Why Millennials are Smarter than Any Generation Before Them

By Nia Saunders

The term “millennial” is used to describe the generation born anywhere from the early 80s to 90s and sometimes the early 2000s as well. Another name for this generation is “Generation Y”, in reference to being subsequent to their parents who are known as “Generation X”.

Millennials receive a lot of criticism from generations before them, which has always puzzled me because, well, these are the very same people who raised them. Yes, millennials take pictures of their food before they eat, text their friends rather than calling them. They constantly use acronyms such as LOL and BRB to save time because typing out the full phrase just takes way too much time. Lazy, narcissistic, and entitled are just a few adjectives that are popularly categorized with this generation.

Despite all this criticism, millennials are the most educated generation thus far in history and college enrollment rates have increased almost 50% within the past decade. So millennials, feel free to share that statistic with your parents or grandparents next time they get on you for not knowing how to write a check. In the words of Bob Dylan, “the times they are a-changing”. And sorry Grandma, this generation’s views on what constitutes being smart or not are widely different than any previous generation’s.

The millennial generation has taken the corporate world by a storm and have changed the way businesses operate and communicate. There are also several ways the millennials have transformed the education standard. A study from the PEW Research center revealed that millennials are, in fact, more educated than any generation before them. Roughly 63% of this generation understands the value in a college education and have received one or is planning to. Generation X statistics reveal the trend that more women have attained college degrees than men. This trend has continued with the millennial generation as well.

Being the most educated generation of this country’s history thus far has come with a price tag. The prices of higher education have risen exponentially, and student loan debt has exceeded $1 trillion in the United States alone. This number just shows the rise of what’s expected from the millennial generation.

Attending college and graduating with a bachelor’s degree is now required from big industry employers for virtually all entry level positions. With such high expectations, extra curriculars and unpaid internships can make the small difference on a resume between employment and unemployment. Being the most qualified generation, educationally speaking, has created an increase in competition in the current job market. Millennials are going head to head with their peers for the same job openings and roughly all have the same education level; a bachelor’s degree. This has led to a rise in the number of students opting to take their education farther and complete a Master’s degree, for good reason of course, since more schooling leads to a higher salary later on.

Millennials have collectively attended more schooling than any other generation before. The shift in society’s education standard has changed, and the gap between the millennial generation and the generation of their parents and grandparents has grown wider and wider. What constitutes being smart anymore? As the millennials continue to dominate the workforce, social constructs with education will continue to change. Here’s hoping the kids raised by millennials will only be smarter than their parents and grandparents too.

 

Sources:

http://thelala.com/millennials-smartest-generation-predicted-poorest/

http://genhq.com/what-is-the-correct-name-for-millennials/

http://educationinitiative.thepacificinstitute.com/articles/story/millennials-changing-the-face-of-higher-education

https://www.huffingtonpost.com/zach-cutler/how-millennials-impact-education_b_5604865.html