Perspectives on Money

The perspective of the tail end Millennial on our generation and the financial climate… We are the most educated and yet most underpaid generation to date, which is historically the most expensive time to live. Our parents (baby boomer generation, and often immigrants) believed in the American dream and raised us to believe in it as well, but for us, it simply no longer exists to the same extent it once did. We were told to seek higher education to be successful, and now a college degree offers little to no distinction. MBAs are offered minimum wage, which is not to be confused with a living wage - for the millennial knows that these are two separate things. The salary increase of a Ph.D. does not counteract the student debt. Growing up as a first-generation American, I believed in the better life my parents wanted for me. I believed in education, hard work, and chasing my dreams. Now… I am confused and unsure of what’s left to believe. I see my generation scraping to get by while being called lazy by the same generations that raised us! Lest we deny the completely different circumstances of living. I do not personally believe in a worker shortage, I believe in shortages of a living wage. I support small businesses, and I support the many of us that feel small.

      In my humble opinion, there needs to be an awakening. Perhaps the American dream isn’t gone, it’s changing. As such I do believe my generation and generations past me (please note the age difference between Millennials and Generation Z), will be the catalyst for positive change. Workers are standing up for themselves and their right to work/life balance. As a generation, we are educated yes, but we are also innovative. We will create new paths, new careers, new ways of doing things. We will recreate the American dream.