There's a weird paradox in the way Gen Y lives and works. Everywhere I am reading about how the Millennials are super-driven, hyper-informed, search engine wizards. We chug lattes. We get to work early. We leave late. We want to be promoted. We expect to make millions by age 30. If all of this is new to you, read Lindsey Gerdes's work on young professionals at BusinessWeek.
A friend told me she was at her book club meeting in New York when a young writer started crying. She's turning 30 and she hasn't sold a book yet. Her career is over, she believes.
Some would say this makes perfect sense. We've got the technology to do everything faster, and get more information, more mileage, for every minute of each day. Why shouldn't we want to maximize that potential and feel inadequate when it takes too long?
But isn't it also true that everyone lives longer now? A 30-year old today is less than a third through her life–she's more like a 22 year old in the last generation's reckoning. That calculation has had a slowing effect on most other life choices–people get married and have kids later now because they know they've got more than enough time for family.
Why is our professional life speeding up when life's getting longer? Why am I sprinting for a finish line that's further and further away?
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I’m Running Faster, but the Finish Line is further away
