http://finance.yahoo.com/news/student-debt-other-millennials-think-011828088.html
Really good article about successful millennials and their outlook on money. One potentially misleading/confusing statistic is that 12 million millenials live in households that make more than $100k a year. However, more than 1/3 of the 80 million millenials live with their parents, so its hard to tell how many millenials actually make more than $100k a year and how many live with parents who make that.
I think the article showcases how a lot of millenials aren't as into conspicuous consumption as previous generations. I'm an older millenial (31) and I'd say that most of my social network from college are now in the $100k and up group. In fact, a lot are probably closer to $200k than $100k (mostly married couples). However, none of my friends have made home purchases equal to their level of success and only a few drive flashy cars. As in the article, we spend our money on experiences like food, drink, travel, and events. Our generation is more geographically scattered and mobile, which I think leads to more millenials traveling to see their friends and attend events like music festivals, parties, and sporting events.
With many of the successful of this generation not being as into home ownership, frequently changing jobs or working for themselves, and being less likely to invest into stocks or mutual funds; it will be interesting to see what the long term affects on the nation will be. Especially with the baby boomers transitioning into retirement.
What are other millenials experiences like? What affect will this generation have on the country?
Priorities of my friends (college educated, 24-30):
1. Grad/law/med school
2. Job satisfaction
3. Pay off debt
4. Save money/retirement
5. Travel, food, events, culture. Above all searching for unique, superlative experiences.
I definitely agree conspicuous consumption is just not a priority. My friends are significantly more conservative than I in their finances, dumping money into paying off debt and retirement/savings accounts. I can think of only one friend (PhD candidate in the Midwest) who has bought a residence (urban townhouse) that intends to occupy it long-term. With the travails of the housing market, my peers seem downright scared of real estate.
We're much more likely to aspire to visit Peru or Croatia or Vietnam than a luxury car purchase. Above all though we are intensely career focused. Not a single of my close friends is married or intends to marry anytime soon. We have no compulsion, even given the job market, to stay in jobs we don't like. Indeed, we are all tied much more closely to our careers than any location. All my friends have had at least 3 moves since graduating from college and anticipate more.
I will say talking with colleagues who are technically in the same cohort, they absolutely do not share those priorities. In general they are Southern (my close friends are from Northern metros), married with kids and despite (or perhaps because of) being in the military value stability and family over all else. I can't speak on whether the attitude is a regional issue or military specific but figured it was worth tossing in the observation.
In 2015, Generation X and Y will be 80% of the home buyers in the market place. Millennials .... pick up the pace.
I agree completely with everything you guys have said. I'm 29 and most of my friends are exactly as you guys describe, with the one exception being home purchases. I know lots of people who have purchased their own home, many who have purchased multiple properties. Most have lived in each home at the beginning, while view it as a longterm investment that they would probably hold onto even if they moved.
Quote from: mtraininjax on August 05, 2013, 06:21:40 PM
In 2015, Generation X and Y will be 80% of the home buyers in the market place. Millennials .... pick up the pace.
And do what exactly?? Millennials have simply ran out of runway due to a shrinking economy, wages that haven't kept up with inflation/cost of living, downsizing all around & starting off with untold amounts of student loan debt the likes that no previous generation has ever seen.
As far as X & Y, they're BARELY limping along. With X being better off than Y, as they got in earlier & was able to build some kind of wealth & stability. Y is somewhere between the two. Not dire straights, but not good either. There's a reason why many Millennials have moved back in with their parents, and its not because they want to or because they're lazy. Its just not much out there for them, which is causing a stall in housing, car ownership, having kids & raising a family, etc. Basically all the things that make our wheels turn.
So I wouldnt count on stable home prices or any type of "recovery" lasting at all. The economy is in a freefall, masked by wall street, banks, lenders & investors. Older people of course will have a different opinion since they're not feeling the effects as much & have accumulated assets. But ask anyone under 30 who's been out of college & been in the game a while.
Quote from: ProjectMaximus on August 05, 2013, 08:25:17 PM
I agree completely with everything you guys have said. I'm 29 and most of my friends are exactly as you guys describe, with the one exception being home purchases. I know lots of people who have purchased their own home, many who have purchased multiple properties. Most have lived in each home at the beginning, while view it as a longterm investment that they would probably hold onto even if they moved.
Are your friends buying homes comparable to their income/wealth? In my experiences, my friends are buying homes substantially lower than theirs or are choosing to rent in lieu of buying...though most live out of state in places they didn't grow up. I think this is due to the mobility thing and fear that the housing market still hasn't bottomed out. In the past you could buy a home and at at worst sell it at breakeven after a year or two. Nowadays if you have to move for a job, you may have to rent yours, take a loss, or just give it up.
Quote from: peestandingup on August 05, 2013, 08:29:02 PM
Quote from: mtraininjax on August 05, 2013, 06:21:40 PM
In 2015, Generation X and Y will be 80% of the home buyers in the market place. Millennials .... pick up the pace.
And do what exactly?? Millennials have simply ran out of runway due to a shrinking economy, wages that haven't kept up with inflation/cost of living, downsizing all around & starting off with untold amounts of student loan debt the likes that no previous generation has ever seen.
As far as X & Y, they're BARELY limping along. With X being better off than Y, as they got in earlier & was able to build some kind of wealth & stability. Y is somewhere between the two. Not dire straights, but not good either. There's a reason why many Millennials have moved back in with their parents, and its not because they want to or because they're lazy. Its just not much out there for them, which is causing a stall in housing, car ownership, having kids & raising a family, etc. Basically all the things that make our wheels turn.
So I wouldnt count on stable home prices or any type of "recovery" lasting at all. The economy is in a freefall, masked by wall street, banks, lenders & investors. Older people of course will have a different opinion since they're not feeling the effects as much & have accumulated assets. But ask anyone under 30 who's been out of college & been in the game a while.
Good post. The originally linked article definitely painted a romanticized, idealized version of the upwardly mobile millennial. Reality is most of the generation is underemployed and for some grossly underemployed. Especially those that graduated post crash.
Even though our generation has had a much tougher time than our parents generation did at the same age, I still think there will be great opportunities once the Baby Boomers hand over the keys. Especially for those that are setting themselves up for success now. A lot of Gen Y'ers may not be making the type of money they want, aren't doing their dream jobs, and are struggling with loans; but they are hungry and will pounce when they get the right opportunity. Ultimately living through the recession will probably make millenials stronger in the long run. We've had to become resourceful, adaptable, creative, and possibly developed a stronger work ethic than Gen X. I know its made me stronger in the long run. I've had two Gen X'ers take new jobs in the past year because I had already surpassed them for future promotions...and both had 5+ year head starts on me. Will definitely be interesting to see the Gen X vs. Gen Y dynamic over the next 10 or so years.
I'm a Gen Xer. I easily spend probably double or triple as much on traveling annually than I do on housing. I've never had the idea of purchasing a dream house or living in a particular residence for decades (like my parents). I've always viewed housing as a real estate investment.
You're a young Gen X'er though. I'd imagine young Gen X'er's and old Gen Y'ers have more in common than they do with those on the other end of their own generational spectrum.
Great article and I agree. Born in 1980 I seem to find more in common with the GenXers than with my fellow GenYers/millenials. Most of my friends and coworkers are in the same boat, out of the main group of us that went to college together and all stuck together afterwards (7 of us), only two of us own homes (and the only reason I do was because of a great deal that I could see paying off in ten years, and in year 4 it is looking like it was a good move), 3 of us are married (1 for the 2nd time), and I still drive the same Dodge Ram pickup truck that I bought with my signing bonus after college graduation (2003 and still running like new) and the newest car in the group is a Volvo S something. However, we will once every two or three months pool our money and fly to Vegas for a weekend or go to SoBe on a whim. Personally, I spend more on Jaguars tickets, travel to games, and fan "stuff" than I do my mortgage payments each year and look forward to going to London this October. I do indulge in toys to a point, I have a motorcycle that gets a lot of use on the weekends but none of us have the stuff our parents did. Growing up in Jersey they had family boats, ATV's, horses, and shiny performance cars in the driveway and none of us have those things. Heck even the expense of getting a dog is something deeply thought about, unlike my parents who got our family pets on a whim.
Being that I work between two offices, one in Jax and the other in NYC I can also see a big cultural difference between the two geographical areas. Those raised in Florida/Jax/Southeast seem to be more happy getting a job and settling in for the ride until moving to another company. Very few actually try to promote within. Whereas in the northeast the motto of " you should always be moving up or moving out" definitely applies. Also I have noticed more people in the Jax office get married in their 20's and are more family oriented. One thing that surprises me, more of my coworkers in NYC are church going religious participants than in Jax, which I am not sure stems from tradition or maybe just the need to belong to some group. But surprising none the less to me because I've always associated the south with being "bible thumpers". Just proves to me that stereotypes can be very wrong.
However, one thing I've noticed is that the new people joining our company, most graduated this past spring and have very little, if any student loan debt because they worked their way through or had another means to pay for it. In addition, very few have any desire to continue on with grad school studies. So I wonder if the educational necessity of a degree is changing. But I have noticed that those whom have graduated with a degree after 2006/2007 seem to have a determined "why not" attitude, which is wonderful because they will be the ones in five or six years that will dramatically change the business world with their natural views questioning traditions.
One concern about me, my small group, and some others of our age: I/we do not plan too well for future retirement (I have an IRA acct that I contribute to, and feel that by the time I am of age I will be prepared though don't have a solid plan to get there) and even less prepared for any major medical event causing us to not be able to work. Surprisingly, three of our group have no medical coverage because their employers do not offer it. So I do question if our generation, though having a more successful 20's and 30's than our parents, if when we are in our graying 50's we will also see a greater fall.
Yea I think there seem to be a lot of dissenting opinion on where X stops and Y starts. I've seen 1978, 1980, and 1982 for the start of Y. I've even seen some say that the millennial generation stretches all the way to births in the early 2000's, which is just foolish. I have nothing in common generationally with someone that grew up having cell phones, Ipads, and laptops at age 8, and has no idea who the Beatles are.
One thing the article didn't touch on, is that imo the millennial's tend to spend more money on clothes and appearance than other generations did. Personally my wardrobe is probably worth more than my car...granted my car is an 07 and not worth much, but still. I also have a friend who is in massive debt from law school, but you'd think he was a movie star from the way he dresses. My wife and I laugh at how nicely young people dress their kids nowadays compared to the junk we grew up wearing.
Many of my friends in Jax and Atlanta are buying homes. None of my friends in the NE or in CA are buying homes. I'd say for primary college grads the numbers below seem very average, don't yell at me if they don't to you. City limits only.
Jax - make $60K at 25, COL = well below nat'l avg, condo for $100K or house for $200--300K - why not?
Atlanta - make $75K at 25, COL at nat'l avg, condo for $150-$300K - why not?
NYC - make $120K at 25, COL highest in country, apt for $1.2M+++ - just doesn't work (I guess you can find a decent place in Brooklyn still for ~$600K - still an out of whack ratio)
SF - make $100K at 25, COL 2nd highest in country, apt for $800K+++ - just doesn't work
I'm down in LA now - I know folks in SF who buy crash pads here in West Hollywood or DTLA (where I spent the last weekend), two of the "hot spots" right now (or Santa Monica, where I'm at right now), and it's super cheap compared to SF (where they are stuck like the rest of us in their rent-controlled apt, not owning a damn thing). Yet LA, especially Santa Monica, is very expensive compared to the SE. It's all perspective; I think people still want to own real estate, but not everyone can. In the gateway markets (Toronto now included) most buyers are foreign.
Simms, are you visiting LA or have you moved there from San Francisco already? Kind of off topic, but what's your impression of DT LA? Overrated, underrated?
Darn good point Simms. I suppose that is why in my experiences friends who live in NYC, Chicago, San Diego, Denver, Austin, and other places aren't buying.
Quote from: thelakelander on August 06, 2013, 10:42:03 AM
Simms, are you visiting LA or have you moved there from San Francisco already? Kind of off topic, but what's your impression of DT LA? Overrated, underrated?
I basically live in DT LA in Feb and March every year. It is certainly improving, but still becomes a bit of a ghost town in the evenings except for the part around LA Live. Good number of apartments and condos have opened or filled up down there in the past 5 years. Lots of conversions to condos in the jewlery district in the last 2-3 years. Simms probably has actual data, but that's what I've seen walking around.
At 26, I've got a pretty wide cross section of this generation in my life. About half of my close friends in town (age 26-32) have purchased a house. The bulk of the people that have bought (5) are single guys, but some married couples (3) are starting to buy as well. The ones who rent cite not wanting the responsability and uncertainty in the future for why they still rent. Traveling is a big part of our lives, but nice cars are not. Two friends have recently bought new cars, but because their old cars were literally falling apart. The rest of us drive whatever we had when we got out of college. I don't know the full financial situations of my friends, but I'd say saving is not a priority. To clarify, most of my friends aren't from here and the ones that are don't come from money.
For whatever reason, the media loves making the assumption that the experiences and interests of educated, well-to-do white collar professionals are representative of all people in the "millennial" age group. I call this the "Simms fallacy".
Obviously the guy from the article who went to Stanford and now makes $100k a year plus stock working for Google or Yelp or whatever is going to have a particular life experience. It will be different from the guy who heads to South Dakota to join a fracking outfit, the woman who joins the service to pay for college, the young immigrant couple who work multiple service industry jobs to support their family, or the thousands and thousands of people who get stuck a bunch of college debt who don't get a high paying job at Google. I don't think the Google guy really speaks for the whole generation.
Things that affect the whole generation will be major cultural trends and historical events like the wars or the Great Recession. For instance, it's clear that education is more valued now and more people are attending college than ever before. The recession has affected our generation in various ways, as it's harder to find work, forced many people to live with their families for longer periods, and made big purchases like homes and cars much less of a priority.
http://upstart.bizjournals.com/money/loot/2013/08/06/what-losing-a-millennial-staffer-costs.html?ana=RSS
Here's another interesting article about millennials and our propensity to job hop.
QuoteCurrent data shows that more than 60 percent of Millennials leave their company in less than three years, faster than other employees by a 2 to 1 ratio.
This employee drain is destined to become a bigger problem since projections show that by 2014, Millennials will account for 36 percent of the American workforce and by 2025, that number balloons to 75 percent of the global workplace. Of those surveyed, 30 percent of companies have lost 15 percent or more of their Millennial employees in the past year, with at least 10 percent of the lost Millennial employees adding insult to injury by going to work for competitors.
QuoteThe study also revealed that pay was a big issue for Millennials: Half of companies surveyed reported that the average salary for a millennial is between $30,000 and $50,000, while 15 percent of the companies revealed that the average salary for a millennial is $50,000 or greater.
Quote from: Tacachale on August 06, 2013, 12:57:12 PM
For whatever reason, the media loves making the assumption that the experiences and interests of educated, well-to-do white collar professionals are representative of all people in the "millennial" age group. I call this the "Simms fallacy".
You mean to tell me not all millennials/Yers were born with a silver spoon in their mouths & were able to parlay that into getting their education paid for at the best schools, thus using those benefits/connections to ride their elitist rocketship towards a successful career? Is that what you're telling me?? GTF outta here! ;D
Yeah, seriously. I think a lot of posters here aren't what I would call typical. And articles written from that perspective aren't based in any kind of reality. It's a small inner circle of these millennials/Yers writing these ra ra pieces from their sandboxed sense of being. It reeks of corporate-funded media propaganda really. All you have to do is look around & hang out outside those small circles to know its BS. Or, I dunno, read.
The New American Economy: 90% of new jobs since 2009 are part-timehttp://p.washingtontimes.com/blog/inside-politics/2013/aug/5/obama-economy-part-time-jobs-swamp-full-time-jobs/
Half of new graduates are jobless or underemployedhttp://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/nation/story/2012-04-22/college-grads-jobless/54473426/1
Income Inequality Is At An All-Time Highhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/08/14/income-inequality-is-at-a_n_259516.html
Wealth Inequality In Americahttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JTj9AcwkaKM
So, the middle class is dying off (with the younger "middles" feeling a lot of the pinch since they're just starting out). The country is reverting back to the haves & the have-nots. With more & more people dropping into the latter group every single day. There is no answer for this in the traditional sense that led us to this point, besides creating some kind of new economy (which I think the millennials are doing).
And also, the younger gens aren't buying homes simply because the job market is so sucky that they have to remain loose & willing to move at the drop of a hat. Can't do that if you're tied down in a house somewhere in Bumblefuck Nowhere. Especially considering that that house is likely to go down further in value in the near future. Its a crapshoot that they aren't willing to play since it offers little benefits. Same as car ownership. Most I know are driving whatever they have until the wheels fall off. Or moving to cities where they have the option to forgo the car altogether & walk/use public transit/bike. This is the new future of America.
Quote from: CityLife on August 05, 2013, 10:18:28 PM
Quote from: ProjectMaximus on August 05, 2013, 08:25:17 PM
I agree completely with everything you guys have said. I'm 29 and most of my friends are exactly as you guys describe, with the one exception being home purchases. I know lots of people who have purchased their own home, many who have purchased multiple properties. Most have lived in each home at the beginning, while view it as a longterm investment that they would probably hold onto even if they moved.
Are your friends buying homes comparable to their income/wealth? In my experiences, my friends are buying homes substantially lower than theirs or are choosing to rent in lieu of buying...though most live out of state in places they didn't grow up. I think this is due to the mobility thing and fear that the housing market still hasn't bottomed out. In the past you could buy a home and at at worst sell it at breakeven after a year or two. Nowadays if you have to move for a job, you may have to rent yours, take a loss, or just give it up.
In general I'd say that's correct. My friends are
mostly not buying the most expensive places they can afford because these aren't intended as "dream homes." They are usually buying what they think is the best investment, which occasionally ends up being extravagant/pricey but usually is just a practical home in a strong location.
I tend to find most of us put much greater emphasis on experiences, happiness and (as much as possible) savings/investments over materialism, so the purchase of materialistic items is often limited to things that will directly bring happiness, positive experiences and/or savings (which often includes owning a modest home)
Quote from: CityLife on August 06, 2013, 01:20:08 PM
http://upstart.bizjournals.com/money/loot/2013/08/06/what-losing-a-millennial-staffer-costs.html?ana=RSS
Here's another interesting article about millennials and our propensity to job hop.
QuoteCurrent data shows that more than 60 percent of Millennials leave their company in less than three years, faster than other employees by a 2 to 1 ratio.
This employee drain is destined to become a bigger problem since projections show that by 2014, Millennials will account for 36 percent of the American workforce and by 2025, that number balloons to 75 percent of the global workplace. Of those surveyed, 30 percent of companies have lost 15 percent or more of their Millennial employees in the past year, with at least 10 percent of the lost Millennial employees adding insult to injury by going to work for competitors.
QuoteThe study also revealed that pay was a big issue for Millennials: Half of companies surveyed reported that the average salary for a millennial is between $30,000 and $50,000, while 15 percent of the companies revealed that the average salary for a millennial is $50,000 or greater.
I remember during the interview for my first job out of college, they were telling me how I would have the opportunity to work my way up through the system and one day become a partner in the firm. However, in my head I was thinking,
"dude, all I could afford was ramen noodles to eat for the last six years. All I'm looking for is a decent paycheck, benefits and work experience. A couple of years tops in this place and I'm out!"Looking back, I lasted two years before I quit to job hob. Great firm but it wasn't my dream to work for a single company for 30 years.
Quote from: peestandingup on August 06, 2013, 03:03:41 PM
Quote from: Tacachale on August 06, 2013, 12:57:12 PM
For whatever reason, the media loves making the assumption that the experiences and interests of educated, well-to-do white collar professionals are representative of all people in the "millennial" age group. I call this the "Simms fallacy".
You mean to tell me not all millennials/Yers were born with a silver spoon in their mouths & were able to parlay that into getting their education paid for at the best schools, thus using those benefits/connections to ride their elitist rocketship towards a successful career? Is that what you're telling me?? GTF outta here! ;D
Yeah, seriously. I think a lot of posters here aren't what I would call typical. And articles written from that perspective aren't based in any kind of reality. It's a small inner circle of these millennials/Yers writing these ra ra pieces from their sandboxed sense of being. It reeks of corporate-funded media propaganda really. All you have to do is look around & hang out outside those small circles to know its BS. Or, I dunno, read.
A little pent up frustration huh? Well that is normal I guess. I wonder what classifies a silver spoon in your mouth? Is there a certain demographic that fits, like upper middle class or a certain income level you must meet? Or is it the attitude that one possesses?
I was at a mini-high school reunion the other weekend and had some interesting observations. Most of us graduated college sometime between fall 2007 and fall 2009, when shit just started to hit the fan.
Most decided to go to grad/law school or join the military rather than try to get a job. Of those who did look for work alot of, "Worked with different temp companies/tried to teach myself programming/worked for the Census/etc" before landing a steady job within the last year.
I would say it was a 60/40 split between those who still rent(60) vs those who have bought something. If they did buy something it was usually a condo for under $50,000.
Most figure we'll never see a dime of social security. I agree.
When discussing TV shows, the most common comment was "Is it on Netflix?".
Quote from: JayBird on August 06, 2013, 08:16:08 PM
Quote from: peestandingup on August 06, 2013, 03:03:41 PM
Quote from: Tacachale on August 06, 2013, 12:57:12 PM
For whatever reason, the media loves making the assumption that the experiences and interests of educated, well-to-do white collar professionals are representative of all people in the "millennial" age group. I call this the "Simms fallacy".
You mean to tell me not all millennials/Yers were born with a silver spoon in their mouths & were able to parlay that into getting their education paid for at the best schools, thus using those benefits/connections to ride their elitist rocketship towards a successful career? Is that what you're telling me?? GTF outta here! ;D
Yeah, seriously. I think a lot of posters here aren't what I would call typical. And articles written from that perspective aren't based in any kind of reality. It's a small inner circle of these millennials/Yers writing these ra ra pieces from their sandboxed sense of being. It reeks of corporate-funded media propaganda really. All you have to do is look around & hang out outside those small circles to know its BS. Or, I dunno, read.
A little pent up frustration huh? Well that is normal I guess. I wonder what classifies a silver spoon in your mouth? Is there a certain demographic that fits, like upper middle class or a certain income level you must meet? Or is it the attitude that one possesses?
Not really. We're doing quite well actually & have job security out the wazoo. One thing you'll learn about me if you ever get to know me is I'm a very "call it what it is" kind of guy & know bullshit when I see it. Doesn't necessarily mean I'm personally for or against something.
As far as the silver spoon comment, it basically boils down to those who not only came from money, but have a complete disconnect towards those who didn't & the world around them in general. Not their concern, sure. I get that. It just goes along with the territory. But they shouldn't be looking down their noses at people with that elitist attitude & wondering why they're not "trying harder" or some nonsense like that. They're obviously not part of the same club & didn't have the privilege of being born into it. Could they one day get there? Maybe. But that goal is becoming harder & harder to reach every day it would seem, esp for younger generations. But then, maybe the "goal" will end up becoming something different some day, or it means different things to different people. And that those who think the goal is to accumulate as much paper money as possible really are morally bankrupt.
But now we're getting into philosophical stuff. ;)
^thank your, I actually agree with that definition. Very spot on and true. However I will add that the bigger disconnect in reality is the little guy thinking he's being looked down on when he really isn't. At Catholic Charities I see it all the time, but that doesn't mean there aren't those whom think they are better than the rest of world. But I figure we all put our pants on one leg at a time, all will eventually perish and return to dust, and that Bill Gates is no different than the beggar on the corner. One just survives differently.
I will say that I don't think the article was pumping sunshine, remember who their target audience is. They aren't writing the column for the guy who is out there at 7am digging up a sewer line to fix a bad pipe. The audience they're writing to, and the audience that reads them the most, is the guy who reads it over coffee while waiting for a conference call to start or while getting his shoes shined in between meetings.
Notice the guy in the original article had $40k of student debt? That's not exactly silver spoon type stuff....Like it or not, there are a lot of people in the Y generation that grew up very middle class or lower and are doing well for themselves. I mentioned in the first post that a lot of my friends are probably making closer to $200k, than $100k, but that is joint income for married couples. Maybe 1 or 2 of them come from upper middle class families, with the rest being middle class, and none of them got where they are due to family connections. Most of them went to FSU, which isn't an "elite" national school, but still decent (Top 100 nationally). Generally, one of the two has a good job making $80k+ and the other is doing decently. A few are doing very well, but none are pushing the 1% or anything. My single friends definitely live more interesting lives, but probably aren't doing as well without a dual income and stability, though one or two are doing surprisngly well given their lifestyle.
I'm an older Gen Y'er, so a lot of my friends had the benefit of starting their careers before the crash, but even my younger brothers friends in their mid 20's are doing well, and again they are mostly middle class kids. Myself and several friends finished grad school or law school post crash and are doing well, minus one. My brother in law just graduated from UNF and is killing it at 24. Point being, you don't have to be from a well off family to be successful... Does it help? Absolutely. Do you have to be to from a well off family to be successful? Absolutely not.
Quote from: CityLife on August 07, 2013, 10:31:00 AM
Point being, you don't have to be from a well off family to be successful... Does it help? Absolutely. Do you have to be to from a well of family to be successful? Absolutely not.
Couldn't have said it better myself.
Quote from: JayBird on August 07, 2013, 12:08:53 PM
Quote from: CityLife on August 07, 2013, 10:31:00 AM
Point being, you don't have to be from a well off family to be successful... Does it help? Absolutely. Do you have to be to from a well of family to be successful? Absolutely not.
Couldn't have said it better myself.
Agree. I wasn't really talking about typical UofF /FSU state school students. Although there are elements of it there just like everywhere else. My wife used to teach at American University, adjuncted at GW. I have a lot of friends that went to both, including Georgetown as well. Good people, but they def have the disconnect I was referring to & it really is a different world. Many of them think they're the most important people in the universe, and being in the DC area just compounds that I believe. Like I said, I like them a lot & they're dear friends, its just kinda funny to me personally.
But really you could say that about all aspects of life, social statuses, classes, etc. It pretty much defines the world we live in.
The spoons at GWU aren't made of silver. They're platinum. Some of them diamond encrusted.
I will agree with the notion of Ivy League acting that way because all that I know from Yale and a few from Brown have that attitude. Surprisingly enough though they aren't the super successful, I guess because they never had to work too had for it they just maintain comfort, but could truly excel if they had the drive. Of course, I guess I cannot blame the individual, I believe those schools may teach them they're destined for greatness regardless of what they do. After all wasn't it a Harvard sociologist that started the movement of all participants get trophies? Too bad all adults don't get paychecks.