Millennials are changing the world

We’re lazy, entitled and self-centered. We think every day is “casual Friday.”
We don’t take orders well, were raised by doting parents and received awards for silly things like completing homework on time.
But we’re changing the world.
Millennials — Americans aged 18 to 30 — are often chastised by older generations for the ways we interact and work.
New studies, however, show we may change the world in ways different from any other generation.
The Millennial Impact Report, issued every year since 2009 by The Millennial Impact, shows millennials engage in causes to help other people rather than institutions and tend to support issues instead of organizations.
And the 2014 study showed 92 percent of those in my generation feel they are making a difference in the world.
The report also showed wanting to contribute to the world factors into our decisions about where to work.
Millennials overwhelmingly wish to work for companies that contribute to the world, and that “cause work” plays a huge role in whether or not they accept jobs offered to them.
When choosing a career, it was important to me that my work made me feel like I was making a difference in my community and the world. And, fortunately, every day I feel like the work I do is improving the community in some way.
The study also showed 87 percent of millennials donated to a nonprofit organization during 2013. That’s huge.
With that many members of this generation donating to a cause, how could they possibly be selfish?
Members of this generation are fighting to end social injustices, according to the Roosevelt Institute. From same-sex marriage to women’s equality, we’re on the frontlines fighting to ensure everyone has equal rights.
Millennials are more accepting of differences than members of the generations before them. And they’re leading the fight to make America a better place to live.
Millennials are also receiving more education than their parents and grandparents.
The Pew Research Center found millennials are on track to become the most educated generation in America, despite the difficulty they often face finding employment after school.
The number of Americans with college degrees will continue to rise in years to come as more and more young people graduate college.
They’re going to college to better themselves and better provide for their future families.
And that education is going to make America a stronger country.
But millennials aren’t just seeking to be better educated. We also want to become leaders in our communities and companies sooner rather than later.
The Hartford’s 2014 Millennial Leadership Survey showed 73 percent of millennials want to be leaders in the next five years.
We want to encourage and help others to be better in order to contribute more to their work places and the world.
Like each generation before us, we have our flaws. Some millennials are lazy. Some have a false sense of entitlement and were spoiled by their parents. Some don’t take work or life seriously and refuse to grow up. And some are self-centered.
But the majority of millennials are hardworking, even if they choose to wear sandals and jeans to work. They’re selfless, choosing to donate to causes and help others. And they’re eager to make the world better by engaging in cause work, earning college degrees and becoming leaders.
The reports show that while some negative qualities exist, millennials also have some incredible ones that will help change the world for the better.