Gen Z and job interviews

[Pat Germain]

I agree adults all too often throw shade on young people. But I do see some definite differences in the young people I work with compared to my generation.

I work at a Space Force Base. Until recently, electronic devices were not permitted inside the building. No Fitbits. No cell phones. No bluetooth headphones. No kidding. Furthermore, all social media sites are blocked on the network. No Facebook, no "X", no YouTube, no TikTok. No kidding.

Every year it became more and more difficult to hire and retain people to work in this building. Younger people simply could not adjust to being without their mobile phones all day. And they hated not being able to access social media. I've heard people complain about being unable to wear a smart watch or Fitbit, but I don't know how big of a deal that is.

So last year the policy changed. We can now bring mobile phones into the building, but not into the workspace. Phones had to placed in lockers in common areas. Comically, management placed about 100 lockers for over a thousand people. So, of course, mobile phones were placed on top of the lockers. They were placed on tables beside the lockers. They were literally sitting on the floor next to the lockers.

And now the common areas are virtual Internet cafes. People are always in these areas staring at their phones. I see some older folks doing this, but the vast majority are young people.

Relating to this issue, a few years ago I saw an interview with a Realtor during a TV news story about housing. One point she made which I found very insteresting was if she showed a young couple a house where broadband Internet was not available, it was an immediate, "Now way!". She said, "If the house doesn't have broadband, it may as well not have running water."

So anyway, I do think that's a very big difference between older and younger generations. I certainly like my Internet access. And I like having my mobile phone when I'm out and about. But it's not a big deal if I don't have Internet or phone acess. For younger people, this tends to be a very big deal.

[Jim Becker]

So anyway, I do think that's a very big difference between older and younger generations. I certainly like my Internet access. And I like having my mobile phone when I'm out and about. But it's not a big deal if I don't have Internet or phone acess. For younger people, this tends to be a very big deal.

I'm about to turn 67 in a couple of days. I also would not consider a home in an area where (good) broadband isn't available. (And I do mean good broadband, not what some carriers call "broadband" out there) I worked in tech for most of my 38+ years in the workforce and even in retirement, a lot of my life revolves around connectivity. But yes, for my generation and even the one after it, this is less of a factor than it is for current generations who grew up "connected".

[Pat Germain]

I'm about to turn 67 in a couple of days. I also would not consider a home in an area where (good) broadband isn't available. (And I do mean good broadband, not what some carriers call "broadband" out there) I worked in tech for most of my 38+ years in the workforce and even in retirement, a lot of my life revolves around connectivity. But yes, for my generation and even the one after it, this is less of a factor than it is for current generations who grew up "connected".

You know, I'm probably in the same category when it comes to a home with broadband. Mrs. Pat really likes to watch a TV show when she gets home from work. And she really likes to watch movies at home on the weekends. All my TV viewing is streamed via broadband.

When I was looking for another house a few years ago, I thought I wanted something in a rural area with few people and some acreage. Then I started thinking about it and realized that would mean no city water, no city sewer, no natural gas and no broadband. Oh, and no paved roads. Suddenly, it didn't seem so attractive. I had to accept the fact that I'm a suburban brat. I lived in a very remote, rural area of Oklahoma when I was in high school. We had constant issues with frozen pipes, broken well, broken septic, trying to get the propane tank filled and sliding all over muddy roads. I know some people really like all that stuff. As for me, no thanks. My decision was confirmed when my coworker recently told me he spent over $45,000 having a new septic system installed. He had to pay for engineering surveys, grading, perk tests, trenching and other things in addition to the tank and piping. It ain't like the old days when you could just dig a hole in the ground, cap it and call it good; or just build an outhouse.

[Jim Becker]

^^ Tru dat!!!

[Frederick Skelly]

Those jobs, they don't exist.

Mostly because they're being filled by adults. That economy, is gone, dead, killed intentionally.

I think it may be different here than where you live Mike. There’s work for high schoolers here.

[Jerome Stanek]

My mom and dad had a greenhouse that we grew tomatos for a living. I started making baskets at 7 and had to work in the grennhouse until I moved out after high school. Their were 6 of us kids and we all had jobs to do.

[Earl McLain]

You know, I'm probably in the same category when it comes to a home with broadband. Mrs. Pat really likes to watch a TV show when she gets home from work. And she really likes to watch movies at home on the weekends. All my TV viewing is streamed via broadband.

When I was looking for another house a few years ago, I thought I wanted something in a rural area with few people and some acreage. Then I started thinking about it and realized that would mean no city water, no city sewer, no natural gas and no broadband. Oh, and no paved roads. Suddenly, it didn't seem so attractive. I had to accept the fact that I'm a suburban brat. I lived in a very remote, rural area of Oklahoma when I was in high school. We had constant issues with frozen pipes, broken well, broken septic, trying to get the propane tank filled and sliding all over muddy roads. I know some people really like all that stuff. As for me, no thanks. My decision was confirmed when my coworker recently told me he spent over $45,000 having a new septic system installed. He had to pay for engineering surveys, grading, perk tests, trenching and other things in addition to the tank and piping. It ain't like the old days when you could just dig a hole in the ground, cap it and call it good; or just build an outhouse.

$45,000 for a septic?? We had ours done last summer for $12,000 including getting some old cast iron out of the basement, it was another $500 for the soil survey and $150 for the permit. Of course...we have 12" of loam on top of 60" or so of sand, and the glaciers took care of flattening the land before retreating to become Lake Michigan--so the geography may have some impact on pricing. The soil scientist was a young man from the Tennessee mountains--i asked what brought him up to NW Indiana. He said the starting wage was what he thought he was worth, and that our soil structure was some of the best in the country and he loved working with it. Before he started coring, he told me our loam layer would be between 12" and 13"--we measured actual to be 12.5".
Oldest son works from home about 75% of the time, managing the distribution logistics platform (for beverages) on 2 other continents. They moved to where they wanted to be (pretty rural), and he rented an office (really a cubicle) in town for broadband access for a few years until he got fiber to the house. Just a hiccup in his eyes.

[Pat Germain]

$45,000 for a septic?? We had ours done last summer for $12,000 including getting some old cast iron out of the basement, it was another $500 for the soil survey and $150 for the permit. Of course...we have 12" of loam on top of 60" or so of sand, and the glaciers took care of flattening the land before retreating to become Lake Michigan--so the geography may have some impact on pricing. The soil scientist was a young man from the Tennessee mountains--i asked what brought him up to NW Indiana. He said the starting wage was what he thought he was worth, and that our soil structure was some of the best in the country and he loved working with it. Before he started coring, he told me our loam layer would be between 12" and 13"--we measured actual to be 12.5".
Oldest son works from home about 75% of the time, managing the distribution logistics platform (for beverages) on 2 other continents. They moved to where they wanted to be (pretty rural), and he rented an office (really a cubicle) in town for broadband access for a few years until he got fiber to the house. Just a hiccup in his eyes.

Colorado is different. I expect it's even more expensive in California.

[Jerome Stanek]

Colorado is different. I expect it's even more expensive in California.

In California they just do their business on the sidewalk

[Bill Dufour]

A few years ago San Francisco passed a law that naked people had to put down a towel before sitting on a park bench. I guess there are enough naked people running around they needed to pass such a law.
Bil lD

[Jim Becker]

The whacko stereotypes of people who (likely don't) live in certain areas do not serve this thread at all...so let's stop with that please.

Jim
Forum Moderator

[Warren Lake]

first time i pulled into San Fran people approached me for money buying gas. i was to see my friends daughter who was a big deal breast cancer researcher there then after many years came to toronto to the top cancer hospital. The people there didnt threaten me and I wasnt in the mood to let them if they did.

I saw you tubes of San Fran maybe month ago and it way less than stellar. You may not want want that posted but im glad I saw it id likely never go there again. Look up LA you will the same, then how half a gazzilion people have left. I had stellar time there but was in santa Monica Brentwood Culver city Mission Viejo san juan Capistrano and all of those places were fine. Nice to run into movie people at the grocery store.

[Jason Hennry]

Well, looks like the struggle is real for some Gen Z grads – bringing parents to job interviews and eye contact issues. Time for a crash course in adulting! 😅