The Empty

I read this column by Garrison Keillor in the trib.  Fortunately for Mr. Keillor, who wants people to read his stuff and have it strike a chord (like any writer), it did strike a chord with me.  Unfortunately, this means I am getting old.  Yes, yes, I'm not really that old, but I am surely an adult that is wondering wtf is wrong with kids these days.  Get off my lawn, you young punks!  Mr Keillor says:

A Harris Interactive poll of Generation Y's feelings about work shows 92 percent want a "flexible work schedule," 96 percent want a job that "requires creativity" and 97 percent want a job that "allows me to have an impact on the world." All I can say is, Wow. Good luck. And now you know why we need illegal immigrants to do the inflexible, uncreative stuff that simply needs doing right now.

Wow, indeed.  Being a Gen X'er, I am somewhat in between the Y's and the older generations in both age and outlook.  Luckily, I have a job that I like with a flexible work schedule and requires some creativity.  I think that any job can benefit from some creativity, though.  However, I would agree that kids these days just don't understand the ethic of "get shit done" and then it will be done and you don't have to worry about it anymore.  Yes, it may suck.  Yes, it may be as boring as Uncle Jake and Aunt Myrtle's slide show from their vacation to Amish Country.  But it needs to get done.  Yes, you need to vacuum the house.  Yes, you need to mow the lawn.  Yes, you need to paint or wallpaper or scrub something.

I think part of it is the difference between a 'job' and 'work'.  Gen Y is looking for a job that is not work and yet has maximum impact and excitement.   I call that a Rockstar job.  Yes, they exist.  They are also few and far between.  Rockstars also work hard, too, though.  Not all jobs are glamorous, though, and not all need to be.  If you can find a job doing what you like to do, you have it made.  However, doing work that allows you to do what you like is also a pretty darn nice job.