Coaching MillennialsWHAT GENERATION Y NEEDS TO HEAR

Mallie Rydzik, M.S.www.TheOffRoadMillennial.com

Your Speaker: Mallie Rydzik

Millennial coach, consultant, author, and speaker

Graduated college from the University of Virginia in 2009

Joined millions of others in graduate school

Became disillusioned with academia following a mental health breakdown

Played job roulette before being drawn to coaching fellow Millennials

What is a Millennial?

Depending on whom you ask, Millennials were born between: 1979-1995

1980-2000

1980+

Raised by Baby Boomers during a time of relative economic prosperity

The “everyone gets a trophy” generation

Also known as Generation Y

The Circus ParableAnd our expectations for our children…and clients

Generational Data

Data from Pew Research Center

Things Millennials Care About

Generational Data

Student Loan Debt

Via ProjectOnStudentDebt.org

Millennials In The Work Force

In 2010, 37% of 18-29 year olds were unemployed

“Research shows that young people who graduate from college in a bad economy typically suffer long-term consequences – with effects on their careers and earnings that linger as long as 15 years” (Pew Research Center)

Millennials In The Work Force

Millennial Entrepreneurs

Millennials are turning to entrepreneurship to solve their job crisis.

In a survey conducted by the online job site, Odesk, 58% of Millennials classified themselves as entrepreneurs.

The same Odesk survey found that Millennials consider entrepreneurship to be a mindset.

Millennials are bringing the entrepreneurial mindset into the traditional workplace…and they want to be heard.

Using technology and social media to establish their personal brands.

Generational Data

Millennials And Technology

Millennials and Technology

Actual MillennialsEXAMPLES OF THIS CHANGE

The New Military Spouse

No longer forced into stay-at-home-spouse status.

Turning to entrepreneurial or remote work careers

Hannah Becker

Makenna Johnston

The Generational Spokesperson

Taking advantage of Millennials in the news

Inspiring and educating

Chelsea Krost

The New Online Businesses

The popularity of income reports

High 5 to 6 figures/month

John Lee Dumas

Overview of Generation Y

Getting married later, but not due to a lack of interest in marriage, children, or home ownership.

More educated than previous generations, but with higher student loan debt.

More under- or unemployed than previous generations, yet optimistic in future earning potential.

Turning to entrepreneurship (both online and offline) to create their own jobs.

Bringing entrepreneurship into the traditional workplace in the interest of innovating and making a difference.

Technology is inextricably part of youth (and older) culture.

Why The Bad Rap?

Being compared to their generational predecessors, whose economic, academic, and career realities were different.

Misunderstanding of the necessity of an online presence, which can appear narcissistic.

Higher (inflation adjusted) student loans with less stable career options

How Do We Coach Millennials?

Acknowledge the realities of creating a career in the current economy.

Stay up-to-date on technological trends and online business opportunities

Be prepared for more young people coming to you asking about starting their own businesses

Be hesitant when suggesting additional education

Don’t downplay their optimism or desire to “make a difference” or “follow their dreams,” but continue to direct them toward realistic goals

As with youth of any generation, avoid sounding too much like their parents!

Be A Coach They Trust

Discussion

In addition to your questions, I’d like to know about specific experiences you have had coaching people in their 20s and early 30s over the past few years. Do these data align with what you’ve seen personally?

What are your thoughts on the data about your own generation that were presented here?

What other data do we need to effectively coach this generation?

What should we expect from the post-9/11 generation (Generation Z)?