There's a myth out there that millennial expect the world to be handed to them on a silver platter. Which is true to an extent but still a gross generalization. Much of the problem lies in how they were brought up. They're a product of the soft parenting/teaching movement of the 90's. However, this was true, especially in the early 2000s when the economy was booming. University grads were being snatched up right out of school, sometimes even before they graduated. You don't see that anymore.
Today the job process is a long and convoluted one. I graduated university in 2008 right when the recession was starting to get bad. I was out of work for six months. Absolutely nobody was hiring and the ones that were hiring were getting buried in applications. I eventually landed a job cleaning cars and went back to college to get more practical education. Then spent another 2 years looking for jobs in my field. Encountered a lot of the issues brought up in the Time article. Employers want someone they can dive in with minimal training. Most places used online applications to filter out resumes. Of those ones using computers, not a single one contacted me. Keep in mind I was only applying for entry level jobs.
During this time I worked for free shooting hockey games for cable access television, to maintain my skills and get more experience. I was lucky enough to eventually land a job with a start up. Due to numerous technical setbacks, we were fortunate to get more than ample training.
I think this is the reality for a lot of young people these days. They expect you to get a masters or grad certificate then work for free for a couple of years before they'll even look at you. When they do hire you, pay isn't great. I nearly died when I heard the office janitor makes almost double what I do. Spent years doing basically the same job, cleaning up others' mess, for minimum wage. So it's no wonder why so many kids are questioning the value of higher education. Though as I said, it's the reality. It does open doors but the pay is lower than it used to be for grads, and I suppose people are just going to have to suck it up.
Which brings me to why so many young people still live at home. Here in Canada anyway housing costs have gone through the roof. Even a small, one bedroom condo is at least $200,000. The rental market has stagnated and rents now average about $1000/mo. Housing prices haven't kept in line with average wages. Also the government now mandates a 20% downpayment to get a mortgage, as so many Gen Xers were going way over their heads buying their half million dollar cookie cutter houses. So at minimum you need $40,000 saved up to buy a house. With student loans, weak investments, and low interest rates, it's hard to save that kind of money. Especially on a single income. That's why I still live at home. Basically every dime not spent goes into the house account. I'm at about $35,000 so far.
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