For the baby-boomer generation, the salvation from all of life’s inconsistencies was the cubicle. The front line of every social change movement started to fade, and teenage legs grew tired, especially after the death of almost every thought leader of that time. So they took shelter in millions of corkboard walls and doorless offices all over the country, only to look back and tell a tale of fearlessness to their offspring. They sacrificed their ingenuity and their gumption and bowed down to routine to ensure that their children didn’t have to do the same.

At least that’s what we’d like to believe. The truth is, most baby-boomers would probably prefer their children get a good government job, to ensure financial security and a golden benefit package. But surprisingly (or not) certain generational nuances caused Generation X to rebel and innovate (ie hip-hop, video games) which ultimately progressed and is leading Generation Y to push even harder at turning away from the “forty a week, forty years” paradigm.

Here are some of the (re)defining factors:

1.) Technology, Technology, Technology. This is one of the most important variables for Generation Y. The dot com boom came, went, and came back just in time for Generation Y’ers to jump on board after high school. With the influx of what is now known as the “blogosphere” and all of the innovative social media and networking platforms, Y’ers can create businesses, promote those businesses, and garner markets for those businesses with three clicks of a mouse. Technology has made the ideas bigger, and the world much, much smaller. Simple. People are actually being paid to record themselves ranting, or for taking pictures of well dressed children. No cubicle necessary.

2.) Recession. Simply put, Y’ers don’t settle for government jobs because they can’t get them. There are no jobs to be had right now in our country. More importantly, the Y’ers that were able to get decent jobs, have been laid off, which means they are able to collect unemployment which is more than enough to survive when eating your mothers food, and kicking back rent free. As a matter of fact, unemployment stipends are actually enough to start a small business, especially if it’s internet based.

3.) Intellect. Okay, I know this one is a dangerous road to walk. But the truth is , every generation gets a bit brighter, a bit sharper than the previous. Of course, this intelligence doesn’t always translate to what some may consider to be acceptable social behavior, but when it comes to dissecting society and pop culture and producing vehicles to fill the voids, Generation Y is unmatched. Think about Facebook, for example. Facebook is nothing but a steroided rendition of what used to be chat rooms. Now, because of it, social networking is standard in every business. Generation Y has figured out that it’s much more sensible to put the ebbs and flows of pop culture in the hands of the people who live it everyday. Everyone can be a trendsetter now. Everyone can be a firestarter. Why settle for being a cog, when you’re smart enough to be a whole machine.

Generation Y is an interesting phenomena, full of contradiction and shine. It could be argued that they have no sense of patience, and no respect for manual labor or hard work. This might be true, or maybe they have realized that the baby-boomers and Generation X worked hard to afford them, Generation Y, the possibilities to work smart. It’s the fulfillment of a destiny, possibly. We’ll see if their super-advanced thinking, and high falluting inventions ruin them. Or maybe it’s just more preparation for Generation Z to never, ever, know what a cubicle is.

By Jason Reynolds