We must give US millennials the help they need to live the American Dream. No generation as a whole in history has ever been subject to the ridicule that is meted out to millennials on a daily basis. Some say millennials deserve the put-downs and some say they don't. In the midst of all these put-downs of the "snowflake" generation, it sure seems one big fact has been lost: Millennials are people too! And, they are a lot nicer than most other people think. That does not mean that they do not deserve the rap that they have gotten. Think about the story of the Yale Professor who had to give his suffering students an optional midterm because they were upset with Donald Trump's victory. Online comments about this were plentiful with the usual mocks about the snowflake generation, the spoiled, entitled babies, raised to love only themselves, coddled by their parents and adorned with participation trophies that everybody received. Growing up in the age of social media made this generation obsessed with instant gratification. Things have gone bad for millennials as they reached adult-hood and even before. They need again the kind of great reinforcement that they had in T-Ball through adolescence when the participation trophies were the rage. Today, they get their kicks by being rewarded with online actions such as a "like" or "retweet." The US workplace was not ready for millennials and maybe that's why, so many are still unemployed. Of course, it might also be that foreign nationals took their jobs. At work, if they can find a job, needy millennials like that feely-good stuff just like the social "likes" and "retweets." They'll even settle for constructive criticism if that's all a peer can muster but they would prefer lots of reinforcement or praise, especially from a manager. This need was not in their original genes; but the need seeped in as dose after dose, feely-good stuff was always the remedy. Even good dads had a hard time denying them. Millennials are known as the selfish generation. It is said that they need to look up the meaning of the word, friend, each time somebody accuses them of being one. They are tarred with being the lazy and entitled generation, because from my observations, they often behave that way. Sometimes I wonder if I am the only one who sees it? Maybe they have a really valid beef with life. Their generation is saddled with $1.45 billion in student loan debt. That would keep many smiles down. This book is written for the flawless millennials, so they can see their flaws as others see them and know why they have them. It is written for moms and dads and kindergarten teachers and lots of others, hoping that we never put out a group of participation trophy winners like this ever again. This author believes that being a millennial is not a terminal disease and the more the patient knows about herself, the easier the cure will be.
About the Author: Brian W. Kelly retired as an Assistant Professor in the Business Information Technology (BIT) program at Marywood University, where he also served as the IBM i and Midrange Systems Technical Advisor to the IT Faculty. Kelly designed, developed, and taught many college and professional courses. He continues as a contributing technical editor to a number of IT industry magazines, including "The Four Hundred" and "Four Hundred Guru," published by IT Jungle. Kelly is a former IBM Senior Systems Engineer and IBM Mid Atlantic Area Specialist. His specialty was designing applications for customers as well as implementing advanced IBM operating systems and software facilities on their machines. He has an active information technology consultancy. He is the author of 163 books and numerous technical articles. Kelly has been a frequent speaker at COMMON, IBM conferences, and other technical conferences. Brian was a candidate for US Congress from Pennsylvania in 2010 and he brings a lot of experience to his writing endeavors. Brian Kelly knows the problems caused by the mere notion of millennials and he knows the impact of major issues such as the student debt crisis on the hearts and souls of millennials. Brian has also written books about how to solve the student debt crisis without bankrupting America. The father of three millennials, Brian sees millennials for what they are-and he knows his suggestions in this book can make their lives much better as well of the lives they touch.