Their record over the past forty years or so hasn't been exactly spotless. Traditionally, the young have turned to the older for guidance. Today, the situation might be reversed. The old - if they are prepared to admit it - could learn a thing or two from their children. One of the biggest lessons they could learn is that enjoyment is not sinful. Enjoyment is a principle one could apply to all aspects of life. It is surely not wrong to enjoy your work and enjoy your leisure; to shed restricting inhibitions. It is surely not wrong to live in the present rather than in the past or future. The world is full of uncertainly and tension. This is their glorious heritage. Can we be surprised that they should so often question the sanity of the generation that bequeathed it!.
Today's graduates have different aspirations from the Boomers in their 50s and 60s. according to research conducted in North America and Britain by David Cannon of Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario. The new graduates, labelled Generation X, postpone commitment, wanting to keep their options open as long as possible, cannon told the conference. They have a great fear of boredom and prefer short-term projects. They love facts and processes and feel Powerful from knowing "how". They crave continual feedback, desire jobs that are 'sexy" in the eyes of their peers, believe they are inherently good, and want marriage, family and material success.
Cannon said Boomers love adventure, independence and risk; can work to general goals; and can tolerate ambiguity and multiple answers. They want to be "artists" at what they do, value creativity, are self-directed, and want to do things "my" way. They can write, speak and conduct self-directed research well. They can be suspicious of corporate ideology, distrust authority; but can be forgiving if it errs. They loathe evaluation.
In contrast, Generation X graduates love information; work best to concrete goals; expect clear standards and procedure; want to be experts at what they do, like guided practice supervised by organized people; and over-estimate their communication and research skills.
