A Little Bit of Tough Love for the “Entitled Generation”

This morning on my way into work The Kane Show was talking about a concept called the Quarter Life Crisis. This “crisis” occurs shortly after a 20-something graduates from college and enters the harsh realities of the real world.

If you’re interested in viewing the full interview, click through here. However, the part that made my blood boil was this:

 “The promise of our parents was that we can do whatever we want. You find yourself a couple years later behind a desk wondering where that promise went.”

That line sat marinating in my head all day long. I even held off on writing a blog post because I didn’t want it to basically be my gut-reaction puked onto the page. However, you guys literally asked for it so here’s my response…

GROW UP.

Don’t sit there like an entitled little brat and blame the fact that you don’t know what to do with your life on your parents. Yes, they probably told you that you were a special little snowflake and you could do everything you could ever imagine.

Did they build you up a little too high when you were growing up?
Maybe they did.

But you know what? Many times you CAN achieve your loftiest goals. Here’s the hard part though… you need to WORK YOUR ASS OFF to do it.

You can’t just sit there, thinking because you have a college education that you DESERVE to get whatever you want. Most of us don’t automatically get a brand-new car and a gorgeous house handed to us along with our diploma.

When you say things like “I’m not really doing what I want to do” and “I don’t know what I want out of life” you sound like a whiny brat.

POOR YOU, not knowing what you want out of life.

POOR YOU, working behind a {gasp} desk for a living.

POOR YOU, having to start at the bottom and fight your way to the top in the workplace.

POOR, POOR YOU because you’ve just realized – apparently for the very first time – that you’re JUST LIKE everyone else out there.

Take your head out of your ass and ask around. Did your mom have everything in life handed to her? How about your grandfather? Did he get everything he has easily?

So why are you such a special freaking snowflake?

If you don’t like the job you chose, go look for another one and work hard to get it. If you don’t like the relationship you’re in. Change it.

Part of being a grown-up is that YOU are in charge of your life. So stop being a little bitch and do something about it.

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14 thoughts on “A Little Bit of Tough Love for the “Entitled Generation””

  1. Agreed. I’m 40 and i don’t know what i want to be when i grow up! I kept looking for better jobs until HR people told my that mynresume makes me look like a job jumper.

  2. Hahahhaha. And might I add… Oh, so you’re not doing what you want to be doing? Your career path didn’t turn out the way you thought it would? NOBODY’S DID! Shut up, get a job, and start a blog like the rest of the malcontents! 🙂

    1. Please send this to Nick. He whines and bitches constantly about how he went to college to do X and that’s what he’s going to do, or he’ll just perish. Shut the f**k up and pay the bills m*****f***er. That’s what everyone has to do.

  3. I love you I love you I love you. My parents did an awesome job raising me and my siblings, but for some reason 2 of us (there are 6) somehow got that mentality too! That things were owed them, that it is/was somehow my parents fault that they don’t have magical lives and aren’t rolling in money – um, ya work for that, kids. this is a GLORIOUS post. I don’t want my kids growing up thinking they are owed anything, or deserve anything they haven’t worked their poopers
    off for. Beautifully written!

  4. These kids need to take a closer look at the Urban Outfitters Gandhi t-shirt they are wearing. I’m pretty sure this is what it says: “Be the [damn] change you want to see in [your] world.”

    This is also my biggest issue with the show Girls. Not that long ago, I was in my early 20s in NYC. I had no money and nebulous dreams. You know what I did? I got a damn job and, when I didn’t like it, I got another one. I worked hard, was responsible, and was nice to people. And, guess what Lena Dunham, with those three easy steps I was happy and well-adjusted.

  5. So here’s the thing…

    5 years ago…

    I HAD a quarter life crisis. Legit. I panicked. I was unmarried, no house, no boyfriend, no babies, low income, up to my ass in credit debt and a job I kind of liked, but wasn’t really a career.

    So in 5 years, I quit my job, went down another career path–quadrupled my student debt, killed my credit debt…TWICE, hated that career path, stumbled into another, started a blog and I F***ING love my career.

    The thing about us being whatever we want? That shit was true. That’s why we switch careers so often and companies so easily. So like Katie said, stop whining. But instead of living in discontent, do something about it.

  6. Thank you all for your comments — I LOVE them. And I laughed my butt off at them too.

    I hope you don’t mind, but I stay away from using the F-word on this site, so I’ve starred out some cursing. Sorry guys!

  7. Glad to see that at least some of the preaching sunk in! As a parent you try so hard to raise your kids right and at some point you have to let them try to fly on their own. When that day comes, all your worries intensify. “Did I teach them everything? Did they even listen?” Truth is, they do listen. It’s kind of like hot lunch at school, it all gets shoveled on their plate and they pick at it and play with it and then eat a bit and toss the rest out. So you hope that more of the broccoli and chicken was eaten than the Mac and cheese (my personal fav!)

  8. How much do I freaking LOVE this post?!? SO well said, Joules! Get off your ass and work for it, snowflake! I’ve had a job since I was 14…I’m not mad about it. I’m a successful, professional woman with a solid work ethic, years of experience, a killer resume, and a good head on my shoulders. Life gets a lot worse than behind a desk for sure!! GREAT post, lady!

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