Millennials vented in recent Reddit posts about the decline of the stable, cushy office jobs that once provided a middle-class life. The original poster summed up their frustration: “Previous generations of middle-aged professionals were probably basic management-level talent, sending out the same reports every day, forwarding the same couple tickets, and doing the same lookups for years to ensure a stable middle-class life.”
They asked others: “As a Millennial, do you feel like you’ve been ripped off by corporate losers?”
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Middle class life used to be the default
“OP” compares older workers who have spent decades in cushy roles at day jobs to today’s stressed-out professionals. “Now our generation has to become senior experts in seven functional areas and have very good soft skills just to get by [eke] Live a middle class life,” they wrote.
Another chimed in: “Saying yes and pushing paper can get you somewhere.”
One commenter said lazy ’90s movies made them believe that a “meaningless” but secure career was once within their reach. “We were not even given that option,” they wrote.
Others noted that older workers are still doing well during their tenure. “You can say [they] It used to be easy, now it’s just skating. ” said one person.
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Now it’s constant busyness and KPIs
Today’s workers face a different reality. One Millennial shared: “Everything I do is timed or measured and compared. If I do better, I get a firm handshake and nothing else. If I do better than [key performance indicators]I risked losing my job. “
“Jobs are actually quite challenging right now,” said another commenter, who said they still feel judged by younger colleagues despite continually improving their skills just to stay above water.
Some Millennials agree that having just one job isn’t enough. “We are busy in all aspects of our work lives, main job plus side hustle,” one person noted. “I feel like we should have an extra name for this dual effort.”
One person who created a detailed standard operating procedure manual for a company position recalled being fired after their position was outsourced. “They took them and the character, outsourced it to India, and fired me. That set the tone for me forever.”
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Some people still find vulnerabilities, but they are rare
While many have expressed burnout and resignation, others have found less stressful paths. One person said it would still be cool to work in a small law firm or magistrates’ court if you knew basic computer skills. “The lawyers think you’re a wizard,” they joked.
Others in the tech world also admit they’ve been lucky. “I’ve never been involved in the corporate rat race, just providing good technical solutions,” one wrote. “Working life is pretty easy, especially compared to the horror stories most people paint.”
But even tech workers are worried about the future. One Millennial said: “I work in IT, and seeing AI up close is becoming more and more unnecessary in my career.”
One dentist added to their perspective: “Even though I work three to four times as much as he does, I live a fraction of what my mentor does. Even though I work and produce like crazy, I could never afford his house.”
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The article “Millennials say previous generations made a middle-class living with basic management jobs.” Now, Millennials need extreme skills to get by originally appeared on Benzinga.com
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