What's up with kids these days?

[chemgirl]

Yes another millennial thread. Which is funny because I am technically a millennial.

The summer students started today. One showed up while the receptionist was on the phone with a customer. The receptionist acknowledged her and asked if she could take a seat. Girl proceeds to ring the bell on the front desk and then walks in to the main office area to find someone else to help her.

Ok not a great start.

Then she tells everyone she meets that she's going to be a doctor "Oh I'm a summer student not full time, I'm going to be a doctor!" Eventually someone asks about her plans for medical school and specialty etc. She goes on about how she is going to be a surgeon, but she doesn't want to go to medical school so she's currently looking for a work around. Um ok...

My engineering student told her it's illegal to practice medicine without a license and you need to go to have a medical degree/pass exams to get a license. Liking this guy.

There was this overwhelming vibe that she thought she was better than us.

She's in her final year of a bachelor's degree in biology.

Reality is going to hit her hard.

Is this normal now?

 

[Karl_K]

no its not the new normal.
There always have been people with no sense regardless of education.

 

[asscherisme]

I have a son that age, and thankfully no that's not the new normal. There have always been and will always be entitled people with a sense of superiority and lack of reality.

 

[YadaYadaYada]

Special snowflakes, every generation has them. Dare I say that some of the 80's kids could be especially superior. It was the decade of excess after all.

So I wouldn't blame the millennials, they are just following the blueprint of prior generations.

 

[chemgirl]

Ok relieved to know.

She sounded delusional and we were all wondering how this could happen.

Now wondering why HR thought she would be a good fit.

 

[bmfang]

Sounds like too much of a try-hard. When reality hits her, for the rest of us it will be fun watching with popcorn while for her, it'll be a very rude awakening.

 

[Queenie60]

Sounds as though she is quite insecure and lacks social skills.

 

[canuk-gal]

HI:

I say: support support support.
I say: encourage encourage encourage.
I say: don't steal the joy. Her joy. Joy.

Because people from all disciplines make a team. And, of course, it isn't personal.

But most importantly, workplaces have no place for gossip. While it happens, don't provide a forum for it. Don't encourage it. Please, don't.

cheers--Sharon

 

[KaeKae]

My guess is some one in her life, very possibly a much older friend or family member, has told her how he or she didn't need a degree to be an X , but was able to get there through hard work and slowly rising through the ranks. What that person needs to do next is explain that it's now next to impossible to do that for most professional occupations, and completely impossible for a medical doctor.

 

[chemgirl]

HI:

I say: support support support.
I say: encourage encourage encourage.
I say: don't steal the joy. Her joy. Joy.

Because people from all disciplines make a team. And, of course, it isn't personal.

But most importantly, workplaces have no place for gossip. While it happens, don't provide a forum for it. Don't encourage it. Please, don't.

cheers--Sharon

The gossip was pretty minimal. I'm posting here instead!

Our office is arranged with reception out front opening in to a large area with cubicles and then the offices are on the perimeter. We have an open door policy and my office is close to the front reception and payroll areas so I could hear all of it.

I went out to say hi to the students and pick mine up. The extent of the gossip was a few moments of eye contact with the other people in the room. Some bemused smiles and the vp mouthed wow and shook his head when she was walking away.

I've been hearing so much about entitlement and special snowflakism that I was wondering if this was the new normal.

 

[chemgirl]

I actually do feel bad for her. There has already been an HR meeting with her manager and it's only day one.

 

[madelise]

Look, if we can have an entertainer be the president of the United States, why can't we have a surgeon that didn't go to med school?

If anything, POTUS has told us there is no glass ceiling!

 

[OoohShiny]

If random people can just stroll past reception and into the main working area, time for a review of security?? Unless you're in an office in a block that has main security on the main entrance?

 

[chemgirl]

If random people can just stroll past reception and into the main working area, time for a review of security?? Unless you're in an office in a block that has main security on the main entrance?

we recently added a security door before reception. The receptionist was expecting students, saw this girl, buzzed her in, and asked her to take a seat.

We're in an industrial area and it's the norm to have a front desk with relatively easy access to the rest of the office.

 

[tyty333]

I wonder if someone gave her a pep-talk to be a go-getter, show initiative, and dont let anything hold you back including
the front receptionist!

 

[Tekate]

No, my son's are millenials and they never once acted like this girl.. I can only say that perhaps she is mentally ill, over parented, or a sociopath. Most millenials I know are lovely young people.

 

[whitewave]

She sounds like my sister who has bipolar disorder.

 

[kenny]

Look, if we can have an entertainer be the president of the United States, why can't we have a surgeon that didn't go to med school?

If anything, POTUS has told us there is no glass ceiling!

... because surgeons can't get elected by stupid voters.

 

[Puppmom]

DH's parents gushed over him and his sister and how smart they are so much that his sister was literally flabbergasted when she got to college and encountered REALLY smart students. She really struggled to keep up - not because she isn't smart. She just wasn't prepared for the level of difficulty. His parents convinced them they were exceptional. DH never cared bc he always just wanted to play music but it really affected his sister. It has affected DH in that his confidence always came from external sources. It's certainly an adjustment to learn how to feel good about yourself without constant head pats.

Sounds like Mom and dad have this girl convinced she's something special. I think confidence should exceed ability by just a little bit. When the disparity is too wide you have someone disconnected from reality.

 

[House Cat]

She sounds like my sister who has bipolar disorder.

 

[whitewave]

@House Cat, she refuses to be medicated and has been stuck on a manic for two decades and no one has ever committed her for treatment.

My sister is a worst case scenario and it took me a long time to accept that I can't do anything about it. I didn't mean it as a flip comment, though I can see how it came across that way. My apologies.

 

[House Cat]

@House Cat, she refuses to be medicated and has been stuck on a manic for two decades and no one has ever committed her for treatment.

My sister is a worst case scenario and it took me a long time to accept that I can't do anything about it. I didn't mean it as a flip comment, though I can see how it came across that way. My apologies.

Hugs @whitewave . That sounds like a very painful ordeal for you to live through.

Please, don't apologize. It was early in the morning and my coffee hadn't sufficiently raised my defenses!

 

[ame]

I think there's some magical stupid juice that came around for the kids born after around like 1986. My brother has a small shred of it, but he's not had too much "handed to him," besides being the goddamn golden child (bitterness perking up!) He's worked pretty damn hard in school and out of school to maintain his grades and scholarship in engineering school, and graduated with honors from a damn hard school, and has a pretty impressive LEED certification, the highest available, and one of the few with that, the only one in his company with it. He's given up a lot to do things for his company and it's paid off. But others I've met in his social circle, their siblings, just other's younger than him--kids I meet at my work that we're working with...I don't know if I can explain the level of laziness and entitlement...It.is.mindblowing. No one wants to f'cking work anymore. They really do expect to just show up and get a prize and a paycheck. Who wouldn't want to lay on the couch and magically get paid for doing that? But unfortunately, it doesn't work like that, and ask technology advances, automation is going to eliminate all of our jobs. So get what you can now.

 

[Bonfire]

How can you be in your final year as a biology undergrad and not have a clear sense of the necessary education that it requires to be a surgeon?

 

[chemgirl]

How can you be in your final year as a biology undergrad and not have a clear sense of the necessary education that it requires to be a surgeon?

Exactly!!! That's why I'm confident she will never be one. She should be working on references, volunteer work, finishing up with MCAT. There is so much work involved with applying to medical school without getting in to the time commitment involved with completing the program and then specializing.

It just this massive thing that you would think she'd have looked in to at least a little bit...

 

[OreoRosies86]

Sounds like one kid on one day.