Just like all people born between 1981 and 1996, I can classify myself as a millennial (also known as generation Y).

Neil Howe and William Strauss coined the term Millennial in 1991 to describe kids who will be about to graduate from high school in 2000.

What are the characteristics of Millenials as a generation? According to Deal, Altman & Rogelberg (2010), published in the Journal of Business and Psychology, much of the popular narrative labeling Millennials as lazy, narcissistic, or entitled does not hold up. Rigorous empirical research on generational differences at work.

Since we have the picture that we should change the world and make an impact to be successful, most Millenials are deeply frustrated at work.

They have a feeling that they do not live up to their full potential. For the same reason, we tend to swap jobs.

According to Lyons, Schweitzer & Ng (2015), published in the Journal of Managerial Psychology, younger generations, including Millennials, show significantly higher job and organizational mobility than Baby Boomers or Generation X. On a good note, we are rather good at teamwork, we care about the work-life balance, and we know the value of rest and family life.

What Does It Mean to Be a Millennial?

Well, I was thinking a lot about my identity as a Millennial these days. This is because since my PhD contract has expired, I somehow started turning towards making (or perhaps, trying to make) an impact. 

I took a resolution to listen to intuition when making career choices, and I didn’t know the endpoint when I was starting. It was more like gardening. I felt like a wild plant that grows on its own, not knowing in which direction it grows.

Yet, it will grow further and further—this is given for certain. It will choose the directions in which it feels the least resistance.

So, I was just trying to focus on tasks that make the most sense in the current situation. After a long and difficult PhD, it felt natural to set up a foundation. It helps researchers with their careers.

It further felt natural to start a consultancy company in this area. I also began thinking about a future startup that would help people find jobs in better ways.

I did not even care whether I had the competencies to do all this. I badly wanted to work on this topic, so I did not hesitate to try.

Was I Predestined for This, or Just Influenced?

So, is this happening because I was predestined to work on helping other people find jobs? Or have I just discovered my ultimate purpose?

Or, is it rather because I was born a damn Millenial and I am hardwired to attempt to make (some) impact? Did I come into this life to do this? Or did the culture I live in influence me to do this instead?

I am often questioning this, because our culture lies a lot. Namely, it tells you that ‘you can be anything you want, choose any profession. If you try hard enough, you will eventually become successful.

Can Everyone Really Be Exceptional?

Even given the numbers and probability of calculus, this is not possible. Not everyone can be the head of a large organization, a top YouTuber, or a popular author. Still, according to Sharot (2011), most of us systematically overestimate our own odds of positive outcomes.

Even given talent and determination, there is still a massive luck component to career paths associated with building impactful projects. Why would be me who makes it?

I know the numbers yet, for some reason, I cannot stop. According to Ryan and Deci (2000), this is what intrinsic motivation looks like: the activity itself is the reward.

The more time it takes, the more peaceful I am becoming about the decision to go my own way. I had some doubts of course.

But the more time passes since my last employment, the more convinced I become. I will never sit behind an office desk again—instead, I will be building new projects.

At the moment, the vision of sitting behind a desk and completing projects assigned by some boss seems quite abstract.

It seems abstract, even to cash some salary and go on vacations to Thailand. I just have more important things to do. It is scary but I will try.