Holy Shit, I'm Graduating

In May of 2016, I will graduate from Iowa State University with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology, a certificate in Leadership Studies, minoring in Women and Gender Studies. It's been a busy few years!

And I'm petrified.

I'm 35 years old and I'm about to graduate with my first degree in higher education. I will be entering the job market against thousands of young, marketable blank slates that have very little work experience (i.e., fewer bad habits from previous employers to work with), better understanding of technology, fewer familial obligations (as they don't likely have a husband and two school-aged children) and a higher GPA (because they didn't have those "pesky" distractions to keep them away from school work). We're all going to be competing for the same jobs. It's easier for employers to hire a new grads for less money if they're a fresh-faced 22 year old! And I'll have just as much debt as they will, possibly more since some (but certainly not most) of these kids received help from their families to pay for college.

There's this common misconception that my university peers (i.e., mostly millenials) are lazy, unmotivated, narcissistic and entitled. But are they, really? Or are we Gen X-ers starting to sound like our parents and grandparents? Here are some of the things I heard when I was a young 20-something:

"Kids these days just don't want to work."
"Kids these days only care about themselves."
"Kids these days are so entitled."
"Kids these days don't know the meaning of hard work. They just want everything now."
"Kids these days have no taste in good music!" (okay, I just added that one in for fun!)

Get off my damn lawn with that riff raff!

Sound familiar? It's the same thing that people are saying about millenials. The truth is, the young adults of this upcoming generation are really anything but lazy. As of now, they are this century's Depression Era children. Many watched their parents lose their jobs and homes. They watched their parents recover from financial disasters. They internalized all of this and have adjusted their world view to accommodate these realities.

You've all heard the phrase, "work smarter, not harder." This is essentially how millenials get their shit done. Can they accomplish it quickly, effectively and accurately? Yes? Awesome. Does that mean they have more time to enjoy life? Probably. Apparently, millenials have figured out that work-life balance thing... at least, once they've found that job that pays well and no longer have to work more than one.

My hope is that being middle-aged and getting a degree will be considered as brave. My hope is that being middle-aged and getting a degree demonstrates my commitment to better myself and my willingness to adapt to new environments. My hope is that being a wife and mother and full-time student will prove my capabilities in managing busy and conflicting situations. My hope is that being middle-aged will prove me to be a leader amongst the tabula rasas.