SHRM’s recent newsletter (membership required) contains an article discussing what Gen Y’ers are looking for in their lives. In a recent survey conducted by Pew Research Center here is a wish list of what the Gen Y’ers want.
Life goals are geared strongly toward getting rich (81 percent) and famous (51 percent). Their Generation X predecessors, by comparison, place less importance on these goals, with 62 percent seeking riches and just 29 percent seeking fame.
Thirty percent of respondents indicated that finances and debt were the most important personal problems they were facing. Education was a distant second at 18 percent, followed closely by career and job concerns at 16 percent.
An interesting finding also came to light regarding Generation Y women.
Starting their own businesses and being considered one of the top people in their field (30 percent and 29 percent, respectively) topped the list of ultimate career goals. Another 23 percent of those polled by Lifetime said that achieving flexibility with respect to where and when they work was the top goal.
Personal goals of getting married, having children and owning a home trump professional goals of becoming a manager, earning a certain salary and starting a business (63 percent vs. 23 percent), according to the Lifetime poll. But 85 percent of respondents still plan to be in the workforce after having children, and 69 percent said they are willing to make sacrifices to reach the top of their field. Women of this generation want to be ringmasters vs. jugglers.