Why Are Millennials So Darn Optimistic?

I think there is a big difference in your outlook based on where exactly in the generation you place. I'm 27. I have four younger siblings. The oldest three of us, plus one wife, are all gainfully employed and doing very, very well. The youngest two, who are right about to graduate, are looking at a sucky, sucky job market.

For the ~95% of 27 year old engineers who are currently employed today, the recession is not exactly backbreaking.

As someone who just barely makes the grade I’m optimistic but in all I think the Millennials are going to be one of the hardest generations to be a member of.

We’re going to preside over the difficult transition between what I’d deem a “Star Trek” world order where people work because they want to and no one goes hungry and the world we have now.

To elaborate the Millennials are going to be the first generation that has to deal with losing jobs to technology. Up until now technology has created as many jobs as it’s eliminated but as technology becomes both more powerful and more stable that ratio is going to shift. Jobs like factory workers, teachers, bankers, etc… are going to disappear and society will have to adjust to having more people than jobs (and figure out what to do about that).

Again, I think the eventual end result is good. As technology can do more we’ll eventually end up with a society where people can pursue what they love and let technology do most of the hard work we need people for now. But getting from where we are now to that future is going to be awkward as society has to decide how to deal with things like permanent unemployment.

Beyond that Millennials are going to be the generation that has to deal with all the awkward ethical questions that science fiction has been asking for years. Cloning, Genetic Manipulation, Climate Change, Bio Weapons, etc… are all going to drop on the Millennials plate. That’s a lot to deal with.

Anyway, as I said I’m optimistic but with an eye towards the enormous challenges that are ahead.

I probably only just scrape into their concept demographic here but shouldn't we be?

I don't view increasing optimism as odd given that if all goes well, it won't be long before we're clearing out the last of the aged hubris running everything as it stands.

Then we'll be dealing with populations that are equally "socially liberal, technologically savvy and wildly optimistic" and finally able to take advantage of those facts to further our goals and those of humanity as a whole.

Is "economics be damned" and increasing optimism really that out there as an attitude when we're (in general, at least) more willing to accept alternative meanings of 'good' or 'happy' than any of our elders and this progress is nearing year by year? I wouldn't think so. And yes, I'm optimistic. Probably moreso every year...

(Edit: PS. I think this is more related to hacking than it seems. I think a lot of our tech savvy and liberal ideals are going to come into play and boost progress rates further. In particular imagine fields like biotech where barriers from aging ideals and prejudices will hopefully start to come down over those coming years)

Rapture of the Nerds: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Technological_singularity

For me personally, it was graduating from college and realizing that unlike every other member of my graduating class, I did not have to get a job to function my own existence. I could do what I wanted to do and I'm doing it. That doesn't explain why everyone else is optimistic though...

Because at the end of the 20th century, anything seemed possible. As it turns out in the 21th century, it is.

Obviously, because every day is a day closer to when we will be in charge. When all of the world leaders are on facebook, it's a little hard to be a bigot asshole :)

Too much XBOX, Facebook. No attention to rising social costs due to aging demographic. They don't vote. Terrible with money.

Ignorance is bliss?

The baby boomers are retiring or dieing off ... this leaves plenty of wide open spaces to go to. There will likely be a hiring crunch in a few years.