Gen X, you pay attention too. You're not off the hook,

Welcome to the technological age, the era of internet memes, and a time of extreme social awareness. The word "Millennial" is thrown around a lot, and often derogatorily. Your children and grandchildren could be Millennials, but they're probably members of Generation Z. The Millenial Generation includes people born from 1981-1996.

My parents are just shy of falling into this category themselves. So when Baby Boomers get on their high horse and complain about "teenagers these days" or societal differences from their childhood until now, there are often two issues with those statements: they are failing to recognize Gen Z as the teenagers they're complaining about, and they fail to consider just how much society has changed from their time.

Millennials as a whole are characterized by the older generations as lazy, entitled, and too busy taking pictures of their avocado toast to function like "real" adults. What they fail to consider is that these avocado-loving hipsters are already becoming functioning members of a progressing society. In fact, in 2018 Millennials accounted for 36% of the national workforce.

This is pretty impressive, especially when you consider that Millennials as a whole earn 20% less than their parents did. With the cost of living higher than ever, making a livable wage can seem impossible to those now just now beginning their careers. The sad fact of reality is that Millennials with a masters degree are typically making the same amount of money Baby Boomers did in the 80's without any college education at all. Millennials are far from lazy.

Another economic hardship facing this generation is the outstanding amount of student debt Millennials have found themselves in. College has been advertised as an unquestionable next step following high school in order to achieve any career in this age.

Vocational training and non-degree occupations were much more socially acceptable in the past few decades, but even entry-level jobs are now seeking employees with at least a bachelors degree. Millennials are literally going thousands of dollars in debt in order to hopefully make enough money to pay it all off. This has been proven by the fact that Millennials are the most educated generation, with more bachelors degrees than any previous generation.

The last thing to know about Millennials is that they're the latest generation in a long chain of generations to face extreme criticism from previous generations. Progress is scary and times are always changing, so no two generations are exactly the same. So take note and take a back seat, Baby Boomers. Millennials aren't lazy and entitled. What they are, is the future.