The Transition: Millennials To Gen Z
I have been a college professor for almost two decades now, and I’ve gradually witnessed a significant transition—from Millennials (born in the 1980s to 90s) to Gen Z (born in the late 90s to 2010). When I began my teaching career, the college students were just a few years younger than me, in short, Millennials. Over the years, my colleagues and I have observed a huge change in student behavior.
Students these days seem to be a little low on spark and spunk, a bit detached, less emotional, less communicative, and more happy-go-lucky. Let me share a recent incident to explain why I feel this way.
A few days ago, I posed a mathematical question to my class.
“Apply the formula and tell me the answer,” I announced. In a class of fifty, three students reached into their bags and fished out their calculators. The rest sat in silence, blankly staring at me, waiting for who knows what.
“Come on,” I urged again, “Out with your calculators!”
By then, one student solved the problem and called out the correct answer.
“What about the rest of you?” I shouted.
“Ma’am, it’s an easy problem; we can solve it later at home. Now we have the answer as well, so…”
I was stunned. There was a time, ages ago, when students would compete to solve problems and raise their hands first. I’ve seen them haggle for marks, sweating it out to be at the top and excel, all with the single goal of studying to become an engineer and securing a high-paying job through campus recruitment. Every mark was important; the rivalry was brutal, and Millennials competed in the rat race with all they had.
Failure, in our case, an ATKT (Allowed to Keep Terms) or a year drop, was a heartbreaker and, sadly, at times, a life-snatcher.
The Feared Gen Z
But of late, I find my students less interested in achieving those preconceived levels of perfection or zenith. It’s not that they don’t wish to or won’t—they just prefer a slow and steady approach. No rush, and not much fretting. The focus is diminishing. Talk to them, and they’ll tell you many of them aren’t all that interested in engineering or any professional course for that matter. As they try to cope with something they dislike, they may falter. And they believe that if they score less, it’s not entirely their fault.
The Millennial mantra of “Early to bed and early to rise…”—in fact, the very concept of ‘hard work’—doesn’t seem to appeal to them.
My own kid, a Gen Z teenager, gives me that bored and irritated look when I try to offer any advice. And mind you, the amount of free advice I give my son is way less than what I received at his age, yet I absorbed it all, no questions asked.
Perhaps it’s just me, but Gen Z, as I’ve been lamenting a lot lately, seems less studious, less mindful, less social, less communicative, and, of course, too tech-savvy.
The Upside of Being Gen Z
One of my seniors, whom I can’t thank enough, changed my perspective altogether. There are always two sides to a coin. Today’s youth may seem to paint a picture of lethargy, but unlike us Millennials, they don’t believe in running a perpetual race for life. They are more practical; success for them is about living in the moment and pursuing what makes them happy, rather than slogging through something undesirable just for monetary success.
Moreover, they have more clarity about what’s significant for their future and what’s not. They wouldn’t spend their time and energy on things they deem unimportant.
They are ready to explore, spread their wings, and exercise their freedom of speech and expression. That’s exactly why there are so many contemporary academic courses and career options flourishing these days—unlike in my time when you had to be a doctor or engineer. If not, there were only BSc, BCom, and BA graduates.
You have to admit, Gen Z is far more welcoming and inclusive. Whether it’s gender, homosexuality, or learning disabilities, I’ve seen students making friends and mixing freely with all their classmates, free from bias. I rarely see the kind of divide that existed earlier when boys, girls, super achievers, mediocre students, and underachievers mingled only among their groups.
With the kind of exposure today’s youth gets, they are willing to try new avenues and take more risks—unlike us Millennials, who liked our comfort zone and preferred security over instability.
Gen Z doesn’t seem to stick to the one-point agenda of just earning their bread and butter.
The Generation Gap
Yes, these are all valid and strong differences, and there is undoubtedly a generation gap. But at times, when I look at my son, I feel a pinch of envy. If only I had taken it a bit slow, relaxed a little, and walked away from the rat race.
I also understand there’s no reason to panic. With more face-to-face discussions and conversations, the gap between generations can definitely be bridged. All that Gen Z wants is our time and presence, and our willingness to grant them their independence. Even if they use their calculator or not, they will eventually solve the problem and bravely face a barrage of questions in their examinations.
Their paths and methods might be different, but with Gen Z, India and the world are in safe hands.
(Published in The She Saga Magazine)
