The work ethic of the youth of today!

Jon

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Positive thread title eh lol

I know we touched on it earlier this week talking about apprenticeships but is it just me or is the work ethic of teenagers coming up now into the full time working world nowhere near as good as it once.

I remember someone speaking to me saying how they would get an apprentice in and if they weren't a manager in 2 weeks on 40k they would just decide it wasn't for them and would leave and pursue their career to become a famous youtuber or whatever.

Do Paper rounds not even exist anymore or something as that was where I cut my teeth at 13 year old going out in the cold each month for £5 a week or some equally rubbish pay.

There 'seems' to be a real sense of entitlement from the 18/19 year olds coming into work where if they aren't paid ££££ then it's not worth doing.

Is it schools fault do you think for not preparing them realistically for the real world. You wouldn't believe how many people I've encountered who are 19/20/21 years old, still live at home yet have a car on HP - What happened to running your old banger of a car that you get at 17 into the ground!!

Maybe it's just me and at 36 I now see things differently but I really do think the hard graft culture of my generation seems to have bitten the dust and if something isn't handed to the current generation on a plate they just seem to implode and give up!
 
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Bow382

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I'm 100% with you here, I'm a bit older 41, but to me it seems young people these days are not interested in hard work. When I was 13+ I used to help out on farms picking potatos and cauliflowers. I never had a paper round, there was always too much of awaiting list!

You 17 y/o kids driving 2-3 year old cars ffs. Never mind affording the car how do they pay for the insurance? Even though they don't work.

Maybe bringing back national service, would help teach the younger generation ethics, work responsibilities and earning a living.
 

Topaz

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I think it depends on the youngster. My youngest worked dam hard to get where she is. Four years of college, then working early shifts in a supermarket while she looked for a job in her trained sector. She found one and has stuck it out, even though it takes her an hours train travel to get there. (on a day when they are running on time, that is) At 24, she bought her own house.
My eldest has never had a job. She has a lot of medical problems, but I'm sure she could find something part time that she could do, but she shows no interest. I've tried introducing her to working from home, but she's not even really bothered with that - prefers watching Netflix and playing video games.
 

pauleen

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I agree @Topaz both of mine work, but I also think they are lucky to have full time contracts and above minimum wage. Having said that I do know where you are coming from @Jon and @Bow382. I work a lot with the younger generation and I see both sides, some are raring to go in to the work place while others expect every thing on a plate and why should they work when they can stop at home and do nothing, which is a shame because there is so much out there for them to accomplish, and I don't think that some of the programs you get on tv help.
The thing that makes me laugh the most is when you here them say yes but it's only £90 it's nothing that, and i'm sat there thinking it takes me a full days work to earn that and I still have to be taxed on it:rolleyes:. It's like the true value not only of work but money values are being lost, but thankfully they are not all like that.
 

The Reverend

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I think it is a different world now to when I were t'kid.

Supermarket Checkouts were full of teenagers. Remember waiting for the 16 year old serving you to get the 'nod' from a senior employee before serving you alcohol? When was the last time that happened to you?

At 16 you could get an entry level job loads of places and there was a chance you could literally work your way from factory floor to higher managment. These companies rarely exist and if they did, youd need a GNVQ in business management before they'd let you pick up a broom.

When you left university you could expect your degree to put you above the other people applying for roles. Now, everyone has a degree so you need something special to differentiate you from the masses.

You dad probably was working at the same company most of your life. He could afford to keep your mum at home looking after the kids while he worked.

Your mum probably kept a lovely house and enjoyed spending ALL the school holidays with you.

When you turned 16 you could get some proper vocational training if you wanted.

Your dad's company car wasn't taxed.

The % of your dad's income that went on the mortgage wasn't 60-75%

House Prices aren't unaffordable for people living in 'the south'.

We think kids today have it easy as they have 'the internet' but it couldn't be further from the truth. The government hails entrepreneurs - Brandson/Sugar/etc but rarely do they explain that for everyone one that is successful there are tens of thousands that aren't. Hard Work does not equal success but does reduce the chance of failure. Kids today are told they can do anything but there is nothing to help them. The BEST they can hope for is a job paying minimum wage and maybe they can afford a studio apartment somewhere. That then becomes their life while their parents and people who are 15-20 years old than them keep telling them they aren't working hard enough and thats why they aren't a success.

Nearly all the 'grown ups' (my parents age) still live in the house they bought 30-40 years ago. These 4 bed houses are what young families should move into but the grown-ups can't afford to move into a bigger property and rarely do they want to move into smaller ones. People with families can't afford these houses so live in smaller houses with tiny gardens and no public parks within walking distance. The kids of these families grow up and see that for people like 'them' there isn't really much hope of escape. Its a cycle of ever diminuishing returns with a chance of escape smaller than winning the lottery.

Man. This was a bleak post. I'll probably delete it at some point so not to bring the tone of this site down! :D
 
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Jon

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aha, it's not that bleak of a post, it's just the state of the UK at the moment I think.

You are right on many of those points I think. People do stay in houses longer so there aren't as many houses to buy and people rarely stay in the same job 'for life' anymore with maybe the very very public sector (am talking Councils here) being the exception to the rule.
 

Petlamb

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I was going to formulate a reply but mostly I'll just say I agree with The Reverend.

It's easy to say that kids have got it easy, but at the same time there are a lot of things that have become much more difficult.

Not sure what I qualify as, as a 29 year old like, but I don't envy those starting out into the world of work now.
 

homie

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There are lots of kids out there who think being a Youtuber is a genuine career option. They hear about the very few that make a living out of it and think all you have to do is upload a video once a week about call of duty and sit back and count the money.

Youtube is weird though. I've seen some channels with hundreds of thousands of subscribers and I have absolutely no idea why. It was better back in the old days of numa numa and and cute kittens, before google monetised everything.

Picking up on what the Rev said, he's right. I've heard that the current young generation will be the first generation since Victorian times to be worse off than their parents.
 

The Reverend

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There are lots of kids out there who think being a Youtuber is a genuine career option. They hear about the very few that make a living out of it and think all you have to do is upload a video once a week about call of duty and sit back and count the money.

Youtube is weird though. I've seen some channels with hundreds of thousands of subscribers and I have absolutely no idea why. It was better back in the old days of numa numa and and cute kittens, before google monetised everything.

Picking up on what the Rev said, he's right. I've heard that the current young generation will be the first generation since Victorian times to be worse off than their parents.

Ironically I think being a YTer IS a career. I hope to teach any kids I have some basic video editing skills and some of the tips/tricks of the YT professionals to raise their vids above anyone elses (if thats what they are into).

Most of the YT generation did so because its their interest. They blogged and they shared long before they made any money from it. Only when they were a success did they suddenly become the media sensations they are. Doesn't stop them being arseholes (I see you WankDiePie) but does mean they are arseholes with much more money than me!

I'm not sure I'd have even been a YT sensation but I think there is a chance I could have a blog which earns a little. Even £1000 a year would be a great little earner from the blog - I just have to keep adding content and keep making sure its interesting to me. I like blogging. I could be an anonymous blogger all my life and even if I was earning £50k+ a year from it, you'd never know who I was if you met me in the street.

I think I'd prefer that level of 'success' and never have to compromise being me. :)
 
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Andrew

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I had a conversation with my nephew the other week about how he could earn a bit of money doing work for Appen while he was in university. He wasn't interested at all. Would rather be skint. Now I was pretty lazy when I was his age but if someone offered me the kind of money Appen were willing to pay him when I was his age (I'm only 14 years older now) I'd have jumped at it. I think that until you've experienced genuine privation yourself then you don't learn the value of hard work. But to me that goes for all generations not just the younger ones. How many of us have pointed out the earning opportunities to friends/relatives they have available by going online like we have? Only to have them say they're not interested and then watch them spend the next few weeks complaining about being skint? A great source of frustration!
 

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Meanwhile, back in the reality of greedy baby boomers screwing millennials, we have the following:

The wage gap between top and bottom earners going from 10 times in the 1960s to 300 times today

The ridiculous increase in house rent/buy prices caused by pure greed and buy to let

Bankers and politicians being given massive sums for failure while hard working youth are made redundant and sent to the Sanctions Centre

Popular resentment against the pro Scrooge system in the form of Brexit and Trump being ignored or dismissed as racist/sexist/ignorant. Yes, Trump is rich, but he puts his wealth back in the economy, as opposed to all his also rich Democrat/Republican opponents who keep it all for themselves, including Hillary

The Nazis blamed the Jews for losing WW1 caused by the rich

David Cameron and Co blamed the young and the poor for the financial crash of 2008 caused by the rich

Do not buy into their bullshit
 

Lilpinkkitty

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I work in recruitment and from my point of view it seems the youngsters want money for doing jack, the amount of people we have had who don't turn up just as they don't fancy working or too busy with hangovers , even out of working life youngsters don't seem to have the respect that used to be when I was younger , take example police officers, I would never dream of being rude to them but I've seen youths shouting etc, you don't see anyone helping old people of just doing genuinely.nice things, we all seem to be too busy on our phones in our own little bubble worlds. Especially I noticed when I went to London recently and it's all just rush rush rush , crazy stuff .
 

Natasha M

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I have no actual idea how the young of today feel regarding this matter. All i do really know is the school i went to pushed and pushed all pupils into making decisions like going to uni and that was the only real preparation for young adulthood we got. Which turned out to be less than useful to me as i got a uni degree and have done litrally nothing with it, jobs are few and far between, require years of experience to get a foot in the door or the competition is so steep youd thank your lucky stars as a result. I think alot of youngsters arent given the basic life skills such as finance management and what to do when the plan doesnt go to plan. With a harsh economy and living expenses i see how some just give up.
 

Hezzy

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I think there are young people who want something for nothing but equally there are people of all ages who want that - its not limited to younger people in the workforce! Sadly I see it on a daily basis at work at both ends of the age spectrum.
 

SparklyMum

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Yes, I work with quite a few young people, aged between 17-23 and there are some who are very conscientious and enthusiastic but then there are others who need a kick up the backside or need telling that they’re not above mopping the floors or cleaning the toilets! Like Hezzy said this can also be the case with people of any age.
I do think it’s hard for young adults though as university fees have never been higher, zero hours contracts seem to be the norm for most unskilled jobs and it’s nigh on impossible to buy a house unless parents can help you out with the hefty deposit required. As for cars, I can see why it’s more affordable to pay £100 a month for a little car on finance than to find money upfront to buy even an old banger. I’d also prefer my kids to drive a newer car when they’re older rather than some death trap rust bucket! I really don’t know how 17/18 year olds afford car insurance though!
 

tinker0159

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I’m with you on this one and for me it’s not just the sense of entitlement but how they behave when they are in the workplace, lacking basic manners and courtesy. I’m 49 but truly feel like a dinosaur because I’m just astonished by the way they behave. It’s fair to say it’s not all young people and perhaps it’s not even a majority but more that these things jar so much with our expectations that it stands out more?
 

mum2one

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Ring a 70s child when I left school, it was college or yrs scheme, gd 1 was £18 a week, yr 2 £27 a week.

If you went into banking or bt you were literally a job for life. Myself I worked from a Saturday job to a manager.

I always remember having to tell a 16 yr old lad to wash up in hot water.... he replied I do t wash up at home... my mum doesn’t make me.... I replied yes but I’m pay8ng you... this was 29 yrs ago.

I think Now society is so different, kids have t been given freedom we had as kids, jobs are part time, no security, n9 loyalty... I’m worried for my daughter she’s 15 and wants to study law.... yes great but will she get a job at the end of it x
 

MyMarvellousMoney

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Ring a 70s child when I left school, it was college or yrs scheme, gd 1 was £18 a week, yr 2 £27 a week.

If you went into banking or bt you were literally a job for life. Myself I worked from a Saturday job to a manager.

I always remember having to tell a 16 yr old lad to wash up in hot water.... he replied I do t wash up at home... my mum doesn’t make me.... I replied yes but I’m pay8ng you... this was 29 yrs ago.

I think Now society is so different, kids have t been given freedom we had as kids, jobs are part time, no security, n9 loyalty... I’m worried for my daughter she’s 15 and wants to study law.... yes great but will she get a job at the end of it x
Definitely a hard one. I studied law at Uni and its so expensive to study to be a solicitor or barrister I just got out and got a job so I can pay my way, especially as I had a young daughter to think about. Even as a relatively 'young' person - I see the attitude of some of these teenagers on the streets and it shocks me!
 

TCA

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I think the internet has a lot to answer for (he says sitting at a computer on the internet). We're in a brave new world of smartphones and tablets, offering 24-hour access to games, videos, tv, chat rooms and social media. Most kids seem to live their lives looking at pixels. Activities and sports are way down the list of priorities for many, never mind the thought of earning some cash via a part-time job or the likes. I'm not tarring all kids with the same brush but I see plenty who would have a fit if it was suggested they do a bit of exercise or work instead of watching YouTube all day and night.
 

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