Ed was at a lunch recently with a bunch of big shot magazine editors and the subject turned, as if it often does when Ed is in the room, to "today's generation." What does Ed think about kids today? asked a couple editors at the table. Ed knew what they thought just by the tone of their question.
The conventional wisdom is that recent graduates and young editors in the industry -- the tail end of Gen Y -- are spoiled, selfish and entitled. Before Ed could even answer the question, one editor went on to share a story about a recent graduate who asked her to write a letter of recommendation for a job in her company and then when she was offered the job, she turned it down to stay at a competing magazine. Even worse, the candidate didn't apologize to the editor who'd done her the favor. Ed agrees that the situation was in bad form. But what is most disturbing isn't that this one young woman acted like a spoiled brat, it's that the rest of the editors at the table nodded along, mumbling that the story was "typical" of "this generation."
Ed meets a lot members of this generation. And for the most part he finds them humble and willing to work hard. Sure, there are some who have an air of entitlement. One intern comes to mind who argued with Ed (who you know is also an editor at a magazine like all of his staff) for several days (!) about why he deserved a byline for a story he only contributed one quote to. But those incidents are rare. And Ed believes that this generation gets a bum rap.
Most of you reading this blog are young editors and recent grads. What do you think? Do you think your generation is spoiled and entitled? Are a few folks ruining your generation's reputation for the rest of you? Or is this just a case of the typical old people stereotype of "kids today" that happens with every new generation? Ed wants to hear your thoughts.
xoxo,
Ed
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13 comments:
I also meet a lot of young and aspiring editors, and while I can see a more CASUAL attitude, I don't think most of these people think they're entitled. Like Ed, I've seen the rare exception--but that's exception, singular.
I think it's a case of the older generation complaining about the younger generation - the same thing that happens pretty much every generation. I don't think anyone feels entitled in my generation, but I do think that a lot of people don't try as hard because of all the out-sourcing of jobs to other countries where the pay is cheaper. It definitely makes you wonder why you should work so hard when your job is going to be sent to India or something anyway.
My generation as a whole seems to aspire to a different level of "I want I want, I need I need". While each new buzzing decade creates its own iconic history, this particular one (the 80's and forward) seem to possess an “I want it now, or I’ll never succeed” attitude. Universities are more competitive, internships more crucial and being "average" is no longer enough.
This impatience along with the explosion of technology, designer wear being a must and fantasy in place of reality in the form of film, books and yes, even magazines, spur on this I HAVE TO DO IT NOW fixation. Women are feeling they must "make their mark" before they need botox. Men are embracing the world as bachelors no longer feeling the instinctual need to provide.
The world is moving faster. Each generation is getting smarter because they are given the tools needed to step it up a notch. We are creating more and more machines. Its survival of the fittest, and while certain marks of decorum seem to slip by the wayside, reality always bites back.
One day, those same “exceptions” will be faced with the newer, smarter version 4.0s of themselves: dressed to the nines, 22 year olds, waltzing into their office and boom: flashback.
I think maybe it's just something that comes with every generation. If anything--and I don't wish to contribute to the negativity--some kids today deserve to be entitled (but I may be saying that wrong).
What I mean is, with today's economy, kids are working harder than the previous generations to get the jobs. Especially with writing and publishing, where there are limited opportunities, kids have to really fight to just get their foot in the door.
That's no reason to be snooty, but kids today are certainly not spoiled. Selfish, perhaps, in the sense that it's a "survival of the fittest" marker right now. So yes, kids may be selfish--but for a reason.
That said, it does humble a person, which is why kids work harder today and are willing to learn, so they could do everything they can to be in the industry.
I think it's sometimes deserved, as are the stereotypes about older generations.
But I also think some of the "entitlement" people witness also stems from the fact that the economy is really tough, like Ivana said. It's hard to make it on the salaries of an editorial assistant or junior-level editor, which has made people more ballsy about asking for promotions or raises.
I also think it's too bad when being eager and excited to contribute is looked at as somehow entitled or out of line, especially in a creative industry like this one.
I do think it's a combination of things. I also think people my age, 24, hate being referred to as a generation. We just want to be treated as human beings not as "generation Y."
That being said, I will echo some of the other comments when they say that recent graduates are working harder and the industry has gotten more competitive. Internships are as competitive, if not more sometimes, as EA spots. Graduating from a top journalism school, having an excellent GPA, and multiple internships sometimes isn't enough to land you a job within a few months of graduation.
But I do feel like most people my age are humble and willing to work hard; it's just trying to catch a break--and dealing with the negative perceptions of you that are constantly reinforced in the media--that can make you very bitter and sometimes self-entitled.
I also think, in some cases, that it might be fear. With more graduates that are skilled in writing, web, video, etc... they're easily becoming more valuable than current employees. My last intern could do the job of an assistant editor better than she could. And both of them knew it.
While I agree that there are some generation y-ers who may have a sense of entitlement, many of us are hardworking...and this industry is tougher than ever now.
Many current directors/ editors started out in an industry that was thriving...just in the past several year, more and more magazines have folded.
It is now harder than ever to make it in this industry and I think a lot of young aspiring editors now go through multiple internships, freelance work and surviving on minimum wage before getting to their entry level job.
Since it seems everyone's had at least one, I don't think my peers and I are particularly snobby about the semesters listed under "Work Experience". I think that thankless girl mentioned by the editor was an exception. It's a shame that that one instance has tainted his (her?) view of so many hardworking and enthusiastic interns because it's not easy to love preparing someone's caffeine fix and to make sure that you heat up the mug with hot water first before you add enough cream so that the coffee matches this particular skin color and not that one...
I don't think folks of my generation feel entitled or aren't willing to work hard; if anything we have to work even harder because the industry, in my opinion, has become more cut-throat and harder to break into.
Of course there are always exceptions-- but I think those few are the ones who maybe were hired through a favor or nepotism. If you break through the old-fashioned way, you'd never squander your chances of success in the industry by being lazy or thinking you're too good to do something.
I don't know if it's entitlement as much as it is naivete. I think a lot of industry newbies don't realize just how competitive it is out there and how busy editors are. As a result, they don't act as grateful as they should to editors who help 'em out or as respectful when an editor asks them to complete a task for them. I'm sure I was guilty of these same "atrocities" as an intern or an EA, not that that's stopped me from complaining when I serve as a reference for a recent grad and answer 20 questions for another editor...and then the applicant turns down the job and doesn't thank me for my time.
I don't feel entitled in the sense that they mean--but I DO know that I can occasionally evince an attitude that might come across as if I were.
The fact is that as an intern, you do thankless tasks and then are rewarded with chances for bylines or awesome research or whatever. As an EA, you are just expected to do thankless tasks, often without anything to break up the monotony for months at a time. I can't help that I got resentful at that job; I had been doing more interesting work as an intern! And no, the extraordinarily meager paycheck did not make up the difference in my day-to-day quality of life. I would never, ever be rude as an editor as in the examples mentioned--I know I still have a lot left to learn. But the industry has pretty much done away with the practice of hiring people who are totally green--they shouldn't be surprised that someone with experience doesn't appreciate being treated like a child.
In my opinion, the young adults entering the workforce now are working just as hard as the generation before us, if not harder. With the economy in recession and many people losing their jobs, generation y-ers have to compete for positions. Colleges, scholarships, internships and jobs are increasingly competitive and we have learned to survive in an aggressive environment. That’s not to say that all generation y-ers strive to be on top of the bunch but many have learned to have an edge on the competition. In every generation, there are people who feel as if they are entitled and who are spoiled but that isn’t as much as a generational trait as it is an individual trait.
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