Understanding #AvocadoToast and Millennials

This might be the first to many other posts, or this might just be a singular, random one out of the blue. Well, ever since my last post in July 2018, my life had been stretched, rolled out flat and kneaded over and over again before being thrown into a whirlpool, together with responsibilities, lots of paperwork, and inefficiencies.

With such a job, it is definitely difficult for me to commit to a writing plan, especially with the mountain of stuff that was thrown into my way... But at least for today, for this particular post, I do feel compelled, motivated and excited to have it written and completed.

To be honest, I was inspired to write this post after going back to read a reader's comment on a previous post of mine: Finding my Life Purpose.

You never know where life is going to take you. 

So everything I do, I just take it one day at a time, and it always leads you to the right place. 

-- Kyle Massey

Back in 2017 I was a graduate, fresh out of university, and desperate to find a job that I could apply my knowledge on and at the same time, could give my life some purpose. Unfortunately, problems comes into picture when I start to search for jobs.... and I found that the jobs that were suited to my field of study? does not give my life meaning. You might say that I’m picky and entitled for wanting a jobs that screams "Passion", "Work-Life Balance", "Good Starting Salary" and "Social Impact"... and it may all suddenly make sense to you once you found out that I am part of the group of people now commonly known as the "Millennials"; also previously known as "Gen Y".

Here in Singapore, they also label us as "Snowflakes" or the "Strawberry Generation".

Millennials a.k.a. Strawberry Generation

To the Baby Boomers / Gen X readers out there, you might, at this point think that the "quarter-life crisis" I experienced back in 2017 was unjustified and uncalled for... simply because I was too young and shouldn't be affected by the challenges thrown to me in life. It may come as a surprise to you, but this is a very real problem. According to a study last year in 2018 conducted by LinkedIn, they found that four in five young professionals in Singapore have reportedly experienced a "quarter-life crisis". To further put this into context, "Millennials" makes up about 31.5 percent of the global population this year. So imagine the number of young people having a mental fight between our “needs” and “wants”.

People's perspective of the things they need have changed.

In the minds of many millennials, our lives are filled with uncertainty, anxiety and concern. Part of this stems from the fact that we are too privileged and don’t know real hardship. (No, that’s not true and please know that i’m kidding) However, I do think that it is true that Millennials are earning less than any generation before. I mean, when you consider the wage stagnation coupled with rising living expenses, the ratio of < wage : living expenses > is indeed smaller. Personally, I struggle with getting job fulfillment, money making and investments... so in response to all these concerns that are out of my control, I find myself focusing on the other parts of my life which I can control, for example, my lifestyle choices.

What People Think Millennials Are Like Vs What They Are Actually Like

At this point, after working and struggling in the industry for 2 years, I have still yet to find a job that gives my life purpose. Why? You might ask. Simple. Because I have been working in the same company for 2 years.

Despite dreading to go to work on a daily basis. Despite not being satisfied with my pay check. Despite all the negativity... I pushed and stayed on.

Some people might diss the mental fight I have in my mind as ridiculous. Others might say that I should be thanking my lucky stars for even having a job. But to my millennial friends, they understand my pain, and pray that one day I’ll be brave enough to move ahead and do something that will fill my heart and fuel my passions.

In this time and age where pollution, extinction, and various environmental issues graze the covers of our papers, and appear in our Facebook pages... it just seems to me that wealth and power aren't the most important things in the world anymore (though I cannot deny that it is still somewhat important). We always think that we are the smartest living creatures on this planet, but honestly our brilliance has led us to our downfall. For our own convenience and comfort, we forsake the rest of the creatures sharing this planet with us, and we lack real consideration for the repercussions of our actions. A plastic spoon, another paper cup. All these are resources and energy wasted, things that are produced for us to use for a brief moment.

© Chappatte in Der Spiegel

Don't quote me word for word... but I believe that what we young people are all fighting for is something more than just a stable job and a standard paycheck. We want to wake up and feel excited to go to work. We want to feel accomplished and happy working for the things that we believe in. We want to believe that our every decision and every action will be able to influence and impact something bigger. We do not want to be stuck in a corporate rut - and that's why so many are aspiring to be / becoming entrepreneurs.

There’s just too much that I want to share with regards to this... and sometimes my mind goes around bopping left and right with all the experiences and things I want to say but can’t put into words. To be honest, I am still not done with this topic, but all I really want to say is that. We may be the group of people who benefited from technological advancements firsthand, but everything in this world comes with a price...

Gen X, Millennials, Gen Z

It would not be fair, as there can be no apple-to-apple comparison against the previous generations. One should note that this statement also holds true, for the "Gen Zs" - the first generation and true natives of the digital age. The resources made available to us may be different, but so are the challenges of being a working adult in present times.

As time go by and with each new generation, comes a different set of expectations and behaviour. The generation of the past will not understand the next... and I think that's okay. Humans are kind of conflicted, aren't we?

xoxo,

meixii