WWAMD? (or What Would A Millennial Do?)
About five years ago when I was working as a Graphic Designer and Marketing Assistant for the U of MN College of Pharmacy's Continuing Education office, I was engaged in a variety of marketing and design efforts that capitalized and focused specifically on generational trends. As I researched, I found out a lot of fascinating information about Baby Boomers, Gen X-ers, and the Millennial (or Gen Y) generations. The generalized characteristics of each group contribute to their learning preferences and styles, as well as influence what commodities they will buy or what extracurriculars they will engage in.
Recently, I stumbled upon an article that took a much more positive spin on the college-aged Millennial Generation (roughly born 1983-1995) who are often depicted as technically savvy but impersonal, interconnected but lacking attention spans, and generally over-scheduled. This article, entitled "What would a millennial do" instead positions some of their personality traits as desirable qualities that all of us can learn from.
I often thought that Gen Y is actually the future of America – not just technically (they will, after all, be the next group in power) but also principally. For once, a generation seems less focused on the accumulation of wealth and more focused on community, inspiration, and communication. And that's something we can all learn from.
