Young Adults: Taking Over the World at least your part

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Young Adults Taking Over the World (at least
your part)

• Dr. Phil Gardner
• Collegiate Employment Research Institute
• Michigan State University
• Midwest Cooperative Education and Internship
  Association
• November 5, 2007 St. Louis

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• Profile of todays
• young adults
• How they differ from
• previous generations
• What we know about them
• How will we work with tinkers

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Todays Players
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Todays Generation of Young Adults Typical or
Different?

• 13th Generation
• Generation X
• Ambitious Generation
• Slackers

• Millennial Generation
• Generation Y
• Generation Me
• Tethered Generation
• Gamer Generation
• Generation on Hold
• Entitled Generation
• Ambitious Generation

This presentation contains proprietary
information. If you use any of the information
contained in this presentation, you must
reference the Collegiate Employment Research
Institute at Michigan State University.
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Emerging Adults

• Traditional definition of adulthood
• Financial independence, career
• Marriage
• Parenthood
• Todays 18 28 year olds
• More are delaying entry into workforce
• More are delaying marriage
• Median age for marriage in US was 20/22 for
  women/men in 1970. In 2000, median age was 25/27
• Start of parenthood also delayed from early
• twenties to late twenties

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Why Do Generations Differ?

• Child rearing practices shape expectations,
  self-efficacies, values
• Advances in health and technology provide new
  opportunities, challenges
• Historical events/crises shape each generation in
  different ways
• Marketing shifted targeted and personal You
  are special

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Early Child Influences Gen Xborn between
1961-1981
1976
1976
1968
1973
Were spending our childrens inheritance Bumper
sticker
Bumper sticker slogan
1976
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Early Child Influences Millennialsborn between
1981 - 2001
1989
1987
1987
1987
1990
1985
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Todays emerging adults are different from
previous generations

• Parents are more affluent, can afford to have
  adult children stay home, can afford to
  financially support emerging adults.
• Change in social values no longer requires
  marriage before sex medical advances can
  postpone parenthood.
• For the 1st time in US history, the
  standard-of-living is projected to be lower for
  emerging adults
• Scandals in business, government, and religion
• have eroded trust in these basic institutions.
• Young adults more likely to make their own
  decisions.

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Several Things We Know About Millennials
Traits and Behaviors

• Special
• Sheltered
• Confident
• Achieving
• Educated

• Entitled
• Lack Social Skills
• Fear failure
• Pressured
• Averse math science

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A Few More Traits

• Passive
• Obedient
• Conventional
• Team/Community
• Affluent

• Demanding wants accommodations
• Pushes the limits
• Pierced tattooed
• Conforming
• Not confident

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MSU--MonsterTRAK Survey on Young Adults

• 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, 7,122 females
• Race/ethnicity breakdown
• 817 African Americans
• 1,812 Asian
• 650 Hispanic
• 6,026 White
• 934 Other

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6 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.
• No Plans I dont have any specific goals for
  this year. I cant imagine what my life will be
  like 10 years from now.
• Marriage 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.
• Superiority I deserve favors from others.
  Being admired by others helps me feel fantastic.
• Work Identity Work as a central life focus

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Superiority

• Average is 3.11 (on 5 point scale) for those 25
  or younger
• Approx. 40 of total sample held high tp very
  high superiority ratings
• Men were slightly higher (3.2) than women (3.05)
• Appears to be universal

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Experience Surfing

• Average on scale was 3.33 (on 5-point scale)
• 50 agreed or strongly agreed that they would
  likely surf for experiences only 31 indicated
  they would do little surfing
• No differences between men and women
• Differences Ethnic group, major and income

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Comparing Emerging Adults with Older Adults
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Comparing Emerging Adults with Older Adults
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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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Comparing Young Adults Then and Now on Work
Identity
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I would not define myself by the type of job that
I hold.
Percentage of Sample
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I view a job primarily as a way to support a good
lifestyle and leisure interests.
Percentage of Sample
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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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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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If we dont like a job, we quit, because the
worst thing that can happen is that we move back
home. Theres no stigma, and many of us grew up
with both parents working, so our moms would love
nothing more than to cook our favorite meatloaf.

• 28 year old

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Chocolate Bunny Hollow in the Middle

• Concerns about
• Finding the work that interests me
• Finding work that am best suited for
• Becoming knowledgeable and skillful at work
• Getting started in my chosen career
• Average 3.94 highly concerned

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How do these young adults differ?

• Race/ethnicity
• Gender
• Socio economic class

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Significant differences by race/ethnicity
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Significant differences by race/ethnicity
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What job characteristics are important to
applicants? (9,250 young adults)

• Interesting Work
• Good benefits
• Job security
• Chance for promotion
• Opportunity to learn new skills
• Geographical location
• Annual vacations
• High Income

• Flexibility in work hours
• Regular hours
• Able to work independently
• Limited job stress
• Travel opportunities
• Prestigious company
• Limited overtime

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What job characteristics are important to males
and females?

• For Males
• Interesting Work
• Chance for promotion
• Good benefits
• Job security
• Opportunity to learn new skills
• High Income
• Annual vacations
• Geographical location
• Flexibility in work hours
• Able to work independently
• Regular hours
• Prestigious company
• Limited job stress
• Travel opportunities
• Limited overtime

• For Females
• Interesting Work
• Good benefits
• Job security
• Chance for promotion
• Opportunity to learn new skills
• Geographical location
• Annual vacations
• High Income
• Flexibility in work hours
• Able to work independently
• Regular hours
• Limited job stress
• Travel opportunities
• Prestigious company
• Limited overtime

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Significant differences by race/ethnicity
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Importance of Job Security, Flexibility in work
hours and Limited Job Stress for Young Adults by
Parents Income
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Importance of High Income and Working for a
Prestigious Company for Young Adults by Parents
Income
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Ambitious Generation BUT

• Clueless
• Aimless
• Directionless
• Directed

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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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Can You Recognize These Young Adults?
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Four Groups Based on Surfing and Career Plans

• Clueless
• Low surfing, low plans
• Low work identity okay to marry
• More men
• More Asian Americans
• Moderate superiority

• Motivated Directed
• Selective surfing, high plans
• Oldest
• Fewer Asian Americans
• High career concerns, high identity with work
  moderate superiority marry higher

• Motivated Directionless
• High surfing, high plans
• Narrow surfer
• Younger
• High career concerns high superiority moderate
  identity to work not interested in marriage

• Aimless
• High surfing, low plans
• Broad surfing
• Youngest
• More Whites
• Moderate career concerns low work identity
• High superiority

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Clueless (12)

• Always regardless of age
• More men
• More Asian Americans
• Living at home with parents
• More financially dependent on parents
• Parents likely to be married or widowed fewer
  parents remarried

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Clueless (continued)

• More likely if parent income less than 40,000
• Mothers and fathers education less than HS
  (approximately 25) fewer than expected if Mom
  has attained an associates and Dad a masters
  degree
• More likely if attending a medium size public
  less likely at large private or large public

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Aimless (38-41)

• Youngest
• More Asian Americans than expected More whites
  than expected fewer African Americans and
  Hispanic
• More live on-campus or live on own with parental
  support fewer than expected for those living on
  own with no support
• Still rely on parents for financial support
• More than expected when family income between 60
  and 100K fewer when less than 40K

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Aimless continued

• More than expected when mothers have earned a
  masters degree fewer than expected when mother
  has some college or less
• More than expected when father has earned a
  bachelors or a masters fewer if father earned
  an associates degree or less.
• More if attending(ed) a large private
  institution fewer than expected if attending
  (ed) 2 yr school, small private, large and small
  publics
• More than expected Communications, Humanities,
  Social Science, and Sciences fewer than expected
  in Business, Computer Science, Education and
  Health
• More likely to live in mid-Atlantic and NE fewer
  in NW and South
• More than expected have parents that are married
  fewer than expected have parents that are
  divorced.

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Aimless final

• The big ones
• High surfers termed broad surfers
• Poorly defined career plans
• Moderate career concerns
• Low work identity
• Not interested in marrying
• High entitlement (superiority) beliefs
• 51 would renege on an offer (agree)
• 69 could live with parents

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Directionless but hopelessly motivated (23)

• More African Americans and Hispanic than
  expected fewer Asian Americans than expected
• Not quite as dependent on parents for financial
  support
• More than expected have parents that are
  separated fewer have parents divorced and
  remarried.
• More than expected have family incomes of 60-80
  K fewer than expected have incomes of 20 to 60K.

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Directionless continued

• More than expected have mothers who attended some
  college fewer than expected have mothers who
  attended high school
• Fewer than expected attended large privates
• More than expected majored in Business and
  Natural Sciences fewer than expected in no
  pref., humanities.
• More than expected lived in NY fewer than
  expected from CA, south, upper mid-Atlantic.

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Directionless continued

• The Big Factors
• High surfers termed narrow surfers
• Defined career plans
• High career concerns
• High belief in entitlement (superiority)
• Moderate identity to work
• Not interested in marriage
• 59 would renege on an offer 62 could live with
  parents

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Directed (25)

• More women than expected
• More African Americans and Hispanic than
  expected fewer Asian Americans and whites
• More than expected live on own with no parental
  support fewer than expected live on-campus or on
  own with parental support
• Moderately independent of parents
• More than expected have divorced, remarried, or
  widowed parents fewer than expected from married
  parents

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Directed continued

• More than expected from families with incomes
  less than 60 K fewer than expected from
  families with incomes over 60 K
• More than expected have mothers with education
  associates degree or less fewer than expected
  with mothers who have earned BA, Masters or
  PhDs.
• More than expected have fathers who earned some
  college or less fewer than expected when
  fathers earned BA, Masters or professional
  degrees (especially the latter two categories)
• More than expected attended 2 yr and large
  publics

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Directed continued

• Fewer than expected attended large privates.
• More than expected in family/community services,
  education, and health fewer than expected in
  Communication, Humanities, Social Science, and
  Sciences
• More than expected likely to be from
  Intermountain West, south central (Texas),
  mid-south (TN, KY), South,
• Fewer than expected from mid-Atlantic NY, NE

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Meet the Tinkerers
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Characteristics

• Very resourceful
• Specialized skill they get it
• Need help they seek it
• Do not rely on only one way of doing things
• Practical
• Improvise
• Piece from here, skill from there, a contact from
  somewhere else

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Importance of tinkerers

• Claude Levi-Strauss
• Society dependent on them --
• Key to understanding
• UNCERTAINTY
• No two career paths the same

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Challenges for you and me

• Electracy
• 50 and 60 models outdated
• Plethora of activities that cant be classified
• Not all behaviors take place in marketplace
• Still a sophomore until mid 30s

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I took her to kindergarten, and now Im here for
her first day of work

• Mother of new hire at an engineering firm

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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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Connecting to Co-op/Internships

• Psychological contracts in internships and co-op
• Parental attachment and the workplace
• Engaging young adults in the workplace
• Managing young adults view from the manager
• College career advisors working with YA

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Internship/Co-op Research

• Kicks off this week
• You can help its simple
• Involves an email from you

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Ready or Not,HERE THEY COME!