I don't understand why people think that Gen Y assumes that their parents had it so easy???
If I find a graduate position earning $50k I will be earning more than either of my parents ever earned!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Neither of my parents finished high school or went to university, and neither of them has ever owned their own home. I went to university so I didn't have to suffer the way they have.
Many, many of the students I'm at university with come from similar circumstances. My friends of Indian and Asian background have parents who couldn't afford shoes when they were young and came to Australia for a better life. We know how hard our parents had things and that is why we work so hard for something better!
People talk about Gen Y "wanting everything now" but a huge proportion of us put off paid employment to complete an education. We delay our LIVES to get this education. This is why young people stay at home with their parents so long and put off having relationships and children. Do you think this situation is ideal? Do you think we want to live with our parents and get to 40 and realise we haven’t had children and it's too late? We're living in a society where just an undergraduate degree isn't enough; employers want double degrees and post-grad studies. This educational pressure is one that I don't think previous generations had to face to the same extent.
You're all just making ridiculous generalisations when you talk about Gen Y being ungrateful and wanting it all now. Every day I am thankful that I got the opportunity to go to university. If I lived in a country without HECS I wouldn’t be there! I'd have the exact same life as my parents who struggled to put food on the table when I was younger. But with the way property prices and rent are currently, I think many more families are going to face that struggle. Many children are going to grow up without either of their parents being around because both have to work.
Who cares if air fares are less expensive? Travel is a luxury; a place to live is a necessity!
Belle you do have a very narrow perspective, there is plenty of jobs available where you dont need a degree. I know 15 year olds just finished year 10 earning up to $50 dollars an hour after doing a course for a few days. School teachers earning an extra $400.00 dollars a week driving a trucks on the weekend after doing a course for a few hours. There is an acute shortage of employable people. There is opportunity out there if any-body wants to get out and have a look. A lot of employers dont need degrees they jusr want some -one with the right attitude and willing to have a go and show some inititive.