Generation Why?!

About a month ago I had an interview with Congressman Eric Massa's District Manger in Pittsford at 10am.  Luckily, the snow didn't start flying yet so I had no need to worry about the drive, and it was a beautiful sunny day.  I looked through the "professional" part of my wardrobe, automatically assuming the workplace would be suit and tie.  I settled on a button-down shirt with a sweater over it, black dressy capris, stockings, and 3 inch heels.  Capris?  Yes.  I know.  But, work with me here... You have no idea how nice it was.  Really.  I would have considered the outfit business casual, but this morning I came across an article that would describe that outfit more business professional.  

I've talked about this before, but Generation Y has a new and different way of doing things.  We are now playing iPods at work, and wearing flip-flops to the White House.  Remember the controversial lacrosse team who did that a few years back?  Yeah, so do I.  I would have hated to be one of those girls in national news the next morning.  But then again the more I thought about it... I live in flip flops.  My last internship allowed me to wear flip-flops, capris, button down shirts, khakis, and really anything I pleased as long as I looked clean, put together, and appropriate.  I'm not saying go to work in shimmery, glittery tanktops, or let your cleavage show, but there is an increasing amount of slack being placed on the dress code.  Answer the question for yourself - If you were meeting President Obama today, what would you wear? 

An article from USA Today by Olivia Barker and Sarah Bailey describes the ongoing trend: "This is what Generation Y -- and its ultra-casual culture -- hath wrought at work, a place where style and technology trends are more woven in than ever." 

Another great quote from the article describes JPMorgan interns... When I hear JPMorgan I think ties, suits, low heels, professional all around, but "JPMorgan interns can listen to their iPods at the office. IM, too, is increasingly becoming an accepted part of the workplace. According to a report in September by the Pew Internet & American Life Project, 21% of IM users send instant messages at the office; a third of those at-work IMers acknowledge that they're usually blitzing friends and family. And even as some businesses brand IM a distraction to productivity and ban it outright, 47% of at-work IM users say it has "regularly provided moments of relief from the daily work grind." 

So, it's not just they way of dressing that we are changing.  Gen Y is changing the idea of office etiquette completely!  I can't imagine bringing my iPod to my internship.  I can't even imagine listening to my iPod while working at Career Services.  Is Gen Y changing the face of office etiquette completely?  Are the baby boomers ready for all the changes we're making?  We grew up with computers.  We hardly have the option, right?  I mean, it's second nature for us to be able to play with our toys.    

I think the most interesting part of this entire shift in the office place is that Gen Y aren't slackers.  We are motivated.  We simply want what we want when we want it...

Is this bad or good?  It's up to you to decide.

End of Semester Blues

As I come to the end of another semester of my college career I wonder where all the time went. As a senior, I have come to reflect on many of my semesters at Brockport in amazement. How did I survive those 20 credit semesters while working at Career Services for twenty hours a week, and still having a social life on the weekends? How did I manage internships, classwork, and living off campus? Looking back I am always considerably more impressed with myself than I am during the semester. Of course, during the semester I'm getting roughly 6 hours of sleep a night, and hardly stopping to catch my breath so who knows what I am really thinking during the semester.

Then there is one inevitable thought that always stops my heart for a few beats, and consistently scares me... Was it worth it? Were the 15 - 20 page papers worth the effort? What about the endless hours of class I sat through? After I walk the stage will I be employable? Will someone hire me? Will the classes I barely made it through be worth the sleepless nights and tired days?

When that moment passes I start to realize that throughout my college career everything I did was worth it, and after graduation what happens is entirely up to me. It is like looking at another semester of college - I can handle that gets thrown at me from group presentations, to presenting by myself for 45 minutes, to a 20 page paper about a topic I know nothing about. After learning how to cite things in multiple ways in my sleep, researching scholarly topics, and taking finals I could swear I don't know anything about - I'm confident that I can survive the "real world."

Seven semesters of college down, one semester to go. In the end...it will be worth it. Every single thing I did while I was at Brockport made me a better, smarter and stronger person. So whatever is up next...I'm ready for it. The trick is preparation for your future. As an employee of Career Services you think I would be on the game. You would assume that I know exactly what I want to do, have made all the contacts for it, and need to just graduate already so I can do it. But the truth, in fact, is the exact opposite. I am neither sure of what I want to do when I grow up, or if I want to grow up (appreciate my comedy).

That doesn't change the fact that my internships and my experiences at Career Services have taught me a few things about my future. You know how people always say internships solidify what you want to do in your professional career? Well, in my case internships have allowed me to find out what I don't want to do. Internships have created a base of experience for me. Experience is something that classrooms, professors and all the books in the world can't teach you. Yes, professors can talk about it, and books can use examples, but nothing creates your experiences. Internships, and hands on experience is something that you have to be motivated to do yourself.

So, it's a week before finals and I'm talking about experience because it's more important! Good grades are great. Studying is great. Learning and understanding the material presented in class is great! But, let's face it: experience is the key to a worthwhile college experience, and that is why I know something will work out in my professional career after I walk that stage.

My advice to you? Get an internship. You have all winter break; use it wisely. Start researching a company you like, and find yourself an internship for the spring semester. The experience will shine on your resume, and it will allow you to have a base of familarity within a field. Internships have the ability to change your view on your career college. It allows your knowledge based on textbooks and lectures to become second hand nature in real life situations.