What Would The Class of 2014 Think?

Check out the 2011 list #56.

From 2014: 48. Someone has always gotten married in space.

OK. I must have dozed off during some of those years. What is this one referring to?

Wow, to be a late gen X and early gen Y. The gen X knows why the buttons on the mouse work, the gen Y wants to know where to click it. What a brave new world we live in...

All this catering and fuss with Gen X, Y, Z is corporate bloat. The image NASA wants to present to any generation is one of resolution, certitude, an organization with clear and defined objectives. What NASA does can be explained to potential job candidates as a whole and what it does is quite unique and there are not many competitors aside from the contractors that NASA itself employs. If an organization that is devoted to exploration and study cannot relate to the latest Gen without specifically targeting that generation, then there is something wrong. Resolve the issue around the next generation of launch vehicles - be it commercially designed and implemented or in-house built. Continue the successful SMD. Define objectives for the manned program that are within budget rather than declaring we need more money too. Manned program goals should focus on new technology for long duration missions - propulsion, environmental protection, EDL, bio habitat, surface transportation (rover,etc.).

I think the word "always" has lost its meaning.
At any rate, these people need a subscription to Motorsport... assuming they know how to use it...

Unfortunately I am a member of "Gen Y". I am embarassed by some of the stuff that comes from others in this "Gen" that are suppose to be reflective of the "Gen Y" at large. The "Gen Y" products and attitude that is constantly portrayed on the internet(or in NASA presentations) reminds me of the qualities bratty children have that my mother and father raised me NOT to imitate, such as: NEVER being satisfied with anything--most of these people don't realize they're lucky to HAVE a job, even if it doesnt fulfill your every childhood dream and aspiration.....the YOU must cater to ME attitude.....and of course the great ideas "we" come up with: Mr. 40 year veteran of aerospace engineering your way of doing things is FAR too archaic, we MUST make it more complicated and it must use an online "collaborative" database with a user ID and password. I know this is a better way because I've designed and flown absolutely NOTHING in my entire life. But I sure know how to use Microsoft PowerPoint !

Space and aeronautics inspires people who have a love for math and science, no matter how its presented or the "outreach strategy" to younger people......there's a TON of young engineer nerds like me in the workforce (or still in school) that just want to work in the aerospace industry because they love it. To heck with the touchy/feely crap-ola.

Folks there is hope. Not all "Gen Y" members are like these people, that constantly harp and harp on "culture" and "what's in it for me ?" instead of working their a$$es off at a REAL JOB, soaking up knowledge, and striving to be the best asset to their employer/project/supervisor as possible.

A lot of this bashing of Gen Y is a little uncalled for. Yeah, there are a lot of brats just as there are with gen X and the baby boomers.

However, The characterization about this generation being self focused and concerned only with personal motives and gain is just plain inaccurate. For one, the change of society from a racially segregated society to economically segregated was not started by the Y generation.

Generation Y didn't conveniently place NASA centers near cost absorbent beachfronts and create the catastrophic financial mess that NASA human exploration is in today. What is Generation Y good at then? Networking, bringing people and data together. Something these other generations have had large issues with.

If you want to see such matters in full force, look no further than the workforce and structure at SpaceX, Google, Ebay, Etc. Last time we heard a launch tower built by NASA costs more than an entire rocket design and test program built by largely Gen Y workforce.

Yes, we should all be worried. For our jobs that is. I for one hope my borderline status is enough for inclusion.

Editor's note: and yet you simply cannot bring yourself to use your real name ....

Generation schmeneration :) Yes, the world changes over time and people aren't all the same. I think that explains things sufficiently.

I agree with spaceman. I have to imagine that the people that actually exhibit the negative stereotypes people have of Gen Y have a hard time finding and keeping a job and generally succeeding at life.

By the way, wikipedia says (Strauss & Howe) Gen X ends at 1981 birth date, and Gen Y begins at 1982 birth date. Something tells me those companies aren't populated by mostly Gen Y (28 yrs and younger) if that's the case. Really though, defining generations is just inexact.

There is another point of view starting to circulate around the Internet. I found out about Eric Raymond's posting Women in computing: first, get the problem right via Rand Simberg's posting Worker Abuse and Dale Amon via Facebook.

Research supporting the idea that too many tech employers are abusive and causing problems was being reported as far back as 2007. That's how I managed to write Aerospace Workforce Issues. That began life as a policy contribution to the Clinton campaign.

For what it is worth, Rand, Dale and I are clearly middle aged.

It is not a Gen Y thing. Or a Gen X thing.

Tech industry in particular no longer has the choice of continuing the status quo. Thoughtful, carefully carried out reform is much more preferable rather than something more like the French revolution.