S research, we think that money conversations may be the most important compatibility factor that young couples don’t talk about. Yet when marriages fail, the couples often cite money issues. It’s the NYT to the rescue with “Money Talks to Have Before Marriage“.
