How ageism prevents young people from building a career

Ageism is the broadcasting of stereotypes about people of a certain age. This term, which seems quite young, appeared half a century ago and has already caught up in age with those to whom it is usually applied. However, this phenomenon is not limited to adults.

The problem of generations is primarily a matter of worldview. It is formed due to cultural and historical circumstances, the economic situation, the level of stability in the country. These factors have a particularly acute effect on adolescents aged 10-12 years. During this period, views on life are laid. At the same time, the value system of the previous generation remains almost unchanged.

The names of generations X, Y, Z were introduced by Neil Howe and William Strauss, the founders of the so-called generational theory, who in 1991 published the book “Generations”, where they analyzed the features of each of them.

Generation X (1964-1984)

People who grew up under an authoritarian regime. We are accustomed to rely on the opinion and experience of elders. They respect the leadership, positively perceive the vertical hierarchy. They treat work responsibly, often ready to overwork and work overtime, but not for the benefit of the state, but for the comfort of their families. They value professionalism, experience and discipline.

Generation Y (1984 – 2000)

Born in an era of change. Their idols were people who achieved fame and money outside the main system. In work, they value high wages, individual conditions and the opportunity for self-expression. They strive for an easy beautiful life, appreciate support and material rewards.

Generation Z (2000 – 2018)

Children who grew up with gadgets in their hands. They have no concept of authority, they recognize only a horizontal hierarchy and demand transparency in all processes in their work. They differ in clip thinking and dependence on social networks, while often experiencing difficulties in real communication.

Other times, other rules

Each new generation dictates its own values ​​and lifestyle. Now is the time for young entrepreneurs, and many of them are professionals in their field at the age of 20-30. For example, the founders of a company that produces plant-based meat, Georgy Zheleznov, Yulia Marsel and Artem Ponomarev, are not yet 30 years old. The annual revenue of their company in 2020 amounted to 20 million rubles.

Daniel Galper, who founded the healthy food delivery service, turned 27 this year. At the end of 2020, the company’s turnover is 2,2 billion rubles. And it’s not just about money. Young people are ready to be creative, come up with something new, and promote their projects.

Danil Shusharin, at the age of 16, created his own startup – a system for predicting real estate prices based on artificial intelligence – and managed to find investors for it. True, Daniel tried not to indicate his age anywhere, and the investor found out about him only at the time of the transaction.

Refusal of templates

The attitude “Young equally inexperienced” still sits in people who are used to consistency. In their opinion, you first need to study for a long time, then climb the career ladder for a long time. But today it doesn’t work.

I started a business at school, selling natural dietary supplements. At 16, I had an office manager. I remember that a wealthy man came to us, and I was just carrying boxes of drugs. “Your loaders dress well,” he nodded in my direction. When the manager said that I was the director, the man’s face showed shock. And that’s the main reaction I get.

For a long time I struggled with the internal block that I have no right to share my experience with older people. I tried to look more mature, dressed more solidly, spoke in complex phrases. I thought it added value.

Now I understand that the attitude towards a person is directly proportional to his attitude towards himself. When you have an inner feeling that you can help, people feel it. And here the main thing is not to hesitate at the very beginning, to accept surprise, to start a conversation. Usually, after 10-15 minutes of communication, a person’s attitude changes, he forgets about his age and begins to see a specialist in front of him.

And one of the signs of this is the ability to adapt to a changing environment. In my company, both adult employees 55+ and young ones, 25 years old, work in key positions. They are different, but this does not mean that they are inferior to each other. Rather complement.

Older people are incredibly experienced, very responsible. At the same time, they are able to deal with any difficulties. They have a grip. This generation is underestimated. Their strength lies in consistency and discipline.

At the same time, adults treat the young as reckless. But this is not recklessness, but flexibility, adaptability, creativity.

When we go to corporate parties, all employees communicate with each other so on an equal footing that the feeling of age disappears completely. The difference between generations does exist, but these are just inputs. Same as gender, build or physical features. How to dispose of them and whether they will become an advantage or a disadvantage depends on the individual employee and on his manager.