I remember when my younger brother woke up one morning feeling that because he had his driver’s license, he deserved a new car. He first went to my parents and petitioned for his own vehicle. Of course, they looked at him sideways and asked him such reasonable questions as, “Do you plan on getting a job to pay your car insurance?” or “Gas prices are rising. How do you intend to keep gas in the car?” and even, “Your grades aren’t showing that you deserve a car. How do you plan on proving that you are ready to take on this responsibility?”

I suppose my brother didn’t feel like he should have to prove to my parents that he was deserving of his own car. Not only was he convinced that he was deserving of a car but also entitled to one. His next target was our grandmother. After badgering her and going on and on about how much he wanted a car and felt he should have one, she caved and brought him a fairly new BMW.

What should be noted most about this story is not how absurd it was that my grandmother decided to buy my little brother a BMW, but the fact that he truly believed that he was entitled to this car. He was in no position to financially keep the car up, put gas in it or do damn near anything for it, yet he was convinced that because he had his driver’s license, someone was obligated to provide him with his own vehicle. While this story may be a bit on the extreme side, many young adults within this generation seem to share a similar false sense of entitlement when it comes to things in life that should be earned.

I recently had a conversation with one of my classmates who happens to be a seasoned media professional in his forties with many years of industry experience under his belt. In an effort to pick his brain and get an idea of what employers are looking for from new graduates such as myself, I asked him what stands out the most to him when interviewing potential employees. He shared that his biggest problem with recent graduates in the job market is that many of them give off the vibe that says they believe that their potential employer somehow owes them something. “They walk in feeling as if they’re entitled to the job their interviewing for as opposed to realizing that they are competing for it and trying make the best impression.” He also shared that many are not willing to work their way from the bottom up. They come in fresh out of college turning their noses up at the work being offered, expecting to fall into some grandiose position and do all of this glamorous and fun work in their industry when the truth of the matter is that it just doesn’t work that way.

I for one, found his statements difficult to believe considering the state that our economy is currently in and knowing as a recent graduate how challenging it is to find work in your field. However, before I could even argue with him about it, I thought of other young adults like my brother or former classmates who merely made appearances during the semester and barely turned in assigned work, but expected to receive grades worth bragging about once the semester was over. I even thought of former co-workers who happened to fall in my age group who didn’t even put forth an effort to carry their weight as regular employees but felt they should be promoted to supervising positions.

In an interview with the CBS Early Show, Jason Dorsey, author of Y-Size Your Business, shared that in his experience working with millennials and interviewing them, “they would rather be unemployed than to take a job they believe is beneath them.” He also shared that some Gen Y’ers are lazy, but that they also “have a different work preference.” For example, many won’t show up to work on time, but are “willing to stay late. They’re also sending e-mails at 2 am. They just work differently.”

He also urged young adults seeking to enter the work force to take the jobs that they can get because staying unemployed for years and years after college graduation will only make entering the workforce more difficult. “You’ve got to take the jobs you can get now and get the experience, build your network, do these things that give you more options rather than holding out,” says Dorsey.

Do you believe that Generation Y suffer from entitlement mentality or simply just have higher standards?

Check out Jason Dorsey’s discussion of Gen Y in the workplace in a video after the jump…

Source: zphibihz.org

Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc. was founded on January 16, 1920 on the campus of Howard University. Recognized by its colors of “royal blue” and “pure white,”  Zeta’s motto dedicates them to scholarship, sisterly love, service and finer womanhood. Their outreach has impacted hundreds of thousands of women internationally. Take a look at which celebrity women pledged Zeta.

Source: humormillmag.com

Sheryl Underwood

Sheryl Underwood is an American comedienne and current 23rd International President of the sorority. Known for her comedic performances on several shows and films including The Beauty Shop and I Got the Hook Up, Sheryl demonstrated her passion for comedy by founding the African-American Female Comedian Association. A self proclaimed “sexually progressive, God-fearing, Black Republican. ” When she’s not cracking jokes, Sheryl’s being active with the NAACP or engaged in business with the NPHC.

wsone.com

Even with critics creating additional skepticism at the importance of a four-year degree and potential students hesitating to enroll fearing rising student loan debt, a new report shows that for African Americans in California, a college degree is worth the cost.

The study, conducted by UC Berkeley research and the California Census Data Center, analyzed data from U.S. census, state funding for colleges and universities and average state expenses for social support programs and tax revenues. They then were able to find revenue and cost estimates for the state and individuals at various levels of education. Although college pays off for people across the board, African American students were found to have the greatest gains. According to the study, college reduces the amount of years African Americans will spend in poverty. Black students with a bachelor’s degree will spend six fewer years in poverty than black students with a high school degree.

“Education is a powerful payoff for this particular community as it is for all, but there’s a bigger impact here in terms of poverty and income,” Michele Siqueiros, the executive director of The Campaign for College Opportunity said to the North County Times. “In certain parts of the state, it’s really significant.”

Despite college debt and a troubling national economy, the lifetime earnings for college graduates across ethnic groups remains higher than that for high school graduates and has in fact increased over the past 30 years. For African Americans in California, lifetime earnings have grown 85 percent.

“One of the things I really like about this report is that education is not just a civil rights issue, it’s an economic issue,” Claudia Pena, statewide director for the California Civil Rights Coalition, said to North County Times. “There is actually a return for the state.”

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(Chronicle of Higher Education) – Many students graduate with manageable debt or no education loans, but almost 17 percent of graduates in 2008 borrowed $30,500 or more to get their bachelor’s degrees, according to a new analysis.

A report released today by the College Board Advocacy & Policy Center, also said that students who borrow the most are disproportionately black, and are more likely to have attended a private nonprofit or for-profit college than a public four-year college. But debt levels did not necessarily reflect family income.

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