ICYMI – June 19, 2013
If you are like me you try to read as many articles, blogs and books as possible but just cannot catch all of them. “In Case You Missed It” is my way of pointing out a few “reads” that I think are too good to miss.
Naming the Next Generation Q&A: Neil Howe
On June 26th Ypulse will be Naming the Next Generation.* Neil Howe, author, historian and generational guru, will be joining us in our quest to find a name for post-Millennials that fits their unique generational experience. Neil has been a pioneer in generational theory, writing nine books on American generations. Along with William Strauss, he first coined the term “Millennials,” describing this generation with remarkable foresight as far back as 1991. We can think of no one better to help us to name the next generation, in fact, we wouldn’t have dreamed of trying without Neil’s help. Today Neil tells us about why we need to move away from the term “Gen Z,” how post-Millennials will be the oldest group to not recall a time before the Great Recession, and how this generation could be like Millennials … on steroids.
A Nation of Kids on Speed – Pieter Cohen and Nicolas Rasmussen
Walk into any American high school and nearly one in five boys in the hallways will have a diagnosis of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder. According to the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention, 11% of all American children ages 4 to 17—over six million—have ADHD, a 16% increase since 2007. When you consider that in Britain roughly 3% of children have been similarly diagnosed, the figure is even more startling. Now comes worse news: In the U.S., being told that you have ADHD—and thus receiving some variety of amphetamine to treat it—has become more likely.
Last month, the American Psychiatric Association released the fifth edition of its Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders—the bible of mental health—and this latest version, known as DSM-5, outlines a new diagnostic paradigm for attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder. Symptoms of ADHD remain the same in the new edition: “overlooks details,” “has difficulty remaining focused during lengthy reading,” “often fidgets with or taps hands” and so on. The difference is that in the previous version of the manual, the first symptoms of ADHD needed to be evident by age 7 for a diagnosis to be made. In DSM-5, if the symptoms turn up anytime before age 12, the ADHD diagnosis can be made.
Teens find it hard to find summer work as they compete with older generations for jobs – Catherine Pritchard
Kandy Cox put her 16-year-old daughter on notice: Find a job to help pay for car insurance or quit driving.
So Mikayla Cox started applying.
And applying. And applying some more.
Six months in, she hit her mother’s deadline and hadn’t heard from a single employer. Her mother gave her another month.
With unemployment still high, it’s a tough environment for all job seekers, including teenagers looking for part-time jobs to earn needed spending money.
“Teens are currently in a situation where they’re competing with three or four generations for the same jobs,” said Edith Edmond, manager of the Cumberland County office of the N.C. Division of Employment Security.
Besides their own peers, that competition includes college students, people who are their parents’ age and, in many cases, seniors who may be their grandparents’ age.
“So it’s tough,” Edmond said.
It can be tougher in the summer, when school lets out, as more teens look for work. At the same time, there may be additional opportunities, and the teens have more flexible work schedules when they’re off from school.
Lisa Powell, who runs six McDonald’s restaurants in Fayetteville, said there are “always” employment opportunities for teens at the stores.
“We’re always hiring,” she said. And the chain welcomes teen workers.
“Work experience isn’t necessary,” she said. “We’re a lot of students’ first jobs.”
Still, applicants of all ages and experience levels outnumber available jobs by more than 10 times, Powell said. Each week, Powell said, she receives more than 100 applications but can hire only 10 to 12 people. Up against those odds, teens need to be careful and effective in their applications – and lucky. Incomplete applications don’t get looked at. References, which for teens can include a teacher, a pastor or a neighbor, have to be reachable.
