Sorry, but I think your perspective is out of whack. I'll do my best to explain why.
hargrove i think captures how a lot of us, millennials, feel. and if you do take the entry level job you're over qualified for, there's little chance of advancing and if you try to apply to your education qualification it may actually be seen as a detriment. older workers seem to be staying in the workforce longer. and if you jump ship to a different company after doing your entry level drudgery, the office you left has the 'millennials are quitters with no loyalty, just trying to put in the minimum' reinforced.
People change jobs all the time. I've had (not counting part time work in college and high school) 10 employers.
3 of them bought out the firm I worked for so we'll count it as 7. If you're constantly changing jobs every year or two for a decade or two then it's a red flag. But changing jobs right out of school? Not a problem, especially if it's a step up.
If you've made friends with colleagues at the company who respect you and your work, keep in touch with them after you leave work there. It is THEIR opinion that will matter to a potential new employer far more than the bland, sanitized-for-legal-protection reference HR will give out.
why don't we ever hear anything about what the companies are doing to cause this? it's useful to learn the schooling that causes this or the lack of technical education for non-white collar jobs that fusses the supply of workers and applicants, but i think there must be something on the supply of jobs side that is messed up.
Because they have to, that's why. If they don't get more efficient and profitable their competition will. And then they will wither away or die off. Read the business news. You'll learn about major companies that just didn't change with the times and how they are dying off or retrenching big time.
there may also be perception issues of what is a millennial asking for. i'm already running into the frustration. i took an entry level job i was over qualified for. in the year i've had the job, my responsibilities have ballooned while my pay hasn't. i had an unexpected flare up of a chronic illness and my productivity went down, def below my usual but still above those previously in my role. now i'm in a vat of hot water for it. what's the reward for working hard at your entry level job if doing so just means that more work will be expected of you but you don't advance or get any flexibility for things out of your control?
Welcome to the real world.
Do you expect a corporation - a legal body without a soul - to give a damn about you? It can't, it has no soul.
Some managers nurture their staff to get the most value out of them, other managers exploit their staff to try the same result. If you have an exploiter for a boss, don't expect them to do you any kindnesses that will cost them - well - anything. This isn't some new thing that your generation is the first to experience. We've all had to put up with it.
When you get a job, you should view it as a stepping stone to a better one. That means you figure out what skills, contacts or credentials you can extract from that job and you manuever to get them. You don't expect your manager to do that for you. It's your responsibility. Right or wrong that's just the way it is. Put your priorities on those items that will help you move towards the next job you want - whether it's at your current employer or not.
In fact, if you want a big promotion or a big raise, your odds are significantly higher of getting them at a new employer. If your current employer is growing like crazy and money is rolling in then you've got a better than average shot at a big promotion and raise at your current employer. Otherwise, not so much. It is what it is.
So, your boss doesn't appreciate you, your skills and your hard work. Get a different boss at a different employer. Just make sure you actually have skills, work hard, do good work, and are personable...
the other thing that makes advancement hard is that some fields have education thresholds. so while you might be able to get your undergrad cheap/free, it's unlikely you can get your master's cheaply. and the master's is what you need to jump payscales.
Actually, if you've got a job at a decent sized company you might very well be able to get a higher degree paid for by your company. It's worth checking into. And making sure you know how long you have to stay after you get it without having to pay them back anything. Check with HR. A small business employer? Not very likely.
the research line that rebuts a lot of the MMM soothing words is this "Most importantly, the qualitative results do not change when we account for potential changes in the quality of goods and new product innovation." so even if you are trying to cut down your consumer desires, the advance of tech isn't actually enough to offset the loss of wages compared to your parents at your age. and if all of this comes with being seen as a replaceable and irresponsible cog with no hope of advancement or recognition as a person, then it makes sense that millennials would be resentful and worried.
Doesn't matter what your parents made or didn't make at your age. Simply doesn't matter. You just do your best in the situation you find yourself in. And the reality for people in the USA is that having a comfortable life and a profitable career isn't that hard to do.