Por Julianna Antunes
Tell me what you think the profile of generation Y is. Born starting in the year 1984, we are technology lovers, video game obsessed, passionate about science fiction, nerds with pride, and simply ecstatic about every form of virtual communication out there. Now, what if I told you that besides for a certain level of appreciation for technology, I don’t have any of these characteristics, which are supposedly so typical of generation Y?
Around me, I see a lot of people forcing themselves to fit into a certain role, simply because they want to fit the box they are supposed to be in. The predetermined place, standard, profile, or generation. Taste is personal and the year in which you were born has nothing to do with it. Being part of Gen Y, I would never trade my classic horror films about serial killers for any Matrix movie!
What characterizes my generation is our behavior and not our tastes. Listening to rock from the 70’s and the 80’s I notice that I don’t have the faintest idea of what bands my generation is currently listening to. Still I have the rush of urgency that is said to typical of Gen Y. And although I think video games are a total waste of time, I hardly recognize myself after participating furiously in any sort of work-related challenge.
I don’t have the main fault my generation is often accused of. This probably stems from not being constantly rewarded in my childhood, especially if I didn’t deserve it. Thank God! I feel lucky to have participated in a competitive sport ever since I was eight years old. This made me see that you don’t always get a medal, and that medals have different values. To win the gold you have to be the best. And yet, this consciousness didn’t make me less daring than any of my classmates or coworkers.
I’ll always trade online chats for a real face-to-face chat with laughs versus those cartoon smiley faces. Still, I call my friends from my smart phone to plan our face-to-face gathering, and while I get ready I make a play list for my I pod, which I listen to on the way there.
I stay far away from campus parties and anime festivals. I’ve never read a Harry Potter book or seen a Harry Potter film. I think the weirdest thing is seeing people play cosplay. Still, I challenge all hierarchies, because I don’t believe in them. If you want my respect, you have to earn it, and no name or position gets you a free pass.
Of course, it’s important to know what Generation Y listens to, watches, and wears. But I need to find the mediums that motivate us in the corporate world, especially because we will soon be taking over the businesses created by our parents and grandparents. Perhaps because Gen Y is just starting to enter the workplace, I only realized the bomb was exploding when I started working and faced the inevitable culture shock. If businesses aren’t ready for us now, imagine what they were like six years ago…
*Julianna is a journalist, who majored in Journalism. She is currently pursuing graduate studies in Corporate Social responsibility. She is working on developing corporate sustainability and green business. To learn more, check out her blog: www.sustentabilidadecorporativa.com
