Hello? Is this on? Greetings high school class of 2016! I know you don’t know me and were expecting another guest speaker, but she’s tied up at the moment.
Now don’t get your tassels in a tizzy! I promise to untie your guest speaker after these unsolicited words of advice.
I don’t have to tell you that, born in the late 1990s, you are not “Millennials.” You are “Generation Z” or the “iGeneration,” as in: perpetually plugged in. Instead of being slapped when you were born, the hospital typed in a product ID code and you were activated!
I do have to tell you that our generations have more in common than you might think.
I grew up with parents who survived the Great Depression. Your parents are still recovering from the Great Recession.
I lived under the shadow of World War II. You’re still at war with terrorism.
My generation pursued the American Dream — from which we’ve had a rude awakening. You seem hell bent on fixing our American Dream — on your own terms.
That’s because you Generation Z-ers are known as the “Fixer Culture.” You hack, improve, or re-engineer everything in your life to make the existing model obsolete.
You, the ultimate consumers of rapidly ingested bite-size bytes of information, now favor a “hackschool” education that steers away from the traditional path and more toward a do-it-yourself, roll-up-your-sleeves mix of being self-taught, virtual learning and volunteering.
Maybe your non-traditional view of education is due to the fact that those who will someday be on the virtual Mt. Rushmore of the 20/21st Century technology revolution (Gates, Jobs, Zuckerberg, Dell) were dropouts.
At New York University I learned very little that helped me. That’s because where I wanted to go, and what I wanted to do, had not been invented yet. And I was anxious to get out and get started.
Likewise, you of the Z Generation are the most entrepreneurial of any generation; 72% of you want to start your own business!
Maybe that’s because you and your parents must weigh the cost of a college education like investors once calculated the high risks of venture capital.
Whatever avenue of education you pursue, have the self-discipline and curiosity to become a lifelong learner.
Surround yourself with those who are more knowledgeable than you, who can help you in ways you can’t imagine.
And — take it from the lady about whom many a male said, “she made ‘broad casting’ two words” — continue to throw stones at glass ceilings.
But the good news my young Z-friends is that I don’t need to tell you about living a balanced life. One of your most popular career choices is “social entrepreneurism” because it finds solutions to societal and environmental problems through the work that you do.
To you Generation Z-ers, making a difference is as important as making a profit.
Maybe our American Dream is going to be okay after all!
Blessings and good luck in this interesting phase of your life.
Until next time, keep thinking the good thoughts.
