Is Gen Y too needy?

There’s no doubt that Gen Y is driven by affirmation. It isn’t enough that in school we get comments and grades on all of our papers, but teachers had to find extra ways to make us stand out. When I was in third grade my class did a monthly recognition award – and everyone got an award – not just the superstars. I think one year I got an award for ‘Best Question Asker’ – not exactly reward worthy.

So what does Gen Y do when the affirmation stops? When you get into a career in the midst of a recession with a tough manager who doesn’t fawn and beam at every project you do as if it were a Pulitzer Prize winning novel? When you don’t get a paper back that says ‘A’ on the top with positive comments and constructive criticism outlining the margin, encouraging you to work even harder. When, no matter how hard you think you’re working, because of this economy, there’s just no sign of a promotion anywhere out there.

This isn’t my first post about this subject. I think the reason I’m re-visiting this topic is because I’m approaching my one-year anniversary in my current position – I’ve always been an overachiever, and in my head, one year is the standard amount of time one should work a position before receiving some sort of promotion (so naturally I thought it would take me far less time!). I don’t want to blame it on the recession, but these days who doesn’t blame everything on the recession?

So what is the typical amount of time one works a first job before they are promoted? Do you think the economy has affected that time frame? Do you Gen Y-ers think lack of affirmation affects your motivation or caliber of work? Please share your feedback!