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Millennials and Gen Z Increasingly Pessimistic About Their Lives, Survey Finds

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Re: Millennials and Gen Z Increasingly Pessimistic About Their Lives, Survey Finds

#21

Post by SolaceQuantum »

klodolph wrote: post #12
2819b wrote: post #8

I think it boils down to "comparison being the thief of joy." Social media of all types are basically one giant comparison machine, and the people that are the most visible on social media are the richest/best looking/most successful etc.

I disagree 100%. It's easy to find a scapegoat but the reasons are complex, and from data we know that Millennials and Gen Z are having greater difficulty achieving basic levels of economic stability that were somewhat easier for previous generations. Students are graduating with increasing amounts of debt and entering a job market that can make it tough to pay rent if you don't have experience. It's also easy to say…

Job prospects in STEM vary widely; S & M are not exactly known for being lucrative, and E is only lucrative in specific subfields.

Re: Millennials and Gen Z Increasingly Pessimistic About Their Lives, Survey Finds

#22

Post by koverda »

mettamage wrote: post #2

One thing I'm pessimistic about is this pigeonholing thing regarding to one's role in a job. I'm a programmer and therefore I can only program. Or so it seems. People don't take me seriously at entry level positions of: - Consultant - UX Designer - Data Scientist - Marketing (analytics) I wish people would at least interview me on it. They'd be surprised what I know and am able to do. One person made it obviously cle…

Why not try and get a job at a small startup? You'll likely be able to flex a lot more of these skills.

Re: Millennials and Gen Z Increasingly Pessimistic About Their Lives, Survey Finds

#23

Post by atemerev »

izzydata wrote: post #7

I'm surprised that half of people would believe businesses are making a positive impact on the world.

Unless you live in North Korea (and perhaps even there), everything that your life depends on is brought by businesses.

Re: Millennials and Gen Z Increasingly Pessimistic About Their Lives, Survey Finds

#24

Post by supergauntlet »

klodolph wrote: post #12
2819b wrote: post #8

I think it boils down to "comparison being the thief of joy." Social media of all types are basically one giant comparison machine, and the people that are the most visible on social media are the richest/best looking/most successful etc.

I disagree 100%. It's easy to find a scapegoat but the reasons are complex, and from data we know that Millennials and Gen Z are having greater difficulty achieving basic levels of economic stability that were somewhat easier for previous generations. Students are graduating with increasing amounts of debt and entering a job market that can make it tough to pay rent if you don't have experience. It's also easy to say…

It is honestly ludicrous to see the results of decades of economic warfare and the nonstop closing of proverbial doors of economic opportunity done by boomers and to a lesser extent gen X and then boil everything down to "Social media means more people compare their normal to everyone else's best."

It isn't that it's not true, it is! Social media sucks for mental health. It's just also true that there are many legitimate reasons to be upset. I say this as a 24 year old that has been very very lucky to have affluent parents and gone to a good university and gotten a good job. I make more money than I honestly think anyone needs at my current cost of living and yet despite this I have so many friends that are barely scraping by.

Depending on what stats you go by, the average American household couldn't spare a $400 expense: https://www.fool.com/retirement/2018/05/23/guess-how-many-am... That's a fucking Playstation. That's absurd.

So sum the constant anxiety of basically no economic safety net, climate change (which is looking to be "how bad", not "if"), social media reminding you of these AND how much better your friends are doing.. Is it any wonder everybody feels like shit?

Re: Millennials and Gen Z Increasingly Pessimistic About Their Lives, Survey Finds

#25

Post by TheOtherHobbes »

atemerev wrote: post #23
izzydata wrote: post #7

I'm surprised that half of people would believe businesses are making a positive impact on the world.

Unless you live in North Korea (and perhaps even there), everything that your life depends on is brought by businesses.

Perhaps that's not the most convincing way to contradict the original point.

Re: Millennials and Gen Z Increasingly Pessimistic About Their Lives, Survey Finds

#26

Post by xyzzyz »

syn0byte wrote: post #15

A single mother working as a waitress at Denny's in the 1980's had more spending power than a college educated cubicle drone in 2019; Let's talk about how is social media's fault! Twice in the last 20 years - more than any other time in US history combined - The Presidential election went to the candidate that LOST the popular vote; These generations just lack a proper understanding of civics! The beatings will conti…

A single mother working as a waitress at Denny's in the 1980's had more spending power than a college educated cubicle drone in 2019

Do you have any source to support this? Because real median personal[1] income went up almost 50% since then[2].

[1] — don't confuse it with real median household income, which didn't grow nearly as much, because of a significant rise in single-person households which pushes the median down a lot.

[2] – https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/MEPAINUSA672N

Re: Millennials and Gen Z Increasingly Pessimistic About Their Lives, Survey Finds

#27

Post by rdiddly »

mettamage wrote: post #2

One thing I'm pessimistic about is this pigeonholing thing regarding to one's role in a job. I'm a programmer and therefore I can only program. Or so it seems. People don't take me seriously at entry level positions of: - Consultant - UX Designer - Data Scientist - Marketing (analytics) I wish people would at least interview me on it. They'd be surprised what I know and am able to do. One person made it obviously cle…

I would say just look for a job as a "programmer" then, but once you're hired, take every opportunity to a) learn and b) show off, skills in the other areas. Nobody really sticks strictly to their job description, do they? Maybe, but my idea is to be always stretching beyond it so they're eventually forced to update it, heh heh. Eventually you're "so good they can't ignore you" like Steve Martin said via Cal Newport.

Edit: And by the way, make it your business during the search and interview process to figure out which jobs explicitly offer that possibility. Because growing into other areas with the management's blessing is obviously better & less stressful than trying to do it on the sly or in your free time.

Re: Millennials and Gen Z Increasingly Pessimistic About Their Lives, Survey Finds

#28

Post by BonesJustice »

atemerev wrote: post #23
izzydata wrote: post #7

I'm surprised that half of people would believe businesses are making a positive impact on the world.

Unless you live in North Korea (and perhaps even there), everything that your life depends on is brought by businesses.

Also, ‘businesses’ is not the same as, say, ‘megacorps’. Though I get where the grandparent comment was coming from.

Re: Millennials and Gen Z Increasingly Pessimistic About Their Lives, Survey Finds

#29

Post by crooked-v »

2819b wrote: post #8

I think it boils down to "comparison being the thief of joy." Social media of all types are basically one giant comparison machine, and the people that are the most visible on social media are the richest/best looking/most successful etc.

Social media isn't responsible for real purchasing power stagnating [1] while cost of education skyrockets at absurd rates [2].

[1]: https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2018/08/07/for-most-us...

[2]: https://www.cnbc.com/2017/11/29/how-much-college-tuition-has...

Re: Millennials and Gen Z Increasingly Pessimistic About Their Lives, Survey Finds

#30

Post by makerofspoons »

"Climate change, protecting the environment and natural disasters topped the list of most respondents on a personal level, but less than three in ten of both the Millennial and Gen Z cohorts cited it as a worry."

This is surprising. As a Gen Z-er this highlights the kind of bubble I find myself in- my friend group is almost universally in a state of despair about the collapsing biosphere. Climate change and mass extinction are the chief reasons I am pessimistic about my life.

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