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O.T. Millennials

gmach10

Hot Rolled
Joined
Dec 27, 2008
Location
N.E. Illinois
I probably spelled millennials wrong but who cares. Am I the only one who is beginning to sound like their fathers? My nephew just started a new job, good kid in his early twenties. College wasn't for him but he came across HVAC courses and thru some string pulling by me and a few others behind the scenes he got an apprenticeship for a Stationary Engineer. For those who haven't heard this term before this type of engineer monitors controls and operates boilers in large buildings. Long story short, if he sticks with it he's basically set for life. Pension, benefits etc. Like I said a lot of people did things to help him and it doesn't seem to understand what he was handed. I told him I'd get some tools for him and I did. Tools, work gloves, safety glasses ear plugs shit like that. Now 5 unanswered texts 3 unanswered phone calls I feel like I've been played. Kid I got this shit for you and you haven't even got the courtesy to answer the damn phone. I'm seeing so much of this with people his age. Friend's son took to long a lunch instead of taking his lumps mouths off to the boss ends up with a 2 suspension. WTF where did we go wrong with this generation. I know I'm ranting but any shop owners seeing this? Read in a trade rag for truck drivers that dispatchers dealing with new younger drivers, that they can't be told what to do. They need to know "why" it has to be done. The boss has to explain himself! In my early work career if you asked "why do I have to do this" you were gone. Hope this doesn't get blocked. Let me know what you think or what you've experienced.
Thanks Glenn
 
I probably spelled millennials wrong but who cares. Am I the only one who is beginning to sound like their fathers? My nephew just started a new job, good kid in his early twenties. College wasn't for him but he came across HVAC courses and thru some string pulling by me and a few others behind the scenes he got an apprenticeship for a Stationary Engineer. For those who haven't heard this term before this type of engineer monitors controls and operates boilers in large buildings. Long story short, if he sticks with it he's basically set for life. Pension, benefits etc. Like I said a lot of people did things to help him and it doesn't seem to understand what he was handed. I told him I'd get some tools for him and I did. Tools, work gloves, safety glasses ear plugs shit like that. Now 5 unanswered texts 3 unanswered phone calls I feel like I've been played. Kid I got this shit for you and you haven't even got the courtesy to answer the damn phone. I'm seeing so much of this with people his age. Friend's son took to long a lunch instead of taking his lumps mouths off to the boss ends up with a 2 suspension. WTF where did we go wrong with this generation. I know I'm ranting but any shop owners seeing this? Read in a trade rag for truck drivers that dispatchers dealing with new younger drivers, that they can't be told what to do. They need to know "why" it has to be done. The boss has to explain himself! In my early work career if you asked "why do I have to do this" you were gone. Hope this doesn't get blocked. Let me know what you think or what you've experienced.
Thanks Glenn

All our parents thought we were all going to hell in a handbasket as well.
 
My grand son is 24. He likes to hunt and I own 100 acres. He asked if he could post my land. I said OK. He uses my ATV to get around my land. He stores his shit in my barn. He wanted one of the Gerstner type tool boxes I sometimes make. OK, here's a nice Cherry one.
Last year I needed some help moving furniture from inside my house to a storage trailer in front. Kid will be hunting on MY land that day so I ask him to stop by during the the day to help me. Take maybe 20 minutes. Kid says sure.
I wait all fucking day. No kid. Wife is worried he fell out of tree and got hurt. Sends me to look for the kid. Can't find him.
Now it's getting dark and I'm getting pissed. Really pissed.
Kid shows up about 1900. Say's "hi grand pa". It's Well after dark. How are we supposed to move furniture in the dark.
I tell the kid "get in your your and get out of here". He Says "what"? I says "get in your car and go home and I don't want you back here hunting for 2 weeks"
My daughter calls and is pissed at me. Says I don't understand. That's the way kids are.
I tell her as far as I'm concerned she's enabling him and I don't give a shit if he comes around or not. She starts crying. I start laughing.
Long story short the kid comes by hunting but doesn't stop in to see me.
As far as I'm concerned the kid can go fuck himself I'm better off without him.
Am I a bad person?.................Bob
 
All our parents thought we were all going to hell in a handbasket as well.
True, but ... I swear, it's not just kids. People advertising machines for sale, do they answer their mail ? Answer questions ? Simple ones that even a dork could figure out ? Hell no. Accountants who pat themselves on the back for getting two pieces of paper to a bank, in four weeks, when the docs say three weeks and if you don't get it done on time you lose $400,000 ? People who want everything now but when it's their turn to do something, their dog ate the homework ?

The beauty of the US past was, we were competent. All that crap people spread around these days about freedom, rule of law, give me your tired your sick yourbraindead, that's always been crap but at least we could get shit done !

Gone away :( I swear, people today can't find their ass with both hands. Some exceptions of course but most people today are imbeciles. Look at that thread about a wormgear ... "four to six hours to make a CAD drawing" ... of a circle ? Are we supposed to be stupid or something ? I guess a lot of us are, that we don't give idiots like that a job sweeping the sidewalk.
 
There's only one way to get someone to do something. They must "want" to...



I told him I'd get some tools for him and I did. Tools, work gloves, safety glasses ear plugs shit like that. Now 5 unanswered texts 3 unanswered phone calls I feel like I've been played. Kid I got this shit for you and you haven't even got the courtesy to answer the damn phone.

Andrew Carnegie's sister was in fits, when her sons in college wouldn't respond to her letters. So Andrew Carnegie makes a $5 bet that he could get them to respond. He writes the boys, tells them that he hope's they're doing well, and to enjoy the $5 enclosed with the letter. Except he "forgot" to enclose the $5 inside the letters. The boys promptly wrote back, saying of course...

Tell the kid you're going to send him another box of tools or something, and then "forget" to put something critical in the box. He'll quickly call back. Then politely, kindly, explain to him that you don't feel like he appreciates all that you're doing from him. How all you really want from him is a return phone call, and a "thank you." Certainly, he'll get the message...




that they can't be told what to do. They need to know "why" it has to be done.
People my age & younger actually enjoy knowing "why." Some people call it learning... People bitch that millennials aren't taught anything at home, or in school. And then they bitch when we ask "why" at work, as if that were a crime too...



Kid shows up about 1900. Say's "hi grand pa". It's Well after dark. How are we supposed to move furniture in the dark. I tell the kid "get in your your and get out of here". He Says "what"? I says "get in your car and go home and I don't want you back here hunting for 2 weeks"
My daughter calls and is pissed at me. Says I don't understand. That's the way kids are.
I tell her as far as I'm concerned she's enabling him and I don't give a shit if he comes around or not. She starts crying. I start laughing.

Long story short the kid comes by hunting but doesn't stop in to see me.

As far as I'm concerned the kid can go fuck himself I'm better off without him.

Gee, no wonder the kid doesn't come around... Did you bother to explain to the kid that you & grandma were genuinely worried about him being hurt? Or just chew his ass immediately? If my Grandpa thought about me the way you think about him, well then I'd probably find more pleasant things to do with my time as well...





I realize that I'm speaking to mostly people who're older than me. I would still recommend reading a copy of Dale Carengie's famous book, How to win friends & influence people. It's nothing but age-old wisdom, and will certainly help old farts deal with young millennials, & vice-versa...

One of the lessons highlighted early, and often is the simple principal that you catch more flies with honey than vinegar... Why would flies eat more honey than vinegar? Because they "want" to... Maybe that's worth considering with "millennials." Maybe that's worth considering for people of all types.

Food for thought...?





Signed - A grateful millennial...
 
There's a theory out there (I'm sure it has a catchy name) that the easy access to information available by computer and smart phone has had the unanticipated result that now everyone thinks they're an expert at everything (I'll just look it up on the phone!). So when you want someone to do something specific, they want good reasons, or they want to do it their way, which they can find out with a few clicks or swipes.

On the lack of gratitude, that does sound more like a parenting issue, which of course means that Gramps didn't parent Mom well enough, so Junior's a jerk. ;)

Me? I just cloned myself, at least I know for sure that young me was a twit and plan accordingly.
 
but this makes a great opportunity for millennials who do know how to work. I have one who works for me Im paying 20 per hour but no beanies. he is family member who gets approached monthly trying to be poached only reason he stays he doesn't want to have to work 40- 60 a week and when he wants a day off he gets it. he is very frugal has a paid for house and 30 grand in the bank. one of his buddies a motor mouth, least when I knew him, otherwise I would have hired him when he was on the market. is at 24 per hour plus beanies and vacation time. if you show up, some basic reasoning powers, have a bit of work ethic, some physical strength, and can pass a piss test. you are in demand
 
I wonder if the frustration with millenials is just a projection of our (your) general frustration with people as a whole.

I mean, you're not allowed to be mad at older folks. They're our (your) elders. It's disrespectful.

We (you) can't get mad at folks your own age, they're your peers. That's like getting mad at yourself.

So, who is left? Younger folks like millenials (me).
 
but this makes a great opportunity for millennials who do know how to work. I have one who works for me Im paying 20 per hour but no beanies. he is family member who gets approached monthly trying to be poached only reason he stays he doesn't want to have to work 40- 60 a week and when he wants a day off he gets it. he is very frugal has a paid for house and 30 grand in the bank. one of his buddies a motor mouth, least when I knew him, otherwise I would have hired him when he was on the market. is at 24 per hour plus beanies and vacation time. if you show up, some basic reasoning powers, have a bit of work ethic, some physical strength, and can pass a piss test. you are in demand

Passing the piss test is hard enough for them. Most of the dopes are on dope....
 
Yup, the under thirty crowd these days has been so mollycoddled by their parents, school, society in general they all think they're special little snow flakes.

Problem is these self righteous, self centered, self indulged little pricks will be running the show shortly.

Us boomers are Fooked with a capital "F".
4fvgdaq_th.gif
 
You sleep in the bed you made aye? Aye?

No kids for me but a lot of the ones I see I just want to grab and shake the living shite outta. Especially these young men in the big city, meterosexuals they call them. They wear makeup, get manicures and everything. And apparently they're not gay.
 
"Did you bother to explain to the kid that you & grandma were genuinely worried about him being hurt? Or just chew his ass immediately? If my Grandpa thought about me the way you think about him, well then I'd probably find more pleasant things to do with my time as well"...

Do you really think the kid is so stupid that he wouldn't know that? We called him repeatidly but he never answered his cell phone. Found out later he was answering when others called.
Do you really think a calm discussion on the negative effects of fucking over your grand folks was in order? Do you really think he would have really cared all that much?
Nope. kid blew us off because he'd rather think of himself. Explaining nicely to him how hurt and worried we were, like his mother always did, would be just more enabling.
Kid ruined my and my wife's day so his got ruined in return.
In time this will blow over but my guess is he knows not to do it again.........Bob
 
My grand son is 24. He likes to hunt and I own 100 acres. He asked if he could post my land. I said OK. He uses my ATV to get around my land. He stores his shit in my barn. He wanted one of the Gerstner type tool boxes I sometimes make. OK, here's a nice Cherry one.
Last year I needed some help moving furniture from inside my house to a storage trailer in front. Kid will be hunting on MY land that day so I ask him to stop by during the the day to help me. Take maybe 20 minutes. Kid says sure.
I wait all fucking day. No kid. Wife is worried he fell out of tree and got hurt. Sends me to look for the kid. Can't find him.
Now it's getting dark and I'm getting pissed. Really pissed.
Kid shows up about 1900. Say's "hi grand pa". It's Well after dark. How are we supposed to move furniture in the dark.
I tell the kid "get in your your and get out of here". He Says "what"? I says "get in your car and go home and I don't want you back here hunting for 2 weeks"
My daughter calls and is pissed at me. Says I don't understand. That's the way kids are.
I tell her as far as I'm concerned she's enabling him and I don't give a shit if he comes around or not. She starts crying. I start laughing.
Long story short the kid comes by hunting but doesn't stop in to see me.
As far as I'm concerned the kid can go fuck himself I'm better off without him.
Am I a bad person?.................Bob

I'd change the locks on the gate as soon as I knew he was hunting without checking in first.

Girlfriend of mine did this with her fishing shack she inherited from her mother. The cousins (millenials) thought they could use it without asking, paying anything or doing any maintenance because it was a family property, after all. After the 3rd warning and hauling out the trash the locks got changed. Then it got sold.

Lack of consideration and discourtesy *should* have costs associated with it and I for one don't actually give a damn if the person is 18 or 88, same rules apply.

PDW
 
I think it is going to be very interesting to see what comes. I'm in-between at 40. I even started a thread similarly. So in 2 ways Im curious to see what happens.

BUT mostly I am a little excited, believe it or not, to see what happens when all you old fucks are too----well old. I of course am going to be the one stuck in the middle needing to be the mediator, the reciprocator, the annihilator, the exterminator, the bad guy. I really don't think the world is going to implode, everything is getting more and more automated, eventually well be able to buy a house at Costco (yeah I know, it's already there sorta), but I mean load it in your truck bed and unfold the MFer type of thing. I think it's going to be fascinating to watch such a stark change.

I have already decided to be helpful if the right question is asked, and be a pain in the ass when not. We need to rethink the old adage that goes; the only stupid question is.....the one where you ask how to get a nail INTO the wood, or out of the wood for that matter, or where does Spaghetti sauce come from? Or what does "on time" mean? or who makes Airplanes, what do you do when there is not the Google machine to ask what to do? (Don't even get me started on Cars, no wonder car manufacturers are doing well), how do you get water, if 7-11 is closed? Holy fuck people!!!! Exciting times, get your lawn chairs and a 6 pack and watch me demoralize the youth of America, HAHAHA.

It's crazy the things that we know that some people have no clue or interest in.

R
 
It's crazy the things that we know that some people have no clue or interest in.
True story : a friend is a patternmaker. So one day he was making a pattern for cookie trays or something and his daughter dropped by.

"What are you doing, dad ?"

"Making these things for cookie wrappers" (or whatever it was)

"Why don't you just go to the store and buy some ? It'd be a lot easier."

That really happened :D
 
I have a book "Lens and Prism making" by Frank Twyman in which the great Dutch Microscopist Leeuwenhoek complains to his friend Liebnitz on September 28th 1715 that "As to your idea of encouraging young men to polish glass, as it were to start a school of glass polishing (Lenses)- I do not see that it would be of much use" and "What was the result of their labour?, Nothing at all, so far as I have learnt. Now to every study the proposed object is this: to acquire wealth by knowledge, or celebrity by reputation for learning. " also "And then I am convinced hardly one in a thousand is properly fitted to take up this study for much time is consumed in it and money is wasted"

So over three hundred years ago, older people had hassles with ignorant young punks and the same is true today. I know for a fact I was an ignorant, entitled, selfish "know it all" arsehole and these days it's not much different except that I hide it better. These days there seems to be an attempt to divide society into groups like Boomers, Generation X, Gen Y and Millennials and then turn them against each other and keep them fighting while the big boys line their pockets uncontested.

That said I am learning to cope with a 23 year old nephew who wants to use my workshop to built a steel table, I am not allowed to help him as "I need to do this myself, it's no good if you tell me". He told me last week "I don't know why you say stick welding is so hard, it was easy for me!", I just handed him a chipping hammer and told him to crack the welding slag off his welds. He's coming back next week to grind it all down and start again. Against my suggestions to buy painted 1/8" wall thickness square tube, he bought very thin galvanised steel and wonders why he's blowing holes through it instead of joining it. Just yesterday he used a combination oil stone as a prop to hammer steel on, then left the broken fragments where they fell. I asked him about it and was informed it was my fault because I had a messy workshop and left this stuff lying around where he could get his hands on it.

I see the whole exercise as payback with interest for how I treated my Dad, my Uncles and every co-worker when I was his age.
 








 
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