A Vote for Millennials

As the dust settles and emotions are processed, many wonder what the next four years will look like in our country. While the future is unknown, I strongly feel that this election should give every Millennial the courage to go after whatever their dreams may be.  

Yes, a lot of things showed up and came out during the 2016 election process – and I have my own opinions on all of it. Instead of getting into those, I would really prefer to spend this time focused on the promise we have as a generation even when our nation seems to be in that groggy hungover state where it is trying to determine if having that last shot was worth the room spinning sensation occurring while we lay in the bed the morning after.

First, I’d like to remind everyone that we are the most diverse generation in the country. It might not seem to matter or make a difference right now but I think it is something we need to continue to celebrate. I think we learned that it is easy to celebrate diversity in neutral but the reality is, we aren’t all the same and we don’t all think alike. That gives us the opportunity to utilize cultural and thought diversity and truly leverage innovation to change every industry and overcome the challenges that are ahead of us.  That means that we will have to be even more creative and bold in finding solutions and addressing concerns that impact us all regardless of our political affiliations.

Next, as someone who has been responsible for creating jobs and determining appropriate qualifications, I would also like to bring attention to the strong statement just made so our generation can begin to capitalize on it!  There is a meme that has circulated over the past months that highlights the seeming disparity in the value of direct experience for entry level roles versus being the leader of one of the most powerful nations in the world. In real life, some hiring managers are holding onto primitive thoughts that a college degree is a barometer for ability while others have been progressively justifying basket weaving as a transferable skill for project management. There are pros and cons to both approaches and regardless of how you feel about the election, the message is: Experience is relative and can be put into the context of your goal.

Lastly, we learned that peer pressure doesn’t have an age limit. Not the greatest thing to note from a political perspective but what that does say is that the ability to influence is alive and strong. As a generation, that means we can influence ourselves into a seat at the proverbial professional grown-up table. We can have our voice heard and perspective considered.

As a generation, we will continue to set the tone for where our nation is headed. That isn't a small responsibiity. Our voices will become louder and our thoughts will begin to shape the globe. As a nation, we need to reflect on where we are relative to our global competitors. We need to continue to look for opportunities and threats in every decision we make because regardless of how you feel about the shot, you have to get out of bed at some point to get dressed for work.