Idiot 20-somethings I work with and their unrealistic dreams

4,479 Views | 37 Replies | Last: 5 mo ago by 91_Aggie
Reality Check
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I came up here to Manhattan a decade or so ago and am basically working in the industry that preceded the tech giants Uber and Lyft. I've seen a ton of part-time/barely full-time employees come and go, and I've always been supportive of their ambitions. But I don't know, man. Something's clicked with this new generation and I just feel like it's time I throw a giant bucket of cold water on the bunch and wake them up to the fact that just because you "want something really bad" doesn't mean you're entitled to it.

A few examples of the kids with their heads in the clouds whom I deal with:

***Guy in his early to mid-20s, used to be a "manny" (housekeeper/babysitter) for a woman who's a judge that handles sex crimes and similar felonies in New York City. Thinks he can be a -- get this -- professional boxer. I'm not sure if it's UFC or MMA or traditional Queensbury Rules, but he apparently has a record of 8-3 -- all knockouts, six in the first round -- which I find VERY hard to believe because he's all of 5-foot-7 and 175 pounds soaking wet.

***Another kid about his age who -- as everyone and their mother in this city does -- wants to be an actor. He apparently did some singing and dancing in an incredibly obscure Disney movie, and talks about being in his high school's (?) production of "Grease" I can't count the number of times he's bailed on work or begged someone else to cover a shift for him so he can go audition.

***Divorced mom with two kids who thinks she's some kind of art aficionado and will be opening up her studio any day now. Funny -- she can remember the exact pickup location, dropoff location and amount of a fare she had on a Tuesday in March six years ago, but she can't use that brain power to realize that art galleries don't grow on trees.

***Trust fund kid who proved in college -- once and for all -- that marijuana truly is a gateway drug because who knows how he passes a freaking drug test to keep his job. Guy literally doesn't know if it's today, 30 years in the past or 30 years in the future. I guess he doesn't actually have "a dream" like the rest of them -- other than maybe owning a dozen TVs to vege out in front of -- but I can't believe the opportunity this kid had and has wasted.

***And, of course, the immigrant from God knows where who's supposedly a "mechanic." Put a wrench in his hand and suddenly he's making more money than the rest of us regardless of whether he actually knows how to fix anything or knows two words of English. There's some creepy vibe I get from the guy, and I wouldn't be surprised if he ends up mouthing off to the wrong guy someday and getting the **** kicked out of him. With cameras and phones everywhere, it'll probably be on National TV.

I really don't want to be a Debbie Downer -- they get enough of that from our supervisor. And my life's not perfect. I've had plenty of ups and downs, most notably being divorced. But I impressed upon MY son the importance of following the traditional path to success: getting a solid education in a STEM field and working your butt off once you get into the real world. Now the kid does stuff I couldn't imagine, like decoding signals embedded within global satellite transmissions from alien worlds.

But at some point I just think it's up to me to offer these hacks a heaping dose of reality.
Author of the TexAgs Post of The Day - May 31, 2024

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Sooper Jeenyus
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AG
Reality Check said:

But at some point I just think it's up to me to offer these hacks a heaping dose of reality.
Username checks out?

Go do it. Come back and share results.
maroon barchetta
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Quote:

came up here to Manhattan a decade or so ago and am basically working in the industry that preceded the tech giants Uber and Lyft.


So you're a cabbie.

Got it.
Aggie_Boomin 21
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AG
Reality Check said:

which I find VERY hard to believe because he's all of 5-foot-7 and 175 pounds soaking wet.


Do you know how weight classes work? If anything he's too heavy for his height.
RAB87
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AG
TLDR but your premise is spot on: GenZ is the laziest, most entitled, and self obsessed generation in human history. They can take their wokeness, school debt, and worthless liberal arts degrees and piss off.

Thanks and Gig 'Em.
Aggie Therapist
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AG
I would say the Gen Z population in my formation are some hard working Soldiers.

Lead by me! A Millennial Major in the Army!
Moral High Horse
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Ghost of Bisbee
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AG
RAB87 said:

TLDR but your premise is spot on: GenZ is the laziest, most entitled, and self obsessed generation in human history. They can take their wokeness, school debt, and worthless liberal arts degrees and piss off.

Thanks and Gig 'Em.


The GenZer I manage is one of the smartest people I've ever met.
The hardest thing for them is showing up to early morning meetings. I find they want to work smart and largely aren't as interested in climbing the corp ladder. WLB means more to them than climbing the ladder means for me and my millennial counterparts
bmks270
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Ghost of Bisbee said:

RAB87 said:

TLDR but your premise is spot on: GenZ is the laziest, most entitled, and self obsessed generation in human history. They can take their wokeness, school debt, and worthless liberal arts degrees and piss off.

Thanks and Gig 'Em.


The GenZer I manage is one of the smartest people I've ever met.
The hardest thing for them is showing up to early morning meetings. I find they want to work smart and largely aren't as interested in climbing the corp ladder. WLB means more to them than climbing the ladder means for me and my millennial counterparts


Work life balance is its own reward.
TXAG 05
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AG
Aggie_Boomin 21 said:

Reality Check said:

which I find VERY hard to believe because he's all of 5-foot-7 and 175 pounds soaking wet.


Do you know how weight classes work? If anything he's too heavy for his height.


This. Most boxers aren't big guys.
Drawkcab
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maroon barchetta said:

Quote:

came up here to Manhattan a decade or so ago and am basically working in the industry that preceded the tech giants Uber and Lyft.


So you're a cabbie.

Got it.

This is what I thought. He's pretty judgemental for a cab driver.
AggieArchitect04
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AG
I had an entry-level employee email all company ownership (including founders of the firm that have practically zero involvement in day-to-day activities) earlier this year stating that in his job (electrical engineering) he had too much on his plate and his "mental health was deteriorating".

I call the guy into my office to try and understand what the hell is going on. I suggest some things and he's dismissive about all of them. I suggest/offer him some time off. Says his problems will be here when he gets back. It was one of the most draining conversations I've ever had with someone. I'm probably close to 20 years his senior and this kid took a steamy dump on every insight or thought I had to help him, all of which were grounded in years of practical work experience at different firms.

After he left I looked at his timesheets for the last 90 days. He was working 40 hours per week and there were several weeks he had taken some time off (which is fine).

A month later he emails his boss asking for a formal salary evaluation.

Two days pass.

He sends his resignation.

The only thing I can conclude after all this was this kid a couple years out of school wanted to 1) work less, and 2) earn more.

Sounds great. Welcome to every single person on earth dumbass.
FriskyGardenGnome
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Jack Cheese
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The Fife
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TIL that the op is Danny DeVito on the real life version of the show Taxi.
dabo man
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And by the same guy that started the ALF thread a few weeks back. Nice work, OP.

His next thread will be "I'm a millionaire living in Gotham with a young ward and his aunt. There's a large cave under the manor, and..."
ac04
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great OP, and i have always been very suspicious of roberto duran's record. this guy was only 5'7" and 145 pounds and you expect me to believe he went 103-16? not likely lol
infinity ag
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I recommend that when you start working, start investing. Put $100 a week in an index fund and forget about it. Bump up the number when possible but don't go down. As the years go by, you will find yourselves with 100s of thousands, even millions. At that point, a job becomes optional. And you won't have to put up with a-hole managers or toxic workplaces.
James Forsyth
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RAB87 said:

TLDR but your premise is spot on: GenZ is the laziest, most entitled, and self obsessed generation in human history. They can take their wokeness, school debt, and worthless liberal arts degrees and piss off.

Thanks and Gig 'Em.
I don't know. I know some great Gen Z kids (including my own). I remember Gen X was supposed to be all slackers and now we overwhelmingly vote Republican and ***** about the youth of today.
Reality Check
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The Fife said:

TIL that the op is Danny DeVito on the real life version of the show Taxi.
"I really don't want to be a Debbie Downer -- they get enough of that from our supervisor..."
Author of the TexAgs Post of The Day - May 31, 2024

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91_Aggie
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AG
Sounds like OP runs a business that requires no education, and has no pathway for any type of advancement, i.e. it's a dead end job like Uber or Lyft driver that attracts the least ambitious people OR it attracts those who have big dreams that are a long shot to work out but they need to pay the bills for the time being.
OP needs to thank his lucky stars for these people because no one else is going to apply for such jobs and then who would he manage.

OP is not seeing the full spectrum of Gen Z population... just the lovers or dreamers
infinity ag
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James Forsyth said:

RAB87 said:

TLDR but your premise is spot on: GenZ is the laziest, most entitled, and self obsessed generation in human history. They can take their wokeness, school debt, and worthless liberal arts degrees and piss off.

Thanks and Gig 'Em.
I don't know. I know some great Gen Z kids (including my own). I remember Gen X was supposed to be all slackers and now we overwhelmingly vote Republican and ***** about the youth of today.

Every gen complains about the next. Nothing new here.
I raised both my Gen Z kids differently. No participation trophy nonsense once they got to older than 4-5. No social media until high school and even now they don't have instagram or facebook. It takes courage for parents to go against the grain but to do what is right for them. I got flak for that even on this board.
StinkyPinky
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A boxer that works as a manny? Sounds like he is doing whatever it takes to get ahead. What's wrong with this?
A divorced mother opening up an art studio? Again, sounds positive to me. These examples don't fit your theme.
Milwaukees Best Light
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This guy was a boxer who worked as a nanny. Worked out allright for him.
https://media-cldnry.s-nbcnews.com/image/upload/t_fit-760w,f_auto,q_auto:best/rockcms/2024-02/alyssa-milano-tony-danza-mc-240226-b2a123.jpg
HollywoodBQ
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Thoroughly enjoyed your rant.

You never know who those kids are going to become. For some of them they might never become anything others, it might take 20 or 30 years to figure it out.
VP at Pierce and Pierce
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Sounds like a great opportunity for the OP to mentor these people and in a hands on way, provide feedback and guidance to where they can improve in their current role. Everyone needs guidance and perspective from someone with more/different experience. My challenge to the OP: be the person you needed when you younger for these people. You never know what wisdom or skill or experience they could learn from and that could be the catalyst for them turning their dreams into reality. Something as simple as discussing their goals at work and life and how you can help them to get there.
dabo man
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Taxi (TV series)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taxi_(TV_series)
Quote:

Taxi is an American television sitcom that originally aired on ABC from September 12, 1978, to May 6, 1982, and on NBC from September 30, 1982, to June 15, 1983. It focuses on the everyday lives of a handful of New York City taxi drivers and their abusive dispatcher, our OP. For most of the run of the show, the ensemble cast consisted of taxi drivers Alex Reiger (Judd Hirsch), Bobby Wheeler (Jeff Conaway), Elaine Nardo (Marilu Henner), Tony Banta (Tony Danza), and "Reverend" Jim Ignatowski (Christopher Lloyd), along with dispatcher Louie De Palma (Danny DeVito) and mechanic Latka Gravas (Andy Kaufman).
ABATTBQ11
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AG
My wife works with a lot of gen z'ers. She's got a pretty physical and demanding job, and there is a lot to learn and prove before you get to do the things she does. These kids walk in and immediately think they can just be at her level and do the things she does without putting in any of the time and development work to get there, and they get easily frustrated at, "being held back," when they aren't progressing as fast as they'd like and being given the same responsibility as people with 10-15 years of experience. There is a serious sense of entitlement and expectation that is not matched by effort or commitment.

On top of that, there have been more than a few that put her and other higher level employees on eggshells. One girl was moved into their area and immediately started recording every swear word and incident that made her "uncomfortable" and went to HR with it as soon as she felt she wasn't moving up fast enough. Others have had 1 on 1's with coaches and come out of them with complaints that did not match the discussions had. The more senior employees are at a point where they do not have 1 on 1 talks/critique sessions anymore in order to cover their asses.

From everything I hear, much of gen z is absolutely toxic to the workforce.
Complete Idiot
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I wish I had dreams like they do.

I gave up on dreams a long time ago, before I even dreamt them.
MouthBQ98
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The education system and media in general feed many of them a very distorted or false picture of reality. They aren't challenged, aren't tested, aren't told No or Too Bad or Life isn't Fair or Try harder enough. The entitlement comes from authorizes coddling them and teaching them to be demanding and expect to be catered to.

Reality is harder. Most of them learn, but it would be much better if they could be toughened up as children instead of adults.
UTExan
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Mork wants a new job.

Mork: "I am a superior being. I can get any job I want."

“If you’re going to have crime it should at least be organized crime”
-Havelock Vetinari
Talon2DSO
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Reality Check said:

I came up here to Manhattan a decade or so ago and am basically working in the industry that preceded the tech giants Uber and Lyft. I've seen a ton of part-time/barely full-time employees come and go, and I've always been supportive of their ambitions. But I don't know, man. Something's clicked with this new generation and I just feel like it's time I throw a giant bucket of cold water on the bunch and wake them up to the fact that just because you "want something really bad" doesn't mean you're entitled to it.

A few examples of the kids with their heads in the clouds whom I deal with:

***Guy in his early to mid-20s, used to be a "manny" (housekeeper/babysitter) for a woman who's a judge that handles sex crimes and similar felonies in New York City. Thinks he can be a -- get this -- professional boxer. I'm not sure if it's UFC or MMA or traditional Queensbury Rules, but he apparently has a record of 8-3 -- all knockouts, six in the first round -- which I find VERY hard to believe because he's all of 5-foot-7 and 175 pounds soaking wet.

***Another kid about his age who -- as everyone and their mother in this city does -- wants to be an actor. He apparently did some singing and dancing in an incredibly obscure Disney movie, and talks about being in his high school's (?) production of "Grease" I can't count the number of times he's bailed on work or begged someone else to cover a shift for him so he can go audition.

***Divorced mom with two kids who thinks she's some kind of art aficionado and will be opening up her studio any day now. Funny -- she can remember the exact pickup location, dropoff location and amount of a fare she had on a Tuesday in March six years ago, but she can't use that brain power to realize that art galleries don't grow on trees.

***Trust fund kid who proved in college -- once and for all -- that marijuana truly is a gateway drug because who knows how he passes a freaking drug test to keep his job. Guy literally doesn't know if it's today, 30 years in the past or 30 years in the future. I guess he doesn't actually have "a dream" like the rest of them -- other than maybe owning a dozen TVs to vege out in front of -- but I can't believe the opportunity this kid had and has wasted.

***And, of course, the immigrant from God knows where who's supposedly a "mechanic." Put a wrench in his hand and suddenly he's making more money than the rest of us regardless of whether he actually knows how to fix anything or knows two words of English. There's some creepy vibe I get from the guy, and I wouldn't be surprised if he ends up mouthing off to the wrong guy someday and getting the **** kicked out of him. With cameras and phones everywhere, it'll probably be on National TV.

I really don't want to be a Debbie Downer -- they get enough of that from our supervisor. And my life's not perfect. I've had plenty of ups and downs, most notably being divorced. But I impressed upon MY son the importance of following the traditional path to success: getting a solid education in a STEM field and working your butt off once you get into the real world. Now the kid does stuff I couldn't imagine, like decoding signals embedded within global satellite transmissions from alien worlds.

But at some point I just think it's up to me to offer these hacks a heaping dose of reality.



Did you just describe most of the characters on Taxi???
MasonB
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AG
Not usually a fan of these threads, but well done!
Reality Check
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dabo man said:

Taxi (TV series)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taxi_(TV_series)
Quote:

Taxi is an American television sitcom that originally aired on ABC from September 12, 1978, to May 6, 1982, and on NBC from September 30, 1982, to June 15, 1983. It focuses on the everyday lives of a handful of New York City taxi drivers and their abusive dispatcher, our OP. For most of the run of the show, the ensemble cast consisted of taxi drivers Alex Reiger (Judd Hirsch), Bobby Wheeler (Jeff Conaway), Elaine Nardo (Marilu Henner), Tony Banta (Tony Danza), and "Reverend" Jim Ignatowski (Christopher Lloyd), along with dispatcher Louie De Palma (Danny DeVito) and mechanic Latka Gravas (Andy Kaufman).

I really don't want to be a Debbie Downer -- they get enough of that from our supervisor...
Author of the TexAgs Post of The Day - May 31, 2024

How do I get a Longhorn tag?
IIIHorn
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Oscar De La Rentacar


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