by Maryanne
Before writing about other Millennials, we probably should introduce our own.
Our three Millennials all went to parochial scho
ol through high school, were involved in every activity they could tolerate and were given more than we could afford. We also volunteered at their schools and they even got awards at home for their good deeds. We take full responsibility.
Since there will be eye-rolling and distancing from this blog, we will only refer to them as Millennial 1, 2 and 3. They and their friends are great people.
Millennial 1 – Age 23 – The Negotiator
M1 is a natural networker and things come very easy to him. He went to a great college in Boston and had three (3) bona fide job offers by February of his senior year.
He started work for a big consulting firm that offered the highest salary of the three offers. The firm has programs in place to orient Millennials and give them a ton of flexibility and feedback. He worked 60 hour weeks and hated every minute of it.
So he left there and went to a startup. The startup had no structure or clear direction. He hated that.
He now works as an analyst for a large company where he has some autonomy but a clearly defined job and responsibilities.
Phew ... he’s happy.
Millennial 2 – Age 21 – The Rule Follower
The Rule Follower really could pass for a non-Millennial. She does everything right. There is never a worry about breaking curfews, missing home work or grades below an A.
If she even thought of doing something questionable, she’d send herself to her room. She works two jobs … an internship and a part-time retail job.
She attends a college in a beach town in California. (Again, full responsibility is taken).
The only Millennial element of M2 is as she walks you can almost hear music and lalalala in her wake. She is incredibly idealistic and relies on her dad for most moves that she makes.
Some people say that grit and determination is what equals success. If that’s true, she has great successes awaiting her.
Millennial 3 – Age 19 – The Heart Attack Waiting to Happen
Somehow M3 is laid back and intense at the same time.
At three years old he picked up a camera and has been making movies ever since.
He is right and left brained as well as humble and kind. For some reason, he thinks that there are investors searching the globe for filmmakers in remote towns to hire and produce mega hits.
When he was a senior in high school, a crazy opportunity fell into our lap. A major filmmaker, who has grossed $1.2 billion in box office sales, agreed to chat with M3 for 30 minutes.
M3 said, “he’s not in my genre of interest and if I speak to someone, he’d have to be more successful.” So I cancelled the call. Just writing it, my jaw drops again.
He is in film school now and all his professors have given us great feedback. He has the talent to beat that $1.2 billion number (remember this is being written by a Millennial’s mom), but he needs to grasp that networking and relationships are part of the path.
Although all three Ms have great friends, M3’s are the ones I’d of chosen for him if I was allowed to go to college with him. They are earnest, honest, hard workers, smart, collaborative, look out for each other and are incredibly funny. He will find his way, but we will need a defibrillator handy to follow the trip.
The future is bright ... even for Millennials.
Tell us about your Millennial(s).