Trend of young people rejecting the traditional workforce?
 

They are young. We'll see if they feel the same way when they realize they can't ever retire because Social Security is gone and they didn't get into that 401K. Or when they get a severe illness and they don't have health insurance and now can't get it, because of the severe illness. I think security becomes more important with age (and responsibility, such as a family). When your child doesn't have health insurance, you get much more nervous than when you don't have it.

If you can be financially secure and benefits secure without a traditional workforce, then great. Personally, I think the key is always to find something you love to do and then do that work. Do I love getting up every day at 5:30 am? No, who does? Do I truly enjoy the type of work? Heck yeah. I actually get paid to do stuff with computers all day long. And in my former career, I got paid to play games, do crafts and go on community outings with psychotic adolescents. I have enjoyed both of my careers immensely.

Of course, I'd have more fun if I had unlimited money and no responsibilities, but that's not reality (unless I hit that lotto someday!).

I really think a big change is going to happen in the workforce in the next 10 years. The baby boomers will be retiring and my generation doesn't have the numbers nor the desire take over those jobs. I think corporations are going to start adopting more work-at-home and flexible hours policies.

I truly don't think it's laziness. So many of my friends are prolonging their education in studies that they truly don't love just because they don't want to be a slave to the 9-5 just yet. I see friends working at bars, as servers or in retail who are bright and confident.

My dad was always on business trips and my mother was always stressed out. It's not the life I want for myself. Admittedly, I'm one of those many women from my generation that is hoping stop working for a few years after I have my children. So many people from my generation were stuck in daycare or raised by a nanny; by the time their parents got home, they were too exhaused from work to pay attention to their kids. I don't want this and many of the people in their 20s don't either. I think there needs to be some balance between work and your personal life. I'm hoping my generation will make companies realize this.

And there are definitely ways to work around those issues. Finding a company/industry that allows flexibility is the key. A lot of the time, it's the atmosphere of the company or the manager that sets the tone for that. For example, since changing careers to IT, I stayed in the same health care corporation. Some IT jobs would require a lot of weekend work, carrying a pager 24/7, etc. But I found an IT job that is 40 hours a week, no pager, only occasional weekend work (usually 2 hours every 4th Sunday) and I get comp time for that time, which gives me more flexibility with kids' doctor appointments and things. It's a very family oriented department and if I get the phone call from school to pick a sick kid up, or want to go on a field trip, the time off policy is generous (6 weeks a year sick/vacation combined to be used how I want).

The trade off? Money. I don't make the kind of money I could make in some IT environments. That causes a different stress, but it's better than being expected to work 60 hours a week!

Technology has offered more options (like working from home) but also have added stress because, in some environments, you're still expected to have the cell phone and lap top, even when you're on vacation, so you don't ever really take a total vacation.

I really hope I'm retired by 40. I don't think that's traditional in any way and I think a couple of my friends feel the same way. I mean at 40 I'll be looking to marry a young woman and I just don't think I will have the energy to deal with her if I'm still working this hard.

-Rudey

What this article fails to mention is that a ton of these kids are still supported to some extent by their parents.

The cut-off age for insurance is increasing--in some states it's 25, and I just read that NJ is trying to extend their cutoff until 28. Not depending on your job for insurance makes a HUGE difference and allows you to take a low-paying internship or a job in your "chosen" field.

Not investing for retirement freaks me out, however, and I just can't abide by that. I mean, I can't save much now, but I'm doing it, and that's the important thing. When I make more, I'll invest more.

Me too - I get these visions of being in some run-down retirement home and living off of $50 a month in social security or something.

Of course, my feeling is that I'll probably be one of those people who is 70 and still showing up to the office. I've seen enough 60-70 year old attorneys around Boston that I don't think I'll be alone.

Move to a third world country and live like a king before anyone makes you live like that lol

-Rudey

That's how it is with architects, too. One of our senior partners is 68 and she's "retiring" this summer. She'll still stay on as a senior consultant for our division.

Maybe it's not really "retirement" when it's something you love to do?

That's what I'm thinking. I actually like working (most of the time).

Of course, this all depends on law school going well and getting the jobs I want. But, as long as we're talking about retirement, I don't feel bad getting a little ahead of myself.

Rudey, maybe you're right. I'll find some random place and settle down there if it gets to that point.

The problem is that there are surprsingly few rules to protect American workers. The USA and Japan are the only industrialized nations that don't have mandatory vacation rules. Most workers in Japan get all of one week a year off. The USA gives an average of two.

Look at Europe where BY LAW people get five weeks off. Australia, it's SIX to START! Studies have shown that people in these countries are more productive in the workplace because they're more rested.

Another fact that people find shocking is that if you're not an hourly worker (such as a manager), your company can make you work as many hours as it wants and not give you overtime. It can fire you if you refuse to work those hours. Many people work 60 hours a week and get paid for 40. Others are afraid to call in sick for fear of getting laid off.

And... many companies even get into what their workers do on their off hours. Some are not allowed to moonlight without getting permission first, others aren't even allowed to join political groups.

Why do we put up with this? In this country we should work to live, but we are living to work. :(

Agreed.

well if we dont then companies will just bring in Mexicans to do the work for half the price

Obviously Europe's laws are better. I mean just look at the socialist labor laws, huge unemployment %, and welfare states.

I wish I could live there. At least I get my vacation.