Gen Y - self esteem on steroids

It’s hardly likely the 4.5 million Australians born between 1978 and 1994 and dubbed Generation Y all share a common personality, any more than the nearly 2 million born under the influence of a certain star sign will meet a tall handsome stranger next Wednesday night. (apologies to devout astrologers and Linda Goodman)
Even an avid proponent of the generational divide says there’s as much diversity within generations as between generations.
Addressing last week’s RACGP conference, author Peter Sheahan said however shared life influences of those between and 12 and 28 indelibly affected their mindset. They’re ambitious, need instant gratification, and separate effort from reward. Put simply, they have “self-esteem on steroids’, he says.
As a result, Gen Ys live all spheres of their lives differently to their predecessors. It’s not the expense of housing that sees this group living with their parents well into their twenties. Gen Ys see their parents as friends rather than authoritarian figures, says Sheahan, and between a third and a half of people aged 21 to 28 still live at home.
Whereas previous generations often wanted the freedom of their own place where they could drink alcohol and have sex. Now, says Sheahan, they’re doing that at our place.
When it comes to jobs, Gen Ys can be hard to please. As an employer, rather than interviewing a Gen Y for a job, they’ll interview you, says Sheahan, and employers must position themselves as ‘employers of choice’ to successfully recruit them. This seems code for paying them heaps.
Many of us in the audience weren’t so sure how relevant this advice was to our profession. But given that in 10 years, 42% of the workforce will be Gen Ys, we might just be surprised.