I’ve made no secret of the fact that I hate the term Millennial. I’m technically a Millennial by most measures so it cuts close to home when I see how most publications use the term. If you took a poll, I think you’d see the terms most closely tied to the word as:
- Entitled
- Lazy
- Snowflake
- Difficult
- Selfish
For me, Millennial is the stereotype that hits closest to home. Others face many, many more stereotypes that they have to fight against. Stereotypes are cultural shorthand that many people use to make quicker decisions. Unfortunately, when those quick decisions involve people they can be unfair to many great candidates. The more stereotypes an individual faces, the tougher time they have in getting opportunities.
I’m not here to dispell stereotypes. I’m still absolutely certain that all IT experts are difficult, anti-social people (\sarcasm). What I do believe is that we should all make a conscious effort to not allow stereotypes to color our decisions. When you find yourself judging someone based on assumptions rather than actual history, take a step back. Keep in mind, we have stereotypes around every single person we meet or know in life.