It's their world now

hot_rod

83 plus millennials in the US, time for them to step up and get involved. It can be at any level from signing a letter to running for office.

If not the "old guard" may keep running up the tab on their cc, with trillion dollar wars, for example.

It is interesting to see which candidates are turning out the young and independents. And which candidates are stirring the pot without any apparent solutions or reality. Should be an interesting election, I just wish it didn't have to last 2 years.

Robert O'Brien

Moving out of the parents basement would be a good start!

hot_rod

Robert O'Brien said:

Moving out of the parents basement would be a good start!

But someday we may need move in with them, so...the roles often reverse.

DanHolohan

I'm ready to move in with mine!

njtommy

I fall under that millennials category. I had a full time job right out of high school (2002) and moved out a year later. Had to move back in 2009 after the economy took a drive for 6 months then bought a condo with my wife and then bought a house in 2012. Condo worst decision ever! Now I'm a father and have a stay at home wife. I hustle as much as possible to keep her home to raise our 15 month girl. Who has daddy wrapped right around her finger.

I have plenty of friends who still live at home or renting because of too much dept from college. Which sucks but they want that American Dream of going to college and getting a 9 to 5er.

I knew freshman year of high school I wasn't going to college. Didn't know why, but just did. I was always good with my hands and my brain soon to follow a bit slower then my hands, but it's came together in the end.

I absolutely love being an HVACR tech/ installer I wouldn't change it at all.

Robert O'Brien

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sz0o9clVQu8

Robert O'Brien

njtommy said:

I fall under that millennials category. I had a full time job right out of high school (2002) and moved out a year later. Had to move back in 2009 after the economy took a drive for 6 months then bought a condo with my wife and then bought a house in 2012. Condo worst decision ever! Now I'm a father and have a stay at home wife. I hustle as much as possible to keep her home to raise our 15 month girl. Who has daddy wrapped right around her finger.



I have plenty of friends who still live at home or renting because of too much dept from college. Which sucks but they want that American Dream of going to college and getting a 9 to 5er.



I knew freshman year of high school I wasn't going to college. Didn't know why, but just did. I was always good with my hands and my brain soon to follow a bit slower then my hands, but it's came together in the end.



I absolutely love being an HVACR tech/ installer I wouldn't change it at all.

I'm talking failure to launch, not someone hitting a rough patch

Tinman

I wouldn't want to be a millennial in this day and age. I have 3 daughters, ages 25, 27, and 29. In many ways, I think their generation has it harder than mine did.

Robert O'Brien

Stephen Minnich said:

I wouldn't want to be a millennial in this day and age. I have 3 daughters, ages 25, 27, and 29. In many ways, I think their generation has it harder than mine did.

Absolutely, it's harder now and most aren't prepared to deal with adversity, trophies for everyone!

Tinman

My girls dealt with more than their share of adversity at a young age. It sure didn't seem like it was for the better at the time, but as a result they're tough as nails.

njtommy

@Robert O'Brien
Lol that video is great.

Harvey Ramer

Guess I fall under that category. The gravy is still there, you just have to go get it because nobody is bringing it to the table.

I was working full time since I was 14. Started my own business in 2008, when the recession hit, at the age of 23. Bought my first house 2 years later and going strong today. I never got any monetary help and wouldn't want it anyway.

There are a lot of great millennials. Thing is, they are the ones who are to busy working to make all those complaining noises.

Tinman

Harvey, you're only 31 or so? You need to be in the same group of "Future of Our Industry" guys like Hot Rod's son!

SlamDunk

I bought into to the lazy millenial argument. But, this past weekend, I went to a wedding and was surrounded by millenials for two days and came home impressed with them. they were all holding there own, starting families, and shifting into the next gear of their careers.

Tinman

It's a different world now. College is the new high school and soon grad school will be the next college. Make sense? Kids lives are delayed as a result. They're buying homes later, having kids later, etc. The biggest thing I see is less of them getting their hands dirty. Literally.

hot_rod

Plenty of doom and gloomers around, they usually attract like thinkers, or pass on their Debbie Downer attitude regardless of age.
Lot of young, and old folks worldwide that would like the opportunities that America offers.

Robert O'Brien

Stephen Minnich said:

Harvey, you're only 31 or so? You need to be in the same group of "Future of Our Industry" guys like Hot Rod's son!

I know I was shocked when I first met him! There are a number of younger guys doing great work here.

Harvey Ramer

Yep. I'm 31. Age is a number, that's all.

Kind of funny, when I first started I discovered I was loosing jobs because I looked to young. So I grew a beard which made me look 10 years older. Hurts on the social side but it did the trick in the business world. I kept it for about 5 years till I had a large customer base and then hacked it off again. Now I'm young once more.

That's the story of my beard. Lol

ChicagoCooperator

The millenials who get made fun of so much are mostly upper middle class kids who were coddled as opposed to working class or lower middle.

Example: a friend of mine interviewed a soon to be college graduate in the Boston area. The candidate was eating oatmeal during the interview and did not say what they could do for my friend's organization, but what they needed to be happy every day at work.

Erin Holohan Haskell

I agree that there are ambitious Millennials out there who defy the stereotype. I am 34, so I guess that would make me a Millennial as well. I learned the value of hard work at a young age and started my first company when I was 21.

I think Millennials are stepping up. We're just not hearing about it.

According to this infographic from The Washington Post, with 92 Million people, "The Millennial generation is the biggest in US history - even bigger than the Baby Boom." These are current and future employees and customers.

It must be incredibly daunting for those who are now entering the workforce to be faced with lower employment levels, debt, and the stereotype that their entire generation is lazy.

Millennials don't need trophies. They need a change in dialogue. And we need them for the future of our industry.

JUGHNE

I belong to a wiremen's association where we have instructors from the community college who give the presentation for our required continuing Ed hours. We always enquire how the students for electrical construction are doing (it's a 2 year program). This year 40 started and 20 dropped out or were just sent home.

3 unexcused absences or being late will send you home, mothers will call and plead for reinstatement.

Students are expected to sweep up after const lab......some think the janitor should do this.

They say "this isn't like working.....it's school"

One student's mother comes to school once a week to clean his room.
Our group throws a scholarship to one of the students for each class. We wisely will award it only in their second year.

Tinman

I'm in the process of stealing a second guy from the corporate world, another college graduate of the business world. Both were unhappy with their current jobs. I told them both they could make a very good living doing what I do and they would have tangible evidence at the end of the day of a job well done.
Both guys had ZERO experience working with tools. That's teachable if they have a sincere interest. I'd rather hire on energy and attitude rather than perceived aptitude. Both Tim and the prospective new guy have that in spades.

ChrisJ

Robert O'Brien said:

Stephen Minnich said:

I wouldn't want to be a millennial in this day and age. I have 3 daughters, ages 25, 27, and 29. In many ways, I think their generation has it harder than mine did.

Absolutely, it's harder now and most aren't prepared to deal with adversity, trophies for everyone!

Not all of us can be as great as you.

Luckily, I was born in 80 which most consider generation X. I'd hate to have people blaming me for everything and calling me lazy for absolutely no reason.

KC_Jones

Personally I just don't see the millennial issues everyone talks about. I see bad employees and attitudes in ALL generations. Right now we have 7 millennials in my department, 1 of them is a complete POS the other 6 are fantastic 1 in particular is over the moon good. I would put him against most others with 20+ years experience and he has only been at this job for 5 years. If I had a few more like these millennials we could probably fire twice as many of our experienced people. I find their ambition is a lot higher than their more experience counterparts and they have a thirst for knowledge that I just don't see in many. We all have different experiences, but I have a hard time when people make blanket statements about an entire generation...it just isn't that way. I would also like to add that the good or bad ones are acting how they were taught by their parents, who learned from their parents, who learned from theirs etc.....take that for what it is. My parents taught me well, I know people who's parents didn't and it shows. I can spot an adult who had "bad" parents from a mile away it's obvious. We only know what we are taught and we don't know what we don't know. Is that an excuse for being a "bad" citizen? No it's not. I say instead of whining about a generation being "bad" step up and teach them the error of their ways....directly. Talk directly to anyone you know and educate them about being responsible taking pride in life, yourself, your community. I started a new "program" with my kids this year. We walk around the neighborhood once a week and clean up trash. This is teaching them to take pride in where the live and shows others the pride we take and generally that can be contagious. I don't talk I act....talking is a waste of time. Show people how it's done and they will follow. Just one man's perspective on "things".

Paul S_3

I too do not believe its just the millennials...it can be any generation that is not productive.....im 30 years old and my partner is 28 ....just like harvey i still tell people im ten years older.....ive been in the field since im 17 ...opened my business at 28...and worked hard my whole life

DanHolohan

Paul, when I was your age, I knew a lot about steam heating because I made it my business to know. When I solved a problem and they asked me how old I was, I told them I was 15.

Paul S_3

I read TLAOSH when i was 19 ....and i read it before every heating season....i have to say if it wasnt for your steam and hydronic books i would not be in the position i am today....thank you Dan for your writing

DanHolohan

Thanks, Paul. I'm in the process of rewriting that one right now. I've learned a bit more, thanks to all of you on this site.

ChrisJ

DanHolohan said:

Thanks, Paul. I'm in the process of rewriting that one right now. I've learned a bit more, thanks to all of you on this site.

*Cough change 33% to 15% cough*.....

SlamDunk

I think it is the way established generations look at younger generations...remember hippies?

JUGHNE

When I look in the mirror

Tinman

Every one of my teen years were in the 70's and I lived to talk about it.

Paul48

I had a blast being a nuisance to society.

Paul48

In the best of times, it's easy for folks to prosper. It's the hard times that truly define us.

Robert O'Brien

I'm not following? I agree that it's tougher now and as for the trophies, who do you think handed them out?

Paul48

We....as a society did, and still do. We don't just reward excellence. We reward everyone, as long as they show up. It's all part of the kinder, gentler world.

ChrisJ

Robert O'Brien said:

I'm not following? I agree that it's tougher now and as for the trophies, who do you think handed them out?

Paul48 said:

We....as a society did, and still do. We don't just reward excellence. We reward everyone, as long as they show up. It's all part of the kinder, gentler world.

I don't know.

Paul48

I think the comment was made, because we really do our kids no favor by doing that. We need to teach them how to excel. We can't have them graduating high school, with the equivalent education of a 5th grade Japanese child.

njtommy

Maybe it's not the kids fault. Maybe it's the parents who aren't parents at all, but too busy trying to keep up with the Jones.

Tinman

If you don't raise your kids, someone else will...the neighborhood delinquents or the streets.

SlamDunk

when I went to college in 1982-1986, tuition was $3000/yr or 12k total. My first job paid 3.7 times that per year.

That same education today costs $31,000.00/yr or $124,000!

When I took out a mortgage in 1991, the asking price was $89k. Today, this bungalow will go for @450k.

If a millenial acts like he doesnt care, why should he/she?