Gen Y Driven by Affirmation?

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Generation Y. We’re an interesting breed, no doubt, and we’re used to getting recognized…whether or not we deserve it.

When I was little I played softball for seven years — and I have seven trophies to show for it. Was I particularly good at softball? Absolutely not. But did I get a trophy every year? You betcha.

Fast forward to college. I worked as a student fundraiser for the University of Oregon. We were all students, and we were all Generation Y-ers. We had a day where our supervisors gave awards to boost our morale — and oh yes, everyone got an award.

So how does that shape me, a 22 year old recent grad entering the job market? I’ve been getting praise and recognition ever since I could pick up a baseball bat and I’ve always managed to get noticed. I’ve always managed to work a little harder, make myself stand out in some way so that in the end, I get a proverbial pat on the back.

It’s always been about school or work for me. That’s where I’ve always gotten my affirmation, so that’s always been where I’ve worked hard. If I worked hard on a paper and I got an A, that was all the affirmation I needed.

So now school is done. Grades are over, and no one is handing me a shiny trophy of a girl playing baseball. I spend a couple of hours on a cover letter and no one writes back to offer me the Pulitzer Prize for such a phenomenal piece of work (along with a job, of course). Lately I’ve been noticing that I’m putting the majority of my time into going to the gym — I can feel myself improving and get compliments about how hard I’ve been working.

I always thought I was a really academic person and a really hard worker. I still do, but I’m starting to wonder where my motives are coming from. Is the reason I worked hard in school because I got affirmation for my work? If I take a job where I get no feedback will I ultimately fail? Am I categorizing myself into the Gen Y stereotype so much that I’m over analyzing? Ok, maybe a little, but this whole “transitional” period between school and work makes you think. I guess, in the end, our actions speak louder than words, and we’ll just have to see where I float off to in life.