This document discusses generational characteristics and trends related to Millennials entering the workforce. It outlines key events and values of previous generations including Veterans, Baby Boomers, and Gen X for context. For Millennials, it notes they grew up with involved parenting, a focus on self-esteem, experience with customer service expectations, and impact from gaming. Overall, Millennials are described as civic-minded, optimistic, and bringing technology and teamwork skills to the workforce.

1. The Millennial Generation:
From the Classroom to the
Workforce, What Can We Expect
Terri Manning
Bobbie Everett
Cheryl Roberts
A Study Funded by the Workforce Development Board

2. It May Take a Village to Raise a
Child, but it Takes a Society to
Raise a Generation
Economic Conditions
Societal Norms
Political Events
Major Crises

3. Each Generation
• Consists of approximately a 20-year span (not
all demographers and generation researchers
agree on the exact start/stop dates)
• Has a unique set of values
• Reacts to the generation before them
• Looks at their generation as the standard of
comparison
• Looks at the next generation skeptically “these
kids today…”
• Those born on the “cusp” may have a blended
set of characteristics
• They are either idealistic, reactive, civic or
adaptive

4. Two Responses to This Research
1. The Millennials are
spoiled rotten
brats whose
parents have given
them everything.
2. This generation is
extremely talented
and will bring
technology and
teamwork skills to
the workforce.

5. The Veterans (also known as the Silent
Generation or the Greatest Generation)
1925–1942 (adaptive)
Core Values
Dedication
Hard Work
Conformity
Law and Order
Patience
Delayed Reward
Duty before Pleasure
Adherence to Rules
Honor

6. The Veterans
• Children of the Great Depression and WWII,
this generation decided not to attack the
institutions created by the generation before
them, but instead, as global thinkers, they
chose to focus on improving and refining
them so that they could be good for
everyone, not just a select few.
• The overall goal was not to change the
system, but to work within it.
• While economically very successful, they
were also the inventors of "the midlife crises"
probably because they didn't get a chance to
enjoy the freedoms of their youth.

7. The Veterans
Important Events
• Lindbergh Completes
First Transatlantic Flight
• Stock Market Crash
• Depression
• The New Deal
• Social Security
• Pearl Harbor
• The End of WWII
• FDR Dies
• Korean War

8. Cultural Memorabilia for the
Veterans
• Kewpie Dolls
• Mickey Mouse
• Flash Gordon
• Radio
• Wheaties
• Tarzan
• Jukeboxes
• Blondie
• The Lone Ranger
• The McCarthy Era

9. The Veteran Generation
Childhood
• Raised by the GI Generation (civic)
• Large families (3-5 children)
• Strong sense of extended family (same town
or home)
• Grandparents in the home
• Average 10-year-old spent 4-6 hours daily
with a significant adult role model
• Rural society
• Apprenticeship businesses and farming
• Perception of the world as “safe”

10. The Baby Boomers 1943–1964
(the largest generation, idealist)
Core Values
Optimism
Team Orientation
Personal Gratification
Health and Wellness
Personal Growth
Youth
Work
Involvement

11. Baby Boomers
Important Events
• Rosa Parks
• First Nuclear Power Plant
• The Civil Rights Act
• Cuban Missile Crisis
• John Glen Orbits the Earth
• Martin Luther King Leads March on Washington, D.C.
• President John F. Kennedy Assassination
• National Organization for Women Founded
• Martin Luther King Assassination
• Robert F. Kennedy Assassination
• Watergate
• Kent State Massacre
• Vietnam War

12. Cultural Memorabilia for Baby Boomers
• Television
• The Ed Sullivan Show
• Barbie Dolls
• Fallout Shelters
• Poodle Skirts
• Pop Beads
• Slinkies
• TV Dinners
• Hula Hoops
• The Peace Sign
• Laugh In

13. The Baby Boomer Childhood
• Divorce reached a low in 1960 of 9%
• Families moved due to GI Bill, GI housing and
industrialization
• First generation to live miles from extended
family
• Family size smaller (2-3 children)
• Few grandparents in the home
• Moms stayed home
• Dads carpooled
• Children spent significant time with adult role
models
• Perception of the world as “safe”

14. Baby-boomer Results
• Very idealistic - banned together and walked
through life with their fists held high
• Generation gap occurred between them and
their parents
• Captured phrases like “why be normal” and
“question authority”
• They weren’t friendly toward authority figures
• Did not get along with their parents and swore
they would not raise their kids like they were
raised
• As adults - work an average of 55 hours per
week

15. A Changing Nation
75.1%
74.7%
80.3%
83.1%
87.5%
88.6%
89.5%
89.8%
89.8%
89.8%
88.9%
87.9%
12.3%
12.1%
12.1%
11.7%
11.1%
10.5%
10.0%
9.8%
9.7%
9.9%
10.7%
11.6%
13.2%
12.6%
7.6%5.2%
1.4%0.9%0.5%0.4%0.5%0.4%0.4%0.5%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
190
0
19
1
0
192
0
193
0
1
94
0
195
0
196
0
19
7
0
19
8
0
19
9
0
2
00
0
200
5
White
African American
Other Minority

16. The Gen Xers 1965–1982
A Lost Generation… A Nomadic Generation…..
Half the Size of the Baby Boom (reactive)
Core Values
Dedication
Hard Work
Conformity
Law and Order
Patience
Delayed reward
Duty before pleasure
Adherence to rules
Honor

17. Gen X
Important Events
• Women’s Liberation Protests
• Watergate Scandal
• Energy Crisis begins
• Tandy and Apple Market PCs
• Mass Suicide in Jonestown
• Three Mile Island
• US Corporations begin Massive Layoffs
• Iran Hostage Crisis
• John Lennon Shot and Killed
• Ronald Reagan Inaugurated
• Challenger Disaster
• Exxon Valdez Oil Tanker Spill

18. Cultural Memorabilia for Gen X
• The Brady Bunch
• Pet Rocks
• Platform Shoes
• The Simpsons
• Evening Soaps (Dallas and
Dynasty)
• ET
• Cabbage Patch Dolls
• Super-hero Cartoons on TV
(He-man)

19. Generation X
• This is the conscientious, extremely
pragmatic, self-sufficient generation that
has a ruthless focus on the bottom-line.
• Born and raised at a time when children
were at the bottom of our social priorities,
Gen Xers learned that they could only
count on one thing - themselves. As a
result, they are very "me" oriented.
• They are not active voters, nor are they
deeply involved in politics in general.

20. The Gen X Childhood
• Divorce reached an all-time high
• Single-parent families became the norm
• Latch-key kids were a major issue of the time
• Children not as valued – looked at as a hardship
• Families spread out (miles apart)
• Family size = 1.7 children (many only-children)
• Perception of the world as “unsafe”
• Average 10 year old spent 14 ½ minutes a day
with a significant adult role model
• Parents looked around and said – we need to do
this better

21. Generation Next (civic)

22. The Echo Boom/Millennials…
 The Millennials are almost as large as the baby boom-some say
larger - depending on how you measure them (approx. 81M).
 The Millennials are the children born between 1982 and 2002
(peaked in 1990), a cohort called by various names:
Generation Y Echo Boom
Net GenerationMillennials

23. Millennials
• This generation is civic-minded, much like the
previous GI Generation.
• They are collectively optimistic, long-term
planners, high achievers with lower rates of
violent crime, teen pregnancy, smoking and
alcohol use than ever before.
• This generation believes that they have the
potential to be great and they probably do.
We are looking to them to provide us with a
new definition of citizenship.

24. The Millennial Childhood
• The most monumental financial boom in
history.
• Steady income growth through the
1990’s.
• Still great disparity between races.
• Saw their parents lose all their stocks
and mutual funds (college funds) during
the early 2000’s.

25. Mean Income History for
a Family of Four by Race
$30,000
$40,000
$50,000
$60,000
$70,000
$80,000
$90,000
1
9
88
1
9
89
1
990
1
9
91
1
992
1
9
93
1
994
1
9
95
1
9
96
1
9
97
1
9
98
1
9
99
2
0
00
2
0
01
2
0
02
2
0
03
Black
White
Hispanic

26. Demographic Trends
 The Baby Boomers chose to become older
parents in the 1980s while Gen X moms
reverted back to the earlier birth-age norm,
which meant that two generations were having
babies.
 In 1989, 29 percent of the 4.4 million live births
were to women aged 30 and older.
 Millennials have older largely Baby Boomer
parents: Average age of mothers at birth at an
all time high of 27 in 1997.

27. Demographic Trends, cont.
 Smaller families: Only children
will comprise about 10% of
the population.
 More parental education: 1 in 4 has at least
one parent with a college degree.
 Kids born in the late ‘90s are the first in
American history whose mothers are better
educated than their fathers by a small margin.

28. Demographic Trends – Changing
Diversity  Increase in Latino immigration -
Latino women tend to have a
higher fertility rates than non-Latino
women.
 Nearly 35% of Millennials are
nonwhite or Latino.
 Twenty percent of this generation
has at least one parent who is an
immigrant.
 Millennials have become the most
racially and ethnically diverse
generation in US History.

29. Safety Issues
The Safest Generation
• This generation was buckled up in
car seats, wore bike helmets,
elbow and knee pads when skating, and were the
inspiration for “Baby on Board” signs.
The Well-Being of U.S. Teens
• Mortality Rate for US teens aged 15–19 declined from
1960 to 1997.
-Teens are having fewer accidents than Boomers

30. General Health Conditions
(Children under 18, rates per 1,000)
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
1984 1987 1990 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996
Asthma
Tonsils/Adenoids
Deformities
Speech
Hearing
Visual
Heart Disease
Epilepsy
http://aspe.hhs.gov/hsp/99trends/hc-2-healthcond.pdf, Department of Health and
Human Services

31. Doses of Methylphenidate (Ritalin)
in Millions
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
140
160
180
200
1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993
United States
Other
US Department of Justice, DEA, http://www.methylphenidate.net/

32. Overweight Children and
Adolescents
10
12
14
16
18
20
22
24
60's 1971-74 1976-80 1988-91 2003-4
males 6-11
females 6-11
males 12-17
females 12-17
http://aspe.hhs.gov/hsp/99trends/hc-2-healthcond.pdf, Department of Health and
Human Services

33. Major Influencing
Factors
1. Their parents
2. The self-esteem movement
3. The customer service movement
4. Gaming and technology
5. Casual communication

34. Parenting Millennials
• This generation is being parented by well-
educated, over-involved adults who
participate in “deliberate
parenting.” They have
outcomes in mind.
• Boomers were the first
generation to be thrown
out in to an unsafe world
as adolescents.
• The 60’s and 70’s were very scary and many
of us felt unprepared for it.
• We were naïve and didn’t have enough tools
in our tool box to deal with it.

35. Baby Boomers as Parents
• Boomers rebelled against the parenting
practices of their parents.
• Strict discipline was the order
of the day for boomers.
• They made conscious decisions
not to say “because I told you
so” or “because I’m the parent
and you’re the child.”
• Boomers became more
“friendly” with their children. They
wanted to have open lines of communication
and a relationship with them.

36. Baby Boomers as Parents
• They explained things to their children, (actions,
consequences, options, etc.) – they wanted them to
learn to make informed decisions.
• They allowed their children to have input into family
decisions, educational options and
discipline issues.
• We told them “just because it is on
television doesn’t mean it’s true” or
“you can’t believe everything you
read.”
• We wanted them to question
authority.

37. The Result
• Millennials have become
“a master set of
negotiators” who are
capable of rational thought
and decision-making skills at
young ages.
• They will negotiate with anyone
including their parents, teachers
and school administrators.
• Some call this “arguing.”

38. CPCC Sociology Instructor
• “More and more students challenge me
and the material. They either see it as
opinion, and nothing else, or they see it as
… propaganda.”

39. Helicopter Parents
• Helicopter Parent (n) A
parent who hovers over his
or her children.
• Or Snowplow parent: Parents who clear
the way for their children
• ……these (echo) boomers are confident,
achievement-oriented and used to hovering
"helicopter" parents keeping tabs on their
every move. (Anthony DeBarros, "New baby
boom swamps colleges," USA Today,
January 2, 2003)

40. Helicopter Parent go to
College
• A new generation of over-involved
parents are flooding campus
orientations, meddling in registration
and interfering with students' dealings
with professors, administrators and roommates,
school officials say.
• Some of these hovering parents, whose numbers
have been rising for several years, are unwittingly
undermining their children's chances of success,
campus administrators say. Now, universities and
colleges are moving rapidly to build or expand
programs aimed at helping parents strike a better
balance.
Colleges Ward Off Overinvolved Parents By Sue Shellenbarger
From The Wall Street Journal Online

41. Baby Boomer Parents have been
their Biggest Cheerleaders
• Millennials expect and
need praise.
• Will mistake silence for
disapproval.
• Millennials expect
feedback.

42. Parental Care in the Millennial Era
• Today’s typical family is spending more,
not less, time with kids.
• Smaller families mean
more time with each child.
• Fathers are spending more
time with children.
• Less housework is being done.
• There is a strong connection between the
social lives of parents and kids.
• They get along with their parents and
share their parents’ values.

43. Focus on Self-esteem
• This generation was the center of
the “self-esteem” movement.
• 9,068 books were written about
self-esteem and children during the
80s and 90s (there were 485 in the 70s).
• The state of California spent millions studying
the construct and published a document
entitled “Toward a State of Self-esteem.”
• Yet they can’t escape the angst of
adolescence – they still feel disconnected,
question their existence, purpose and the
meaning of life. They want to feel valued and
cared about.

44. Focus on Customer Service
• Expect access (24/7)
• Expect things to work like
they are supposed to
• If they don’t “that is your
problem”
• They want what they have paid for
• Everything comes with a toll-free
number or web address
• Want “Gateway Go Back”
in classes

45. Add the Impact of Gaming
• Gaming has impacted children
– The game endings changed based
on the decisions children
made (Role
Playing Games [Legend of
Zelda, Final Fantasy,
Chronotrigger]) impacting
locus of control.
– Involves a complex set of decision-
making skills.
– Teaches them to take multiple
pieces of data and make
decisions quickly.
– Learning more closely resembles
Nintendo, a trial and error approach to
solving problems.

46. We navigated our way through…..

47. They navigated their way through…..

48. Technology
• This generation has been plugged in since
they were babies.
• They grew up with educational software and
computer games.
• They think technology should be free.
• They want and expect
services 24/7.
• They do not live in an
8–5 world.
• They function in an
international world.

49. Millennials Want to Learn
With technology
With each other
Online
In their time
In their place
Doing things that
matter (most
important)
Source: Achievement and the 21st
Century Learner.

50. Technology In School
• Students are increasingly savvy when
it comes to technology.
• In general, students expect faculty to
incorporate technology into their
teaching and be proficient at it.
• At the very least, communication via e-mail,
access to online resources, PowerPoint
presentations, Internet activities, discussion
boards and electronic classrooms are
expected.
• Faculty will need to balance the use of
technology with their own philosophies of
teaching.

51. Technology Use
• Children under 6 years
– 48% have used a computer
– 27% (4-6 year-olds) use a computer daily
– 39% use a computer several times a week
– 30% have played computer games
• Teens
– 100% use the internet to seek information
– 94% use the internet for school research
– 41% use email and IM to contact teachers and
schoolmates about school work
– 81% email friends and relatives
– 70% use IM to keep in touch
– 56% prefer the internet to the telephone

52. By age 21…..
• It is estimated that the
average child will have:
– Spent 10,000 hours playing video games
– Sent 200,000 emails
– Spent 20,000 hours watching TV
– Spent 10,000 hours on their cell phone
– Spent under 5,000 hours reading
• But these are issues of income. Will a child
who grows up in a low income household
have these same experiences?

53. The “Information Age” Mindset
• Students have never known life without the
computer. It is an assumed part of life.
• The Internet is a source of research,
interactivity, and socializing (they prefer it over
TV).
• Doing is more important than
knowing.
• There is zero tolerance for
delays.
• The infrastructure and the
lecture tradition of colleges
may not meet the expectations
of students raised on the Internet and
interactive games.

54. Cell Phone Technology
• They all have cell phones and expect
to be in contact 24/7.
• Not a phone – a lifestyle management tool
• Staying “connected” is essential.
• Communication is a safety issue for
parents.
• Communication has become
casual for students (IM, email and
cell phones.

55. What About 1st Generation
Students?
• Not all students will be proficient; first-generation and
students from low income or working class families may
have less experience.
• Their experience with technology has been in arcades
and minimally in school (poorer districts.)
• They have not had the exposure to educational uses of
technology.
• We need another placement test – remedial keyboarding
and technology.
• Huge digital divide between the “haves” and the “have
nots” based on income levels (class).
• Digital divide is appearing in pre-K.

56. Take a Look at a Large
Urban K-12 School District
2005-2006
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools in Charlotte, NC
District = 129,011 Students - High School Students =36,420
Number in Population Percent in Population
White 46,316 39.3%
African American 50,646 43.0%
Hispanic* 12,638 10.7%
Asian* 4,976 4.2%
Native American* 663 0.6%
Multi-racial/other 2,566 2.2%

57. Percent At or Above Grade Level
Subject
Areas White
African
American
Hispanic/
Latino
Native
America
Algebra I
(n=9,260) 88.10% 58% 63.50% 68.30%
Geometry
(n=7,699) 79.80% 36% 51.50% 46.20%
Algebra II
(n=6,888) 84.20% 54.50% 67.80% 50%
Biology
(n=7,606) 83.40% 42.50% 48.60% 43.20%
Chemistry
(n=5,781) 73.80% 39.60% 50.30% 43.50%
US History
(n=7,000) 78.6% 39.5% 52.0% 46.7%
English
(n=8,935) 94.4% 74.7% 66.1% 74.3%

58. Percent At or Above Grade Level
Subject Areas Low Income Limited English
Algebra I (n=9,260) 57.9% 55.0%
Geometry (n=7,699) 37.4% 41.3%
Algebra II (n=6,888) 57.2% 59.9%
Biology (n=7,606) 40.5% 29.1%
Chemistry (n=5,781) 40.6% 42.7%
US History (n=7,000) 39.1% 29.9%
English I (n=8,935) 69.4% 49.8%

59. K-8 End of Grade Tests in Reading/Literacy
Percent At or Above Grade Level
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
K
(re
ad
in
ess)
1
st
(rea
dine
ss)
2
nd
(rea
d
in
e
ss)
3
rd
(E
O
G
)
4
th
(E
O
G
)
5
th
(E
O
G
)
6
th
(E
O
G
)
7
th
(E
O
G
)
8
th
(E
O
G
)
White
African Americans
Hispanic/Latino
Native American

60. K-8 End of Grade Tests in Math
Percent At or Above Grade Level
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
K
(read
in
ess)
1
st
(readiness)
2
nd
(readiness)
3
rd
(EO
G
)
4
th
(EO
G
)
5
th
(EO
G
)
6
th
(EO
G
)
7
th
(EO
G
)
8
th
(EO
G
)
White
African Americans
Hispanic/Latino
Native American

61. Once in College
• Many of our students have had little
academic success in the past.
• They have been functioning below grade
level since early elementary school.
• Computer skills are also lower.
• They come to college and we test them using
a computer.
• They test into remedial courses but don’t take
them.
• They enroll in courses they aren’t prepared
for.
• They also take distance ed classes (require
more motivation and discipline).

62. Of the 5,694 New Program-declared
Students at CPCC in Fall 2004….
..who took math placement tests Number Percent
Placed into college-level
math 548 9.6%
Placed into remedial math
but didn't take recommended
course that semester 4,748 83.4%
Took the remedial course
they placed into that first
semester 398 7.0%

63. Is It Different by Race?
Math
Placements White
Afr.
Amer.
Hisp./
Latino Asian
Nat.
Amer. Other
Tested to
College Level 14.1% 7.7% 18.6% 19.4% 14.3% 23.9%
Didn't Take
Placed Course 78.0% 83.1% 72.3% 73.1% 78.6% 70.9%
Took Placed
Course 7.9% 9.2% 9.1% 7.4% 7.1% 5.2%

64. In School
• They need to understand why
they are doing what they are
doing – objectives of classroom
activities and projects.
• They want to have input into their
educational processes.
• They want to be involved in meaningful
activities, not mundane work.
• They think it is cool to be smart.
• They will respond well to programs like “learning
communities and service learning.”

65. Millennial Expectations
• Clear expectations, explicit syllabi, and
well structured assignments.
• They expect detailed instructions and
guidelines for completing assignments.
• They have come from K-12 systems
where students are actively involved in
learning and classroom activities
change often.
• Teachers are helpers and facilitators of
learning.

66. Satisfaction with Online Courses
63%
55%
38%
26%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
Veterans Boomers Gen X Millennials
Source: Educause

67. CPCC Students: How satisfied were you with the
technical capabilities of the online course?
61.3
3.61
76.9
3.76
72.8
3.8
80.6
4.06
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
Millennials Gen X Baby
Boomers
Veterans
% satisfied
Mean by Group

68. CPCC Students: How satisfied are you with the
format in which the online course was offered?
60.3
3.55
68.6
3.76
71.8
3.77
75.8
3.94
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
Millennials Gen X Baby
Boomers
Veterans
% satisfied
Mean by Group

69. Attitudes ……..
TV Generation
“Boomers”
PC Generation
“Gen X”
Net Generation
“Millennials”
Web What is it? Web is a tool Web is oxygen
Community Personal Extended
Personal
Virtual
Perspective Local Multi-national Global
Career One career Multiple
careers
Multiple
reinventions
Loyalty Corporation Self Soul
Authority Hierarchy Unimpressed Self as expert

70. Issues for Schools, Colleges and
Universities in an Information Age
• Plagiarism (consumer/creator blurring)
• Cheating (must define it)
• Cell Phone Policies
• Typing vs. Handwriting
From: The Information Age Mindset: Changes in Students and Implications for
Higher Education. By Jason L. Frand. Educause. Sep/Oct 2000.

71. How are Millennials doing in
school?
• Teachers report that students are
doing better academically.
• The largest gains have been in math
and science for ages 9 and 13.
• Verbal skills show less clear
trends.
• Millennials have corrected a late 80s
decline in writing proficiency.
• Reading scores show modest
gains through the 90s.

72. SAT Scores – a Twenty Year
Reversal
508
514
503
508
507
504
506
505505505505505
504
499500500
499
500
504
505
507
509
509
504
503
518
520
518
494
497
500500
501
501
500
501
502
501
503
504
506
508
511 511
512
514
516
519
490
495
500
505
510
515
520
19
83
19
84
19
85
19
86
19
87
19
88
19
89
19
90
19
91
19
92
19
93
19
94
19
95
19
96
19
97
19
98
19
99
20
00
20
01
20
02
20
03
20
04
20
05
20
06
Verbal
Math
Millennials Taking SAT
Highest SAT Scores in 35 Years

73. SAT 2006 College-bound Seniors
by Gender and Test Component
0.00%
2.00%
4.00%
6.00%
8.00%
10.00%
12.00%
14.00%
16.00%
18.00%
20.00%
200-
250
250-
299
300-
349
350-
399
400-
449
450-
499
501-
549
550-
599
600-
649
650-
699
700-
749
750-
800
Female Reading
Female Math
Female Writing
Male Reading
Male Math
Male Writing
22.1% scored over 600 on any of the three areas, 16.2% scored
below 400 on any of the three areas.

74. Mean SAT Scores by Race - 2006
526
520 525
437
423 435
453
448
452
509
562
518
485
478 480
494
497
498
400
420
440
460
480
500
520
540
560
580
W
hite
A
frican
A
m
erican
H
isp
an
ic/Latino
A
sian
N
ative
A
m
erican
O
ther
Reading
Math
Writing

75. What Do Businesses and Colleges/
Universities Need to Know about
Today’s College Students and
Graduates
Here Come the Girls

76. College Full-time Enrollments
in Millions
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
2000
2002
2004
2006
2008
2010
2012
2014
2016
2018
2020
freshmen girls
Sophomore girls
junior girls
senior girls
freshmen boys
sophomore boys
junior boys
senior boys
First Millennial College Graduates Spring 2004 --- Peak Enrollment 2010.
Of the 5.8 million in college in 2010, 56% will be women.

77. Boys Issues in K-12
For Every 100 Girls Who…. Number of Boys
Enroll in Kindergarten 116
Enroll in Ninth Grade 101
Enroll in Twelfth Grade 98
Are Suspended from K-12 250
Are Expelled from K-12 335
Diagnosed with Learning
Disability
276
Enroll in the gifted and talented
program
94
The Boys Project. http://www.boysproject.net/statistics.html

78. Boys and Their Educational
Choices
For Every 100 Girls Who…. Number of Boys
Graduate from High School 96
Enroll in College 77
Earn an Associates Degree 67
Earn a Bachelors Degree 73
Earn a Masters Degree 62
Earn a Doctorate 92
The Boys Project. http://www.boysproject.net/statistics.html

79. First Time Freshman Enrollments by Gender
– 50 Years (numbers in thousands)
0
200
400
600
800
1000
1200
1400
1600
1
9
5
5
1
9
6
0
19
6
5
1
9
7
0
1
9
7
5
1
9
8
0
1
9
8
5
19
9
0
1
9
9
5
2
0
0
0
2
0
0
4
Males
Females
(45.2%)
(54.8%)

80. College Graduation Projections (numbers in
thousands) (61% of degrees will go to
women)
250
350
450
550
650
750
850
950
1050
20
05-6
20
06-7
20
07-8
20
08-9
20
09-1
0
20
10-1
1
20
11-1
2
20
12-13
20
13-14
Assoc. Degree Male
Assoc. Degree Female
Bach. Degree Male
Bach. Degree Female (37.4%)
(62.6%)
(40%)
(60%)

81. Ambitions  Most popular college
majors:
• Medicine
• Education/teaching
• Business and marketing
• Engineering
• Law and politics
• Computer
science
 Most sought after qualities in
careers:
• Responsibility
• Independence
• Creativity
• Idealistic and
committed co-workers
 Most common job trends :
• Multi-taskers
• Change Careers
• Seek security & benefits
• Stay with company that
offers a challenge
Source: Industry Week, March, 1998.

82. Difference in Values
• They have witnessed their
baby boomer parents coming
home from stressed jobs,
exhausted, falling asleep at
the dinner table; and don’t
want that for themselves.
• They are a generation who is
interested in a life with value
and meaning – they do not
aspire to what the “boomers”
aspire to – they want
something different.

83. True Multi-taskers
• Millennials have lived programmed
lives and are already quite capable
of learning several jobs
simultaneously and performing
them admirably.
• Millennials will change careers
many times.
• Retooling and recycling their
skills and talents will become
common.
• To retain them, smart employers
will encourage Millennials to try out different careers
within the same company.

84. Need for Services
• It is estimated that 3 million Millennials have
been diagnosed with ADHD and have been
medication (80% are boys).
• Within student populations, the number with
disabilities has jumped from 3% to 9%.
– Many have had individual education plans.
– Many need testing services (quiet, separate).
– Need to self-advocate to teachers.
– Major transition from high school to college.

85. Break

86. 2004 Research Study
• Central Piedmont Community College’s
Center for Applied Research was
contracted to do this study by the
Workforce Development Board.
– Focus Groups were conducted.
– An Online Survey was administered.
– Data collected January–March 2004 from the
University of NC at Charlotte, Central
Piedmont Community College and Johnson C.
Smith University.

87. Characteristics They Look for in
Teachers
• At least 50% said:
– Enthusiastic about the course/teaching
– Are fun to be around
– Provide intellectual challenges
– Have flexible class policies
– Are sensitive to your needs/feelings
– Emphasize preparing for future career

88. Working in Teams
• How do you feel about working in teams?
– I like it 44.7%
– Have no feelings about it 25.9%
– I don’t like it 29.4%

89. Working in Teams
• In the classroom, do you do the
following? 1 = never
2 = rarely
3 = sometimes
4 = often
Mean (sd)
Are given “team grades” on working
with others 2.62 (.89)
Write papers/do projects with others 2.41 (.79)
Study/do research in teams 2.35 (.80)

90. What Will You Do
After Graduating?
• Immediately get a job 43%
• Continue my education 34%
• Take some time off 5%
• Marry/start a family 6%
• Not sure 13%

91. Career
Field
 How likely do you think it is that your first job
out of college will be in your career field?
– Somewhat Likely 37.4%
– Not Likely/Not Sure 20.5%
– Very Likely 39.4%

92. Worry
• Things they worry about frequently:
Future Plans
• Things they worry about occasionally:
Transitioning to Life After College
Finding a Job to Fulfill your Goals and
Aspirations
Money to Travel/for Hobbies
Life After College
Financial Debt

93. Worry
• Things they worry
about occasionally:
Home Ownership
Paying Monthly Bills
Finding a Job in Your Field
Relationships After College
• Things they don’t worry about at all:
Being Penalized for No Job Experience

94. Quality of Life?
Rank order of items that contribute
to a good quality of life
(% ranking item in top 3
on a scale of 1-8)
– Having a secure future for my family 71.5%
– Time to enjoy family/children 68.7%
– Having family/children 63.2%
– Having a great job 60.4%
– Having good friends 55.2%
– Having plenty of money 45.5%
– Having plenty of free time 40.2%

95. Your Generation in the Future
• Someday, your generation will be raising
kids, running corporations and occupying
high political office. When that day comes,
which areas of American life will be better,
the same or worse than today because of
your generation?
– 3 = better
– 2 = same
– 1 = worse

96. Areas they felt they would do better:
Technology
Race Relations
Areas they felt they would do about the
same:
Economy
Schools
Arts/Culture
Foreign Affairs
Areas they felt they
couldn’t improve on:
Government
Family Life
Religion
Crime/Public Order

97. Second Part of the Study
Feedback
from
Employers

98. Types of Companies
• Type
– For profit (14)
– Public (4)
– Not for profit (5)
– Private (11)
• Size
– < 50 employees (13)
– 51-100 employees (2)
– 101-500 employees (2)
– More than 500 employees (3)

99. What Students Told Us About
Their Career Expectations

100. Salary Expectations
• Realistically, what do you expect your starting
salary will be when you begin working?
Millennials
– $15-20K 7.7%
– $21-30K 29.3%
– $31-40K 27.0%
– $41-50K 15.9%
– $50K+ 7.0%
– Not sure 12.5%
Approximately 65% felt they would earn $40K or less

101. Importance of Career Components
• Elements thought to be very important
Respected on the Job
Opportunity for Professional Development
Ability to Have an Impact on the World

102. Importance of Career Components
• Items thought to be somewhat
important:
Access to Information and Expression of Personal
Opinion
Having High Job Prestige
Working with Inspiring Colleagues
Geographic Location of Job
Receive Guidance and Direction from Supervisor

103. Importance of Career Components
• Items thought to be somewhat important:
Participating in Company Decisions
Independence/Professional Autonomy
Using Creativity on the Job
Lots of Responsibility
Flexible Work Hours
Dress Code Appropriate to
Work Environment

104. Importance of Job Benefits
• Benefits thought to be very important
Health Insurance
Salary Growth
Plans like 401K
Life Insurance
Bonuses
Employer-paid Retirement
• Benefits thought to be unimportant
Stock Options
Profit Sharing

105. Jobs in Lifetime
• How many jobs do you
think you will hold in
your lifetime?
– 1-3 35.7%
– 4-6 41.5%
– 7-10 16.5%
– Over 10 6.2%
64% expect to have 4 or more jobs

106. Reasons US Workers Change Jobs
In 2006, 21% of US workers made voluntary
job changes for the following reasons:
1. Growth and earnings potential (30%)
2. Time and flexibility (23%)
3. Financial compensation (22%)
4. Culture and work environment (22%)
5. Benefits (12%)
6. Supervisor relationship (10%)
7. Travel and development (9%)
8. Management climate (9%)
Benefit News

107. Changing Workforce
• Workers are demanding the ability to balance their
work and personal responsibilities.
• Workers are not afraid of changing jobs.
• The idea that the best way to grow financially and
otherwise is to stay with one employer has been
eroding to the point of extinction.
• Younger workers and those earning $15,000 or less
were the most likely to change jobs.
• The cost of turnovers range from $7,000 for hourly
employees to $30,000 for mid-level managers and
$80,000 for technical or senior level management
(Center for Workforce Learning).
Charlotte Biz, March 2007

108. Future Odds
• The following % felt it was very likely that they
would someday:
Work for themselves/own business 21%
Have lifestyle they grew up with 63%
• 79% felt a two income household would be
somewhat to very important in reaching their
lifestyle goals?

109. What Employers Told Us

110. How is Your Organization Doing Now
With Characteristics of the Millennials
52.3
61.9
76.2
71.4
61.9
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
Percent Agree or Strongly Agree
Technology based on
employee need
Adapting to fast-
paced learning
Use team concept
Up-to-date
technology
Open to change

111. On What is Scheduling Based?
61.9
55
50
52
54
56
58
60
62
Percent Agree or Strongly Agree
Family
Responsibilities
Employee
Preferences

112. The Organization is Open to the
Following Issues of Diversity
60
52.4
81
42.8
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
Percent Agree or Strongly Agree
Other
generations
mentoring
millennials
Assimilation of
new employees
into old
employees
Increasing
awareness of
generational
differences
Increasing
training on
diversity

113. Implications for
Business

114. Our birth year gives rise to
experiences that influence our values
and behaviors
As seen by…
• Millennials… adaptive / planners, achievers, and
negotiators / technically fluent / highly optimistic
• Gen Xers… reactive/ dedicated / hard working /
ruthlessly focused on the bottom line
• Boomers… idealism / personal gratification / 55 hour
work week / mis-trust of authority
• Silent Generation… civic /stay the course / follow the
rules / duty before pleasure / patience

115. Generational customs drive
expectations of the organization and
of management
For example…
• Millennials want… a fun work place / moral leaders /
challenging supervisors / interesting coworkers /
personal growth
• Gen Xers … rely on themselves / do not seek
mentoring / caution in an unsafe world
• Boomers are… high on vision and values / don’t want
help from institutions / question authority
• Silent Generation … don’t change the system - work
within it / work well with all generations / teamwork

116. Generational calamities influence
career attitudes and employment
expectations
As shown by…
• Millennials… Columbine / OK City / 911– led to believe
that the world is less safe
• Gen Xers… Watergate / Layoffs / Women’s Lib -
became pragmatic and focused on self
• Boomers… Civil rights / Assassinations / Vietnam - led to
trust issues with authority; reacted to strong
disciplinarians
• Silent Generation… Market Crash / Pearl Harbor / - led
to a desire to improve the world for everyone not a select
few

117. Membership in a particular generation
influences perceptions of reality
• Millennials in particular believe everything is
negotiable, they make decisions through
continuous trial and error, they want a voice in
decisions that affect them, interact with all
adults as peers
• Millennials expect and need praise along with
feedback (they got it from their parents) and
they will take silence to be a lack of approval

118. Generational experiences can bear on
an organization’s performance & profit
•Alignment and retention, critical to a
company’s success, are both influenced by
generational values
•Boomers, although individualistic, are about
optimism and teamwork and are less likely to
turnover; Millennials on the other hand have
high expectations of an organization and may
move on if disappointed

119. Some are already in the workforce.
What are they saying?
• “The technology is too slow.”
• “Just because I’m young doesn’t mean I should be
given low pay and a poor work schedule.”
• “I expect to be treated fairly.”
• “We are inheriting a mess in the workforce – who got
us there?”
• “My dad worked 60 hours a week and then lost his
pension – no way I’m doing that.”
• “I can get my work done in 40 hours – sorry if you
can’t.”
Charlotte Observer, Sunday, March 5, 2006.

120. How They Will Push Us…
• More independence in the workforce
• Consumer-based fairness
• Better technology
• Enhanced professional development
• Get rid of “that’s the way we’ve always
done it”
• Have more life balance
• Re-establish priorities

121. So How Do We Work With Them?
• Because they have grown up in a different world,
never assume that they know certain things like:
– You don’t want to talk to their mother when they are
having problems.
– You don’t get points for showing up or an A for effort.
– The definition of plagiarism and cheating.
– It’s not appropriate to call the professor at home after
9pm.
– They can’t use IM language in papers.
– It’s not okay to email the professor 10 times a day.
– That when they email you at 3am, you’re not sitting on
the other end waiting to respond to them.
– The business office (and most others) close at 5pm.

122. Some Major Issues Worth
Addressing
• Some of them have been performing below
grade level all their lives… and they may not
know it (age of social promotion).
• You may be the first strict grader they have
encountered (will discourage them).
• Many are not very “hardy.” Will quit or drop
out because “it’s hard.”
• They are very good consumers and will figure
out a way to stay “under the radar.”
• They are not good planners and will do
everything late if allowed.

123. Issues of Late Registration
• Tracked four cohorts
– Those who participated in pre-registration (in spring for fall)
– Those registered one full week before fall term
– Those registered by the first week of class
– Those who registered during drop/add (not schedule adjusters)
Cohort Cohort Cohort Cohort
Results 1 2 3 4
Headcount 3,786 8,357 3,398 1,188
Assigned Seats 10,756 21,859 7,755 2,162
Avg. Load (courses) 2.84 2.62 2.28 1.82
No pay (% heads) 19.39% 3.64% 8.42% 14.31%
No pay (% seats) 15.95% 2.74% 7.31% 14.62%
Retention% (in-term) 75.3% 69.1% 61.2% 54.7%
Retention% (fall to spring) 66.1% 60.1% 51.6% 40.5%
Retention% (fall to fall) 46.8% 42.4% 35.4% 26.8%
% of grades A-C 67.2% 58.6% 52.3% 45.2%

124. What Should Institutions Do (In
the Classroom)?
• Develop policies and practices around
appropriate communication (by
department).
• Give them electronic access to as much
as is philosophically possible.
• Draw a line on negotiations.
• Give them definitions, boundaries and
rules.

125. What Should Institutions Do?
• Stop existing in an 8-5 world.
• Establish prerequisites for reading and
writing intensive courses.
• Force them to take developmental
courses the first semester (don’t set
them up to fail).
• Stop letting them register late, hand in
late work and procrastinate.

126. What Should Institutions Do?
• Don’t let them take online courses if
they are not tech savvy and don’t
possess the motivation to complete.
• Train all faculty to detect and work with
low performing students (especially in
gate keeper courses).

127. What Should Institutions Do?
• Look into what is known about learning.
• Try to actively engage them.
• Engage them in group-oriented
activities
– Service learning
– Study groups
– Supplemental instruction
– Learning communities

128. What Should Institutions Do?
• Create alterative ways for the low-tech
students to come up to speed.
– Basic keyboarding skills.
– Special workshops or lab sessions on the
basics.
– Help them master software that “will do
work for them.”
– Get access to computers (refurbished,
community projects, grants, etc.)

129. One Final Word
• In case you're worried about what's
going to become of the younger
generation, it's going to grow up and
start worrying about the younger
generation. (Roger Allen)

130. Who Are They?
• A new “Silent Generation” referred to
as Generation Z, Generation Alpha or
the Homeland Generation.
• Starts mid-2000’s until about 2017 to
2020 and will be considered an
artist generation:
– Artists are subtle, indecisive, emotional and
compromising, often having to deal with feelings of
repression and inner conflict. They grow up as over-
protected children, come of age as sensitive young
adults, rebel as indecisive midlife leaders and become
empathic elders (like those born 1925-1942).
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strauss_and_Howe

131. Generation Z
• Will be raised on technology, they will not be
scared of anything, they will be open to new
ideas.
• They will be into truth and loyalty and they will
not be not afraid to voice their opinion.
• They will be flexible and open to change.
• They will be fearless and fun.
• They will be the ‘new’ hope for our own future.
• Their great-grandparents belong mostly to the
Silent Generation and the Baby boomers
form the core of their grandparents.
• Their parents are seen as being roughly
evenly divided between Generation X
and Generation Y.http://www.generationzbaby.com/generation-z.html

132. For a copy of this presentation:
http//www.cpcc.edu/millennial
Click on: “presentations and workshops”
Contact: terri.manning@cpcc.edu