Companies do treat employees as being disposable. The only smart way to go about your career is to always be looking for your next opportunity before the company kicks you out. That’s the reality of the workplace in this day and age. Your company has no loyalty to you, so you need to look out for yourself and forget about loyalty to the company.

The average individual will now have 10+ jobs by age 35 (if not younger). This says something. More than ever people are looking for purpose behind their career. Let’s not be so cynical – it isn’t about being more proud, too bored, or waiting for a moment to find something better. Quite the opposite: it is about feeling we are truly active in something more important, more substantial, and with a deeper purpose. There is a downside here, most certainly, that someone must carry out the mundane office tasks that now exist. The answer will come twofold. One, more and more detail-oriented jobs will be outsourced. India, China and others are no longer limited to simply call centers and fatories; rather, analytical and clerical roles will be transitioned to these locations. Second, we will see a shift towards more innovation, focused on what is best for businesses and the economy, rather than what is best for us as individuals. This goes somewhat against the previous “all about me” outlook on Millennials. What I mean by this anticipated shift is a greater effort towards new business and refining the business models that companies blindly follow. We’ve seen this start to occur in a shift towards more sustainable operations. Businesses realize that a shift towards closed-loop industrial ecology actually saves them money. No longer will these outlooks be seen as a “treehugger” focus, but rather a wise focus! In his book The Great Boom Ahead, Harry Dent Jr. states that generations alternate between being innovators and conformists. According to his theory, we, the millennials, are the conformist generation – we will refind what was set forth by the previous generation. This aligns with what I mentioned about business models and the shift towards greater efficiency above. Another example would be taking the computer and Internet and utilizing these tools to develop Facebook, LinkedIn, and the like. If Mr. Dent is correct, the next book push in technological or industrial innovation (or perhaps renovation) won’t happen till our kids grow up!

An additional side to this story is that the ways of the Millennial are affection other generations which preceeded us. Look at the effects of social networking on Gen X and their increased participation. Also examine the unsettled nature of some of the Gen X folks who previously spent 15-25 years with a firm and now are leaving to do something more meaningful, or just find a better fit for their skill set. My parents included.

As an aside, I am leaving my corporate role with one of the “top 100″ firms in the country (according to Forbes) in a few weeks to intern, unpaid with an ad agency for 3 months and then go volunteer in South America for 3 months. After I return I may be attending graduate school for my Masters in a different industry all together, but I am playing it by ear. I have really focused on answering what my skills are and where they are best suited. I hope to do more for my society by focusing on what I love, versus what I felt I should do. The result will no doubt be better.

Thanks again for another great comment. I agree that this statistic should be both a wake up call to Millennials and their bosses, but I can’t imagine that 100% of these Millennials have terrible bosses. I also agree that this probably isn’t a gen-y exclusive statistic.

Having a “career” anymore is challenging since companies treat employees as disposable commodities. The challenge for the employee becomes having any long-term dedication, and the challenge for the employer becomes lack of employee dedication.

I’m looking forward to a new generation of employers (led by Millennials/Gen-Y?) that will reinvent an environment and workforce that is nurturing and continually evolving toward betterment.

I like Nick’s attitude adjustment concept! If we keep putting up with BS, it’ll continue to run rampant. It’s far from acceptable, and I believe when we have an employee market again (instead of employer market), many companies are going to be in for a big surprise when they realize the talent they need has become intolerant of anything but authenticity.

Again Blake, nice post. Thanks for sharing.