Your opinion of Gen Z ?

[gobbledonk]

As a Boomer, albeit from the tail end of that boom, its been interesting to see Gen X mature and, particularly in IT, really pick up the ball and run with it. I work with some Gen X guys, but the vast majority are precociously bright Gen Y guys in their 20s. I get on well with all of them, a rare thing in my career in IT, and we have some interesting discussions about a variety of things.

 

One of the things that surprises me, although it shouldnt, is their low opinion of Gen Y. Many are seen as borderline illiterate, unable to communicate in anything beyond text etc.

 

The biggest complaint seems to be that the degrees these guys worked so hard for have been watered down to accommodate the lower standard. Its not a whole lot different to the generation gap between any two groups in the last century, but I'm surprised by how quickly they have formed their opinions : technology seems to have sped up the hardening of attitudes, and the Oz media is happy to reinforce the stereotypes.

 

Given that most here are Gen X/Boomer age-wise, I'm interested to hear from others on this - is it simply our natural tendency to dislike the snotty-nosed grots that came after us, or is this really the vacant generation Sid Vicious promised us in 1975 ? Should we circle the wagons in case they decide that it really is time for Anarchy in the ?

[Julian2]

I get on with most of my mate's kids but they're mainly late 20s, early 30s now.

I don't hang out with them to any great degree, but then when I was that age I never hung with a lot of 60 year olds either.

But I did spend a lot of time talking to old guys who knew more than I did. I suppose the Gen Zs would be battling to find a guy our age who knew more about something they were interested than what they did.

Remember the idiot Xers who thought they knew more about drugs than we did?

[Flashermac]

It bugs me that degrees have been so degraded now. I worked my butt off for an MA in the early 1970s. Now it's a piece of cake and hardly commands any respect. But that is life. Even a PhD is easier than it once was. Maybe next they'll start giving degrees away to everyone.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[gobbledonk]

Flasher, that is *exactly* the fear in many of our universities - that we are so addicted to the fees overseas students pay that academics will be required to pass at last 70% of any class, regardless of how low the standard. Sounds insane, as its ultimately self-defeating, but I've seen it first-hand at a regional Uni here in Qld.

 

Indian students marched on one of the southern campuses, demanding that they be given a second chance because they failed an exam that was 'too hard'. The lecturer tried to stand his ground, but they were all given another term, free of charge, to redeem themselves : their marks were too low to 'bump them up', but I saw plenty of that too. I could rant about the standard of the academics themselves, but thats a whole other thread

[dave32]

The biggest complaint seems to be that the degrees these guys worked so hard for have been watered down to accommodate the lower standard.

 

Colleges/Universities in the states have become assembly lines where people get their tickets punched so they can have a white-collar job. That is the big picture. It was like that when I was attending in the 90s (Indiana University), and now it seems moreso. A degree doesn't carry the weight and meaning it used to. My classes were easy, I didn't get much out of it -- and if I could go back in time I would choose instead to pursue art or music, something where you're using your hands and creating something. Or drop out and do something different, I have more respect for that.

 

Given that most here are Gen X/Boomer age-wise, I'm interested to hear from others on this - is it simply our natural tendency to dislike the snotty-nosed grots that came after us, or is this really the vacant generation Sid Vicious promised us in 1975 ?

 

Haha. You could start a forum just to answer that question alone. Kids today (teens) are more sophisticated, and that's not bad. OTOH, the new religion is materialism and it's just as crappy (or worse) than the old prejudices. There seems to be a vacuum. We'll see how things pan out. I haven't lost hope. Yet.

[shygye]

Each generation manages to muddle through.

[Flashermac]

It was hard as hell to get into a good university in the 1960s, when the boomers were coming of age. I recall reading that only the upper 10% or so could get into the U of California, the upper 25% to the state colleges (now called state universities). In the '80s and '90s that changed, since there are fewer potential students to choose from. I couldn't believe it when I heard that universities were going to high schools to recruit new students!

 

The private unies in LOS are even worse (with a few exceptions). Graduation is virtually guaranteed, failure next to impossible.

 

p.s. I've seen some PhD theses accepted by Indian universities. The English was atrocious! The research itself wasn't bad, but I couldn't believe the candidates hadn't been required to do a rewrite and clean up - since the theses were printed and available to the public.

 

 

[Julian2]

I just wish they'd suffered a bit more like we did so they could appreciate how easy they have it now.

We walked miles to school in meters of mud or snow, uphill both ways, cardboard shoes...if we were lucky.

And the cane???? Remember the cane???? ONE WRONG ANSWER IN A TEST AND IT WAS THE CANE!!!!!!

God they get it easy now.....

[Ryder]

As a Generation Xer on the cusp I see the problem as how society as a whole shifted during the early through to late 90s and early 2000s.

TV changed, films changed

I thank my stars I had the 1980s rather than the 90s as a zeitgeist.

Peoples attitudes, instead of becoming more anti-establishment and independent became a lot more dumbed-down and group-minded.

Just look at the chav-like mentality a lot of the younger kids have these days. It was never that bad for me or the kids I knew as a youngster. We had more respect for our elders (this was in the 1980s too!).

I think the difference for Gen Xers and previous is what the usa folk call 'intellectually violent' mindedness. Free-thinkers, pushing the envelope, bending and even breaking the rules.

 

That's what the 60s, 70s and to an extent the 80s had.

Now there's only this banal violent mindedness to each other with rules being followed blindly.

Now looks at the young brats coming up through the chavvvy ranks (raised by chavs) and you can see where it's going

 

There are some bright sparks and diamonds amoung Gen Y but there numbers are few and are drowned out by the many...

[shygye]

... and the "boomers" were the cause of the near collapse of the world-wide financial system.