Generation Screwed? Says who? Create Your Own Opportunities

Millennials Create Their Own Opportunities

Some people believe millennials are the screwed generation because there are no jobs for us. And that we have every right to be angry at the older generation for pillaging public coffers, taking on loads of debt, and leaving the broken economy for the younger generation to fix.
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But I don’t see it that way. So what if there aren’t a lot of high paying jobs out there for young workers anymore? Any job is a good job because any income is better than no income. The world can be an amazing place if we just lower our standards a bit. 😀
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And just because there are no jobs, it doesn’t mean there is no work. Jobs are given to us, but work can be self created. Don’t ask what the world can give us. Ask what we can produce for the world instead. 😉 Starting a small business is easy. When I was 14 I shovelled snow for my neighbours during the winter. Clearing each driveway earned me $10. Cutting grass would be a great opportunity to make money in the summer. There are plenty of busy households who would gladly pay $25 for someone else to mow their lawn every couple of weeks. Their time is valuable. And all that’s required for this to happen is for some proactive entrepreneur to go knock on their door and say, “Hey, here’s what I can do for you. How about it?”
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We can also develop knowledge based skills to make money. Being the first group of people to grow up with cell phones, laptops, and the internet millennials have a technological advantage over other working adults today. We can create a free blog in minutes. Social networks keep us informed and enable us to discuss our ideas with anyone from anywhere on the planet. We can download entire first year courses from Yale, Harvard, and other universities for free from their websites. There are non-profit organizations, such as the Khan Academy, which have free lectures on subjects like math, science, computer programming, history, art, philosophy, economics, and more. There’s also plenty of informational YouTube videos that teach everything from how to put on make-up, to how to start a small business, to how to make ricotta and spinach ravioli. ? Yum! Access to information is so ubiquitous today we can develop any knowledge based skills we desire to learn! And then use our new expertise to earn an income.

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A lot of unemployed millennials in Vancouver and Toronto are really into fitness right? So why not become a personal trainer or yoga instructor? It doesn’t take a lot of capital to get up and running. 😀 Start with one-on-one sessions, and maybe scale up to group classes once the client base grows.
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It’s easy for a millennial to say that if he had a dollar for every time a baby boomer calls him lazy, then he could afford a house in the economy the boomers ruined. ? But jokes aside, that kind of attitude isn’t very productive. There’s a saying that the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence. It means we tend to look at other people’s lives and other things that we don’t have through rose tinted glasses. But sometimes all we need to do is appreciate what we do have and work towards the kind of life we want for ourselves. 🙂
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How can anyone at the prime of their human capital, who lives in a G20 country in 2015 complain that they are screwed? In all of human history so far we are living in the best of times. Because millennials have grown into such technological liberties we are the most culturally concious and economically self-aware generation ever. And unlike the older generations, we still have our youth. By the time people my age reach retirement age I believe we’ll have even more wealth than the baby boomers. 🙂
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Random Useless Fact: 
If you’re in the market for a new TV, consider a 4K display if you want your TV to still be acceptable 5 years from now.
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Stephen
Stephen
09/18/2015 6:27 am

Great post, I especially like the quote about the seeds being in our hands. There’s never been more opportunities for people to start their own businesses than there are now.

Kapitalust
Kapitalust
09/18/2015 8:51 am

It’s only with experience and wisdom that the simple saying “everyone is in sales” resonates with clarity.

Selling things to others is essentially what life is about, anywhere in any time.

Sherry @ Save. Spend. Splurge.
09/18/2015 12:59 pm

I just want to be sure that the blanket statement of everyone being able to do anything comes with one little tiny disclaimer:

“If you’re willing to work hard for it and wait for the fruits of your labour to be realized rather than thinking it’ll be instant.”

mark xxx
mark xxx
09/19/2015 9:53 am

Yes, anybody who complains about all the factory jobs being gone….. I guarantee you these people never actually worked in a factory!! What did Blake call them? Dark satanic mills…. yup, thats about right.

Tim
Tim
09/20/2015 1:36 pm

In 5 years you will need an 8K TV.. just saying..

Jess @ Best Credit Cards
09/27/2015 3:51 am

I really like the positive attitude here. Every generation has its issues to face.
If everyone had your attitude there would be lots of cool businesses and happy people 🙂

Renée (@nickelbynickel)
09/30/2015 10:20 am

My mother said something just similar to “How can anyone at the prime of their human capital, who lives in a G20 country in 2015 complain that they are screwed? In all of human history so far we are living in the best of times.” just yesterday as I was lamenting the debt my business has (only 33k, grand scheme: not that much) and how shitty it feels to be turning 30 and have so ‘little’ to show for it… look at the life I live, my house, my bed, my dog, I can still afford to go on airplanes, I have a lot of richness in my life. I need big fat reminder daily to be grateful for all the cool stuff I have in my life. Great post 🙂

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