Millennials need to stop complaining, we don’t have it worse

Lazy. Generation me. The “selfie-generation.”

These are just a few of the words used by baby-boomers and parents when describing millennials.

And are they wrong? Well, maybe not entirely.

This shocking idea that our generation isn’t the best of the best came after reading an article published on New York Times by Lee Seigel, called “Why I defaulted on My Student Loans.”

Don’t get me wrong, I know plenty of people my age who have scholarships and work multiple jobs just to pay rent and tuition, and still have to take out loans. But these people also tend to be studying something that will pay well in the future. They know UF’s prestige and superiority comes with a hefty price tag and few scholarships.

Why do you think the business and engineering colleges are always on fleek? They have rich alumni. As much as I love my theatre and public relations degrees, I know I won’t be raking in loads of cash with them. There are countless books and websites telling me what jobs are in demand and how much I can expect as a starting salary.

Jackson’s face as he judges what we spend him on

It’s important to be happy with what you’re studying, but understand there are trade offs. I know for a fact if I didn’t get Bright Futures, I wouldn’t be able to afford UF’s tuition. I would have had to stay at my community college and transfer in with my AA.

And you know what? There’s no shame in that.

There is, however, shame in making a promise to pay back what you borrow and then change your mind. I’ve heard countless millennials complaining about how hard we have it coming into an economic issue we didn’t necessarily create.

Yeah it sucks. It will take years to pay off our loans, and we will have to wait a bit longer than our parents did to get the stereotypical white-picket fence dream home.

But it sure beats fighting in a war.

Just two to three generations ago, our grandfathers or great-grandfathers were being drafted into a war at 18. A war many of them may not have wanted to be in. A war may of them would die, or have friends die in. I know I’d rather be a bit more thrifty than fear for my friends life on the other side of the world.

Even further back, young adults were fighting in World War II. While the recession we had back in ’08 was awful, it has nothing on the Great Depression. Finding a job nowadays isn’t the easiest feat. Imagine back then.

So yes, loans and student debt suck. You go to college to improve yourself and set yourself up for an awesome life. And we’re being charged how much? It is more than what it was before, even after accounting for inflation.

Let’s just not forget what could be going on instead. Every generation has a struggle. This just happens to be ours. After all, we do get the internet. Can you imagine going through college without Google?