[OnAMission]

I was born 1984, and identify generally more with Millenials, though not entirely. There was a huge difference between people who were seniors when I was a freshman, and my brother, who is four years younger than me. The difference between his class and mine was very evident from a young age, especially things like working in groups and team work.

I think there are a lot of good things about Millenials as the article points out, and there are things Millenials are having to learn the hard way. Millenials were told from day one, you can be whatever you want to be, and pursue what you like without regard for pay because that is more important. The positives from those messages are that Millenials are very tolerant of others, others-oriented, and are willing to give of their time, money and talent for others. However, between those messages and coming of age in the Great Recession, many are finding the world isn't quite as ideal as they thought. Some are landing on their feet, and some are needing to rethink what their adult lives will look like. My cousins are all solidly Millenials, and this seems to be their experience so far, including the mix of landing on feet and not.

Frankly I like that I was born in between I have the benefits of both worlds: a bit more practicality and emphasis on the need to work in order to achieve with an emphasis on others and live and let live. I think something that really sets Millenials apart is that their, or at least my, definition of what "leaving the next generation better off than me" looks different than previous generations, at least with my family. My great grandparents successfully worked hard so their kids with have more money/education/social status, as did my grandparents, as did my parents. I certainly don't want my kids to live in constant need or not be able to get the education they want, but my definition of successfully leaving them better off than me has a lot more to do with character qualities than the money they make or the house they'd live in. This makes my family sound super materialistic, and they really aren't they raised my siblings and I after all! But my siblings and I have a broader instead of reach even higher mentality that just doesn't quite make sense to my parents (who are borderline between baby boomers and gen x) Maybe that is all just me, but it is my experience.