4 ms·

It's not that Gen-Xers were happy with whatever job came our way, it's that we had rent to pay and food to buy (and had no desire to live with Mom and Dad). On

It's not that Gen-Xers were happy with whatever job came our way, it's that we had rent to pay and food to buy (and had no desire to live with Mom and Dad). Once the economy got better (and our businesses succeeded), we got picky too. You might have what it takes to walk the walk, but don't jump to conclusions before you've trod the path of a truly awful economy.

run4yourlives 18y ago
I'm gen X. I'm actually in my third "career". Trust me, I didn't do security after leaving the army because I liked it. You're 100% correct though, I have no problem limiting my tolerance for bad situations these days.
LogicHoleFlaw 18y ago
Well, it certainly looks like we'll have the opportunity.
davidw 18y ago
I was born in 1975, so I've been around the block... if not many times, a few, at least. My point was that once upon a time, companies and their employees were likelier to stick together through good times and bad. These days the equation has changed: companies are liable to dump you when quarterly profits aren't good, and you're likely to dump a company at the first whiff of something better. That's better in some ways, but I think we've also given up something that may be harder to quantify. For instance, if you're a happy worker and not worried about the next quarter, you can also invest in the company long term, rather than strictly looking out for your own interests, and vice versa, even if there's a bad quarter. Said companies also had time to invest in things like creating Unix, and lots of other R&D that wasn't immediately registered as profitable. I don't know that I'd be happy like that, and I think that the cream of the crop in today's world oughtn't look to other people's companies as a place to make their mark; still, I think it's something that bears thinking about. Perhaps the pendulum will swing back at some point in the future.
- yters 18y ago
  I think it is similar to today's economic problems. When everyone else is being flaky, now is a good time to establish a reputation for dependability.

run4yourlives 18y ago

I'm gen X. I'm actually in my third "career". Trust me, I didn't do security after leaving the army because I liked it. You're 100% correct though, I have no problem limiting my tolerance for bad situations these days.

LogicHoleFlaw 18y ago

Well, it certainly looks like we'll have the opportunity.

davidw 18y ago

I was born in 1975, so I've been around the block... if not many times, a few, at least. My point was that once upon a time, companies and their employees were likelier to stick together through good times and bad. These days the equation has changed: companies are liable to dump you when quarterly profits aren't good, and you're likely to dump a company at the first whiff of something better. That's better in some ways, but I think we've also given up something that may be harder to quantify. For instance, if you're a happy worker and not worried about the next quarter, you can also invest in the company long term, rather than strictly looking out for your own interests, and vice versa, even if there's a bad quarter. Said companies also had time to invest in things like creating Unix, and lots of other R&D that wasn't immediately registered as profitable. I don't know that I'd be happy like that, and I think that the cream of the crop in today's world oughtn't look to other people's companies as a place to make their mark; still, I think it's something that bears thinking about. Perhaps the pendulum will swing back at some point in the future.

yters 18y ago
I think it is similar to today's economic problems. When everyone else is being flaky, now is a good time to establish a reputation for dependability.