Forget that I ever existed

thegentleway

In general, I think people are unhappy because they expect things (like work) to make them happy. But you only experience fleeting happiness this way. People run around searching for happiness. If you're lucky, you'll get some success, experience some happiness but it soon fades and you're off chasing the next thing that you think will make you happy... I was stuck on this hamster wheel as well. A couple of things to consider:

1. You might want to try flipping it around and look for ways to suffer less. All your suffering is in your mind and there are very useful methods like meditation for exploring your mind. Don't expect any quick fixes. Much like physical fitness, training your mind takes time. It's well worth it though, everything you experience is through your mind (not just suffering/unhappiness) so even a small improvement has great positive effect on your quality of life.
2. You might want to consider alternatives to searching for happiness extrinsically. Turns out lots of very wise people before us have thought about these things in great depth and been kind enough to share their wisdom. e.g. "a guide to the good life: the ancient art of stoic joy" by William Braxton Irvine.

bamgbost

thegentleway said:

In general, I think people are unhappy because they expect things (like work) to make them happy. But you only experience fleeting happiness this way. People run around searching for happiness. If you're lucky, you'll get some success, experience some happiness but it soon fades and you're off chasing the next thing that you think will make you happy... I was stuck on this hamster wheel as well. A couple of things to consider:

1. You might want to try flipping it around and look for ways to suffer less. All your suffering is in your mind and there are very useful methods like meditation for exploring your mind. Don't expect any quick fixes. Much like physical fitness, training your mind takes time. It's well worth it though, everything you experience is through your mind (not just suffering/unhappiness) so even a small improvement has great positive effect on your quality of life.
2. You might want to consider alternatives to searching for happiness extrinsically. Turns out lots of very wise people before us have thought about these things in great depth and been kind enough to share their wisdom. e.g. "a guide to the good life: the ancient art of stoic joy" by William Braxton Irvine.

Well said

eamon

There are other schools of thought. Whilst I can't think of any former coalminer willing their Sons to go down the pit as a valid career choice  in the 21st century. In the 1980's it was a great choice in purely cash terms. At the same time, before and since many UK firms couldn't wait to export the production and the jobs. In return we got universities, distribution centres, fast food, expensive housing (for many) and debt for all.

If we are lucky them work can be enjoyable, mentally/physically stimulating and hopefully paying a lot more than minimum wage. For many though work is dull, repetitive, low paying, unsecure/temporary and is little more than keeping the wolves from the door.

thegentleway

ushjr said:

thegentleway said:

In general, I think people are unhappy because they expect things (like work) to make them happy. But you only experience fleeting happiness this way. People run around searching for happiness. If you're lucky, you'll get some success, experience some happiness but it soon fades and you're off chasing the next thing that you think will make you happy... I was stuck on this hamster wheel as well. A couple of things to consider:

1. You might want to try flipping it around and look for ways to suffer less. All your suffering is in your mind and there are very useful methods like meditation for exploring your mind. Don't expect any quick fixes. Much like physical fitness, training your mind takes time. It's well worth it though, everything you experience is through your mind (not just suffering/unhappiness) so even a small improvement has great positive effect on your quality of life.
2. You might want to consider alternatives to searching for happiness extrinsically. Turns out lots of very wise people before us have thought about these things in great depth and been kind enough to share their wisdom. e.g. "a guide to the good life: the ancient art of stoic joy" by William Braxton Irvine.

I tried to treat work simply as a source of income and do things I enjoyed outside of work. The dread of going into work always took over though. 

That’s an interesting way to interpret what I was trying to say...
Meaningful work is great for wellbeing but it’s your job to give it meaning. What’s so dreadful about your work apart from your attitude towards it?

Beartricks

Millenials grew up with mass media and the Internet. We're the first generation to really be fed that the grass is greener, generally by people who've succeeded. People who tried to quit their office job and failed rarely make videos and write articles about it.

Millenials are the target demographic for most products at the moment. Of course there's going to be a lot of articles about them. Articles sell ad space.

I think there's something in the idea that we were given trophies for everything and told we could do whatever we wanted. Every millennial was told they could be a neurosurgeon, when they probably should have been getting lessons on navigating office politics, how to shake down a client for the money he owes you for that plumbing job, and how mundane the career ladder can be. 

Finally, I don't think there's anything wrong with expecting more. You only have one life and it pains me to think I'll end up like colleagues who've spent 40 years in a job they hated.

gozaimasu

An internet search revealed that I am apparently a millennial, although on the older end of the scale. I thought I was too old to be a millennial, probably because I despised the media coverage being labelled as "snowflakes".

I've hated every job I ever had, expect maybe a very few I had whilst a student. I still don't understand why that is - maybe because the working environment was more "pleasant" and I had interesting and intelligent colleagues to interact with, or because I knew it was a temporary thing and I would get a "proper" job when I graduated.

I think I'm just one of the people who hates work and of course if I won the lottery I would never work again. We are all asked "why do you want this job?" in the application and at interview stage and if we ever answered honestly "because society expects me to go to work to earn the money to pay for my existence" then we won't get the job.

adamp87

I feel you can find similar sentiments as the Topic Title about previous generations if you look hard enough.. it’s nothing new.

In a more direct answer though I suppose the current young adult population grew up with a different type of media/pop culture which has a huge focus on living your dreams, consumerism & such.

Not to mention education with a sole focus/priority on getting people to University to get a fantastic job, property..: etc.

Inevitably this isn’t happening now, degrees are being valued less, the property market is insane, and the older generation have most of the wealth & the way the system is set up seems to be making it much more difficult for younger people.

Thrugelmir

eamon said:

In the 1980's it was a great choice in purely cash terms. At the same time, before and since many UK firms couldn't wait to export the production and the jobs.

The world started to open up. Japanese management style was a transformation, along with their industrial know how. The UK was slow to develop. As others did it cheaper and quicker. 

thegentleway

ushjr said:

thegentleway said:

ushjr said:

thegentleway said:

In general, I think people are unhappy because they expect things (like work) to make them happy. But you only experience fleeting happiness this way. People run around searching for happiness. If you're lucky, you'll get some success, experience some happiness but it soon fades and you're off chasing the next thing that you think will make you happy... I was stuck on this hamster wheel as well. A couple of things to consider:

1. You might want to try flipping it around and look for ways to suffer less. All your suffering is in your mind and there are very useful methods like meditation for exploring your mind. Don't expect any quick fixes. Much like physical fitness, training your mind takes time. It's well worth it though, everything you experience is through your mind (not just suffering/unhappiness) so even a small improvement has great positive effect on your quality of life.
2. You might want to consider alternatives to searching for happiness extrinsically. Turns out lots of very wise people before us have thought about these things in great depth and been kind enough to share their wisdom. e.g. "a guide to the good life: the ancient art of stoic joy" by William Braxton Irvine. 

I tried to treat work simply as a source of income and do things I enjoyed outside of work. The dread of going into work always took over though. 

That’s an interesting way to interpret what I was trying to say...
Meaningful work is great for wellbeing but it’s your job to give it meaning. What’s so dreadful about your work apart from your attitude towards it?

I didn't really fit in there and it was never clear what exactly my job was. The pace of work was far too slow and I had no defined set of tasks to do whatsoever. I kept myself occupied the first few years by proactively finding things to do but there was always that fear of running out of work. The business kept restructuring and I ended up in a department where I often had to turn work away because it wasn't what our department did whilst having hardly anything to do at the same time. I got so used to turning up to the office just to twiddle my thumbs all day I started to question what I was good at exactly and whether I'd be able to handle a job where I'd have to actually work so I was too scarred to leave.

Did you look where you could add value? 

jamesmorgan

I thnk the reasons are complex.  One factor could be that milleniums are more ambitious in chasing the money.  High salaries tend to get paid for one of 2 reasons: 

a) There is a skills shortage (rare in the current global economy)

b) There are negative aspects to the job which need compensating for by higher salaries.  Negative factors typically include stress, high time commitments, budget constraints etc. A good example are GPs - many of my old uni colleagues work in this field.  Most only continue working in this area long enough to be able to afford to retire.

If you chase the money, you often end up in jobs in the second category.  You may increase your income but not your job satisfaction.  I recognise this with my own career - the roles that I enjoyed the most were entry level.  As I entered management (and certainly executive level management) job satisfaction reduced.
I was lucky that I managed to earn enough to retire (very) early.  However, many milleniums are faced with doing a job that they don't particularly enjoy well into their 60's (if not 70's).  This exacerbates the feeling of dissatifaction with their work.