The technological age, what a fantastic time to be young. All this information at your fingertips. There is no excuse for ignorance anymore. Every college student should be an A student. With the click of a button you can access information on any subject imaginable. You don’t have to go to the library and try to figure out the catalog system just so you can spend hours trying to find a book in hopes that it will contain the information you need. Sometimes I wonder if it is too easy but I don’t think so. Knowledge, no matter how it is acquired, is a good thing. I know the younger generation today gets a lot of criticism from people of my generation but maybe some of it is not warranted. I realize they move faster, think faster, and may seem a bit uncommitted but they have grown up in a much different world than the one I knew as a child. Why, I haven’t even grasped the differences between my baby boomer generation and generation X let alone the latest generation Y or Millenials.

Generation Xers were brought up on television, Atari 2600s and personal computers. The 51 million members of Generation X, born between 1965 and 1976, grew up in a very different world than previous generations and saw this country undergo a selfish phase that they do not want to repeat. Divorce and working moms created "latchkey" kids out of many in this generation. This led to traits of independence, resilience and adaptability. Generation X feels strongly that "I don't need someone looking over my shoulder." At the same time, this generation expects immediate and ongoing feedback, and is equally comfortable giving feedback to others. Other traits include working well in multicultural settings, desire for some fun in the workplace and a pragmatic approach to getting things done. This generation saw their parents get laid off or face job insecurity. Many of them also entered the workplace in the early '80s, when the economy was in a downturn. Because of these factors, they've redefined loyalty. Instead of remaining loyal to their company, they have a commitment to their work, to the team they work with, and the boss they work for. For example, a Baby Boomer complains about his dissatisfaction with management, but figures its part of the job. A Gen Xer doesn't waste time complaining-she sends her resume out and accepts the best offer she can find at another organization. This generation doesn’t follow a career ladder but a career lattice. They can move laterally, stop and start, their careers are more fluid.

Just beginning to enter the workplace, The Millennial Generation was born between 1977 and 1998. The 75 million members of this generation are being raised at the most child-centric time in our history. Perhaps it's because of the showers of attention and high expectations from parents that they display a great deal of self-confidence to the point of appearing cocky. As you might expect, this group is technically literate like no one else. Technology has always been part of their lives, whether it's computers and the Internet or cell phones and text pagers. This is the group us Baby Boomers can relate to the least. I’m guilty of being too quick to judge them as rude and inconsiderate, a by-product of growing up the center of attention. And though they are the most technologically savy generation all this instant technology doesn't leave much time for reflection. Are they too busy text-messaging one another to consider what they are saying? They demand instant gratification and don’t know how to be patient, or how to be alone. They are accustomed to having every minute of their day planned by hyper-engaged parents who schedule their children’s playtime as they would a corporate workshop. Ballet lessons, soccer practice and youth symphony concerts are replacing impromptu neighborhood games of kick-the-can or hide and go seek. Today's children have one-third of the unstructured playtime that their parents did at their age. That is probably the number one thing I notice the most. These kids seem to be mini reflections of their parents right down to the cell phones and day planners. What happened to just playing? I’m not talking about the organized sports kind of playing but just plain ole use your imagination kind of playing. The kind of play that doesn’t require an entourage of people assigned to various responsibilities from chauffeur to equipment manager. And don’t get me started about the “everyone is a winner” mentality of the parents of these over scheduled mini me’s. No, everyone doesn’t win and everyone doesn’t deserve a trophy. How will these kids ever function in a world that doesn’t reward them every time they use the potty? If I was going to give any advice to future parents it would be to not give your children everything even if you can.