How Gen Y Will Leverage The New Economy & Come Out Ahead

by / ⠀Personal Branding Startup Advice / September 30, 2011

gen yRight now it feels like the tectonic plates are shifting and re-arranging themselves into a new order. (Quite literally, in some parts of the world!)

This new order of work and life, of meaning and art, of education and contribution is here. Now. It’s happening, and it’s being reflected everywhere we look.

The big corporations are feeling it, the financial systems are shaking, and one thing remains true: people are still people.

So what does this big shift mean for the next generation?

How Did Your Environment Affect Your Choices?

If you’re reading this, chances are we’re part of the same generation…

  • The generation that watched Captain Planet bring pollution down to zero, while the environment continued to suffer.
  • The generation that believed getting good grades in college guaranteed a stable career.
  • The generation that watched their parents slave away doing work they didn’t find meaningful, while numbing out the side effects with more stuff.
  • The generation that got all the toys, but didn’t appreciate them until they had to buy them out of their own pocket.
  • The generation that witnessed mass layoffs and downsizing of so-called stable industries.
  • The generation that is so connected, so global, and so open-minded that outsourcing, globalization, and equal rights are no longer buzzwords.

It’s Time to Change The Game

“Like every generation yields, the newborn hope unjaded by their years…” -Sarah McLachlan

I believe that right now is a very special time to be alive. It’s a time of hope. Even though there is a lot of doom and gloom being draped over the changes happening, I feel extremely hopeful.

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I think that my generation knows that they can’t rely on the system anymore. They need to create their own rules. Be their own heros.

It’s time to change the game and create the new rules of success, and that involves entrepreneurship and personal responsibility.

Great Fortunes Are Made in Bad Economic Times

Here’s my take on the current situation: this joblessness, this pollution, this debt… it’s all here for a reason.

It’s here to help us realize that we’ve been running around unconsciously creating this for ourselves. Not thinking about the legacy that we’ve created.

How many times have we seen big business screw up in devastating ways? Who was responsible? No one. Because no one took that responsibility onto themselves, they were just a cog in the machine.

Luckily, all of the “bad” situations we’re experiencing will lead more of us young people to take a different path. In fact, it’s only when we try fit into the old system that we fail.

Taking a look at the resources that are available to every single one of us: the education, support networks, the business building tools… It’s almost impossible to fail to create a new way of doing business and succeeding in this world.

This doesn’t mean that you won’t fail. In fact, failure is what leads to success. Still, now is the perfect time to venture off into the unknown and chart a new course.

Entrepreneurship is at the core of our economy, we just lost sight of it.

Just as the local food movement is taking off, so is the small business movement. Small businesses create sustainable lifestyles for both the CEO and employees.

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So what are you waiting for? If you’ve been stagnating, it’s time to recognize the great opportunities that are in front of you right now. Right here.

Nathalie Lussier got her Bachelors in Software Engineering then promptly turned down a “stable” job on Wall Street to start her own online business. She’s an online business triple threat who teaches people how to get techy with their business.

About The Author

Matt Wilson

Matt Wilson is Co-Founder of Under30Experiences, a travel company for young people ages 21-35. He is the original Co-founder of Under30CEO (Acquired 2016). Matt is the Host of the Live Different Podcast and has 50+ Five Star iTunes Ratings on Health, Fitness, Business and Travel. He brings a unique, uncensored approach to his interviews and writing. His work is published on Under30CEO.com, Forbes, Inc. Magazine, Huffington Post, Reuters, and many others. Matt hosts yoga and fitness retreats in his free time and buys all his food from an organic farm in the jungle of Costa Rica where he lives. He is a shareholder of the Green Bay Packers.

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