Young Adults and Their Attitudes Toward Work and Career

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• Young Adults and Their Attitudes Toward Work and
  Career
• Global International Internship Congress
• Keimyung University, Degeu, Korea
• Dr. Phil Gardner
• Director, Collegiate Employment Research
  Institute
• Michigan State University
• gardnerp_at_msu.edu 517-355-2211 ceri.msu.edu

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The International Language of Twixt

• UK KIPPERS
• Kids In Parents Pockets Eroding Retirement
  Savings
• Germany Nesthocker
• Nest squatter for young Germans who live with
  their parents
• Italy Mammone
• Percentage of young adults living at home has
  risen to almost 50
• Japan Freeter
• Describes young adults living at home and job
  hopping
• Ireland
• The Popes Children

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At Colleges, Women Are Leaving Men in the Dust

• ABSTRACT - Nearing graduation, Rick Kohn is not
  putting much energy into his final courses. ''I
  take the path of least resistance,'' said Mr.
  Kohn, who works 25 hours a week to put himself
  through the University of North Carolina,
  Greensboro. ''This summer, I looked for the four
  easiest courses
• July 9, 2006, Sunday
• By TAMAR LEWIN (NYT) National Desk

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Background History

• Achieving Adulthood
• Financial independence
• Marriage commitment
• Permanent Housing
• Children
• Emerging Adult Issues Arnett
• Search for self-identity
• Self-absorbed
• Live with parents
• Optimistic job available grad school

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Study of 18-28

• Response to Time article and concern about
  stereotyping
• Employers concern that they do not understand
  this new college graduate
• Partnership to leverage strengths
• Advantages of large samples that are not specific
  to one institution
• What happens when everything is significant

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Respondent Profile

• Surveys from 11,666 people
• 10,221 ages 18-28 (average age 22)
• 1,046 ages 29-39
• 310 ages 40-50
• 89 ages 51-61
• Of the 10,221 emerging adults
• 3,120 males (30), 7,122 females (70)
• Race/ethnicity breakdown
• 817 African Americans (8)
• 1,812 Asian (18)
• 650 Hispanic (6)
• 6,026 White (59)
• 934 Other (9)

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Factors describing emerging adults

• Job Surfing
• I would be willing to endure frequent job changes
  in order to find a job that fits my interests and
  abilities. I believe I still have a few years to
  try out different jobs before I settle down into
  a career.
• Career/Life Vision
• I dont have any specific goals for this year. I
  cant imagine what my life will be like 10 years
  from now.
• Marriage/Life Commitment
• Marriage is not a high priority for me at this
  point.
• Goal Instability
• Its hard to find a reason for working. I dont
  seem to get going on anything important. I wonder
  where my life is headed.
• Superiority
• I deserve favors from others. Being admired by
  others helps me feel fantastic. I have more
  natural talents than most.
• Parents Being able to live at home

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Ambitious Career Vision

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Goals and Career Vision
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Narcissism Entitled to a Great Job

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Superiority

• Average is 3.11 for those 25 or younger
• Approx. 40 of total sample held high superiority
  ratings
• Men were slightly higher (3.2) than women (3.05)
• Appears to be universal

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Looking for a Job A Journey of Several Years

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Experience Surfing

• Average on scale was 3.33
• 50 agreed or strongly agreed that they would
  likely surf only 31 indicated they would not
  surf
• No differences between men and women
• Differences Ethnic group, major and income

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If I accepted one job offer and a better one came
along, I would have no problems in telling the
first company that I changed my mind and would
take the better offer.
N10,172 adults ages 18-28
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Selected Comparisons

• Men indicated a slightly higher willingness to
  consider another other
• African Americans and Hispanics indicated higher
  willingness to renege on an offer
• Majors from communications, health sciences, and
  agriculture agreed more strongly with this
  statement
• Education and engineers were less likely to agree

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Groups of Young Adults

• The Clueless
• The Aimless
• Wondering, self-absorbed, collecting experiences
• The Motivated but directionless
• Trying experiences in hopes of getting where they
  think they want to go. See Scheider and
  Stevenson, The Ambitious Generation
• The Motivated and directed
• Focused and clear on goal and how to get there

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What Work Means to Them

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Work-Life Identity

• Boomers hold work as a strong central life focus
  their identity is defined by work
• Rest of the world not as attached
• Young adults
• Only moderately connecting work to their identity
• More likely to define other aspects of their life
  as important as work

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Selected Comparisons

• Men slightly higher identity with work than women
• Whites had the lowest identity with work
• Students in two year technical programs highest
  identity with work
• Engineers and business majors slightly higher
  than the mean
• Lowest work identity among agricultural and
  natural resource majors

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Their Best Ally

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Dont Take Your Mom to Work

• Oh, the things parents do!
• obtain information on company
• submit resumes
• promote child to company for positions
• attend career fairs
• harass company if dont hire
• making interview arrangements
• negotiating salaries and benefits
• Oh, even more amazing things parents do!
• helping complete work assignments
• when disciplined, talk to parent before
  supervisor
• pressure from parents inside company

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I could go back and live with my parents if I
needed to.
N10,172 adults ages 18-28
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Working With Twixters

• Advisors
• Good news international internships dont fit
  the norm
• Employers
• Patience
• Lots of direction

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White Papers

• Important Characteristics of Early Career Jobs
  What Do Young Adults Want?
• Todays Young Adults Surfing for the Right Job
• ceri.msu.edu or at Monster Intelligence
• Slides also available at ceri.msu.edu under
  presentations

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Reading List

• Arnett, Jeffrey. 2004. Emerging Adulthood. Oxford
  Press.
• Zielenziger, Michael. 2006. Shutting Out the Sun.
  Doubleday.
• Levine, Madelaine. 2006. The Price of Privilege.
  HarperCollins.
• Schneider, B. and Stevenson, D. 2000. The
  Ambitious Generation Motivated but
  Directionless. Yale Univ. Press

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• Twenge, Jean M. 2006. Generation Me. Free Press