A close friend of mine recently launched an online magazine. In addition to her full time job in private wealth management, she now balances her time between website layout, copyediting, production schedules, and all the other fun operational things that come along with journalism. Another friend of mine divides his time between real estate brokering and party promoting—on the side, of course. A third friend has found a way to combine her interest in entrepreneurship and travel by launching her own travel media company. During the day, she works in custom publishing, though. All three of my friends were looking for ways to stimulate themselves, and make some extra money. All three are members of Generation Y.
The second job; the side hustle; the “little something extra”; all have become euphemisms for professional obligations that we take on in addition to our main form of employment. The characteristic Gen Y trait of overextension is something that is typified by the number of us with multiple forms of employment—either to supplement our income, or to keep us otherwise stimulated. A generation known for it’s diverse interests, and willingness to follow our passions, millennials with multiple jobs represent a growing number of employees that refuse to settle for a lack of stimulation in their lives.
Likewise, we are the most educated generation to date—meaning that many of us are in educational debt up to our eyeballs. For those of us that accepted entry-level positions—complete with entry-level pay—working multiple jobs is a way to make ends meet. I actually have no less than three occupations (and potentially a fourth in the works), all geared toward engaging my many interests, and assisting in paying back the massive amount of college debt that I carry around with me.
Finally, many Gen Yers have a “can-do” attitude—one that leads us to believe that we can, in fact, be the next Mark Zuckerberg if we just follow our dreams. For my friend turned aspiring website mogul, the undying belief in her ability to turn the tide of witty online communication, and potentially profit from it led her to her current endeavor. With her full time job barely keeping her interests, she has been able to channel her youthful energy and passion into the website.
Employers should keep in mind that Gen Y is a group of adults that are chiefly interested in making a mark on their own terms, and remaining engaged in whatever they are doing. Understanding that, and the fact that many of us our dividing our attention between several different obligations will enable successful company leaders to better contextualize their youngest employees.
So what’s on Gen Y’s mind? We must stay engaged; we must make money; we do what we have to do for both.
About the Author
Michael Collins is the Research and Publications Analyst of Diversity Best Practices.
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