A Millennial’s Message to the Class of 2020

Hey, Class of 2020, this sucks right now. I get it. I’ve been there.

It wasn’t that long ago I was going through something similar. When I graduated college I was met with sympathy for having to enter a world that was uncertain about work, what I could do with my degree, and how this American dream would pan out. And, it wasn’t just me; 83 million of my millennial friends felt the same.

You know what a millennial is, right? We’re the lazy ones. We play too many video games and baby boomers complained that we received too many participation trophies (forgetting, apparently that their children – our parents – are the ones that gave us all those trophies).

You know us.

And, I must admit I’ve been a bit jealous of you, growing up at a time with record low unemployment, a stock-market boom, and TikTok. It was all looking so good. And along comes 2020. But I don’t feel any happiness that you’re joining our reality, but rather a desire to come together. A desire to help. A desire to share what I’ve learned as you begin to navigate a world and an economy of unknowns, much like the world for us millennials. Remember, we grew up during two wars, and, just after getting our bearings, the 2008 financial crisis left us all shaking our heads.

So, as you graduate from high schools and colleges in the coming days, as you sit and watch your commencement over video conference, I have a millennial message for you.

To the class of 2020…

You’re entering a job market, a workforce, an economy, a world of uncertainty. But you know what? You’ll figure it out. And to help I’m going to offer a few pieces of advice that I’ve learned along the way.

So, to the class of 2020. I hope you’re listening.

#1. Don’t press pause.

Start now. Let me put this a different way. You’re hired. What do I mean? If you just graduated with a degree in marketing I just made you a CMO. If you just graduated with a degree in computer science I just made you a CTO. If you’re a finance major I just made you an accountant, now go help somebody navigate their PPP. If you’re graduating from medical school, well, you already know what you should go do right now.

Smart people say it takes 10,000 hours to become a master at anything. So you better get started. Start your journey now and use this moment to acquire skills, try new things, and start your jobs. Get better at the craft or the career that you want to pursue. Don’t press pause.

#2. Jump the line.

Now is not the time to submit a resume and hope somebody calls. How many emails are you sending every day to a CEO? How many calls are you making to the people in roles that can help you in your career? How many LinkedIn requests are you making to people to ask for help and advice? I’m not just talking to the college graduating class here, I’m also talking to those of you who are about to graduate from high school and are walking into a world where internship opportunities and entry-level jobs are gone. Don’t sit back. Don’t wait in line. People are out there willing to help. Go ask.

#3. Hug your family.

If we have learned anything right now it is that we are all being affected and we are all in this together. As we transition to a world that asks you to socially distance you must not detach from the people closest to you. Where can you chip in? Where can you lift up? What role can you play?

And, I got one piece of advice for everybody else out there: The CEOs, the C-level executives, the managers, the bosses, the teachers, and to the parents- take those calls. Respond to those emails. Accept the LinkedIn connection. Pick somebody up. Help somebody who doesn’t know what their next step is. I’m pretty confident that you can find five minutes to help somebody out right now. We all need it. We all need you to help.

Nobody gets where they are completely on their own; it takes a tremendous amount of love, coaching, education, and support to raise a young person. This is a fact, and, this is true now more than ever for the Class of 2020. We need you to not just take action, but we need you to continue to support this community of graduates to get where you want to go.

I remain optimistic. I believe the tremendous opportunity lies ahead. And, I’m most excited about this next wave of graduates, you’re going to make a powerful contribution to how we move forward in a post-COVID-19 world.

I am not one for quotes, but then again, this is a graduation speech. A book I famously never read in school (but learned to appreciate after) is “The Old Man and the Sea” by Ernest Hemingway. In it the unlucky fisherman Santiago says, “Every day is a new day. It is better to be lucky. But I would rather be exact. Then when luck comes you are ready.”

Keep your head up. Don’t answer the student loan calls – send them to voicemail. Don’t let the news get you down. Don’t let those grouchy HR managers who don’t want to take your call and are giving you a tough time in the interview process, worry you. You got this. Go take it.

Now let’s get back to work.