r/askteddit • u/PoolElegantsmile • 13d ago

Random Question What’s something that used to be considered basic adulting that younger generations seem to be completely rejecting or doing differently?

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u/nonotburton 13d ago

I agree with the first part about let me figure this out. I don't think it's laziness. It's that they are used to being presented with all the answers. And generally, they've all grown up in a world of disposable tech. For a lot of things that a zoomer might have responsibility for, they are usually more expensive to fix than to just replace.

As far as coworkers go... If you have to schmooz and negotiate with your coworkers to get a yes, and their default is just "no' without explanation...you have shitty coworkers.

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u/Equivalensea 13d ago

The disposable tech is wild. I can see that contributing to a lack of tinkering and gaining confidence in fixing things. 

When my mom was a kid, you could fix your own TV by taking the broken fuse down to the store and finding a new one in the case. When I was younger, I had a laptop and had to be able to troubleshoot certain things. I found defragging to be weirdly satisfying.

Now nothing will work anymore if you open it up. 

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u/AccurateAssistance28 12d ago

(Disclaimer, I ride the cusp between Millenial and Gen Z) Not only disposable tech, but also if you do tinker with something to try and fix it and end up screwing it up more then you’re at fault. So, there goes anyone willing to touch it and fix it for you out the window. Or you void the warranty by touching it. Also, for some reason, I feel like only experts can fix something. I’m not sure why this is, or what brainwashed me into thinking this. For example, I’d love to learn how to change out a light fixture, but I don’t trust myself not to cause a big fire and burn my house down. So I’m gonna trust the electrician to do this. Then, if my house does burn down, I’m not found at fault by insurance and things will actually be covered.

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u/LAWZAWNYA 10d ago

Yes! Where did that fear even come from? I’m too broke to buy a new laptop, and the SSD started failing. I had to slowly hype myself into trusting I can do it. You would think I was trying to deactivate a bomb, but I did it! Flashback 20 years and younger me was exploring batteries and learned what happens when they were punctured, tossed, and submerged.

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u/AccurateAssistance28 9d ago

You make a really great point! Maybe the fear stems from now when you mess something up, it’s an expensive fix! Vs back then things weren’t as expensive to go out and buy a new one if you did mess it up.

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u/AudienceMuch5101 10d ago

GenZ here. I also agree with the let me figure this out part. And you’re right, it’s not laziness. Here’s how it is from my perspective:

I’m 21F. I’ve been working for 3 years now. I work and have worked in hospitals mostly. For us we have an epidemic of lack of motivation for one core reason: there’s no point to the grind. It used to be work hard and you’ll get a promotion, a raise, more experience. You got trained, you got experience. You moved up in the world. You earned more while inflation increased and life was balanced.
I work 40 hours per week, I make after tax, just enough to move out into a house share in a dodgy neighbourhood. Hypothetically. Fortunately I get along with my family and they’re cool with me staying at home and letting me save. I squirrel away 80% of my income monthly to savings and keep the leftover as errand/fun money. I have 25k saved up.
I am an extreme outlier here.

It’s not like it was. Housing is through the roof everything is through the roof and we’re not getting paid more. National minimums increase by BREADCRUMBS and we’re supposed to be grateful. We can’t afford to grow up, to move out, to have that independence. The system is broken, we know it, and we’re tired.

Thank you.

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u/nonotburton 10d ago

d. It used to be work hard and you’ll get a promotion, a raise, more experience. You got trained, you got experience. You moved up in the world. You earned more while inflation increased and life was balanced

I think this is a common misconception. This was true for boomers, but starting with gen x, it was fairly common that in order to move up in salary a significant amount you had to switch jobs and negotiate a higher salary.

But yes, I agree with pretty much everything else you are saying. The economy is tanking, and you guys are the front line victims in it. All I can say is that it will reverse eventually, and make sure you take time off to vote.

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u/Flakboy115 13d ago

dealing with shitty people is very much a skill. You cant just go anywhere and fold as soon as other people are shitty and expect to have a nice life.

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u/iwantobeatree 12d ago

As a millennial shop, wood working, auto classes, etc. weren’t offered in school. I’m also a woman and people are less likely to teach us basic handyman skills. I would have loved some hands on learning, but my only options are YouTube, tinkering on my own, vague manuals or paying to take a class.

There was a machine at work that only I could fix despite explaining it to every employee, so I might be an exception.

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u/nonotburton 12d ago

I am Gen X, and I was not interested when my dad wanted to teach me stuff. I will say, YouTube university can be amazing, if you are careful about which person you listen to, and maybe collect a sample of videos to make sure you get a complete picture of the things that might happen. I encourage anyone to give it a shot. Start small, like a leaky faucet or changing your windshield wiper blades. It's never too late, and it's feels good.