As a certified trainer and teacher for the Tourism and Hospitality Skill Council, I travel all over our amazing country to introduce the young generation to the wonderful career opportunities in the tourism industry. I have interacted with thousands of young people from every part of the country, and through this time I have made some observations about the nature and psyche of the upcoming generation that I would like to share with you.
The most important thing I would like to mention is we must bust the myth that the younger generation is lazy and unwilling to work hard and improve their skills. In my experience, that is simply not the case. The youth of this country is incredibly conscientious and is adamant about contributing as members of society. They are unafraid of the grind and willing to take charge of opportunities that come their way. The caricature of the “lazy millennial” has been widely exaggerated and misunderstood and does not come near the truth about our Gen Y. There can always be exceptions to this, but my assertion remains that the potential of our youth is exceptional.
One thing I have noticed about them is that they are risk-takers, more than us old heads at least. They don’t like playing it safe or not playing at all – they’re no fence-sitters and would rather experiment and figure out life for themselves than stay the course or be unsure of unexplored terrain. Along with taking risks, they’ve learned to take the possibilities of failure in their stride too. This risk-taking or I’d rather say opportunity-seeking, gene has inspired an entrepreneurial streak with many youngsters pursuing their businesses or taking on unconventional roles as they aren’t fulfilled in traditional 9-to-5 jobs.
It isn’t just the monotony of conventional office jobs that worries them, but the prospect of stagnation.
Many of the youth I spoke to are hungry to acquire new skills and the experiential aspect of their careers, which traditional office roles may not expose them to. They’re also eager to acquire multiple skills and not specialize in one category alone, paving the way for a workforce that is multi-skilled and better equipped to tackle more than before. This is where the tourism and hospitality businesses, which offer a revolving door of exposure to interesting people and travel excites many of them. Even with the structured demands of various roles, no two days are the same purely because of the people and places you get to be around. This is telling of how they approach their personal lives too. In no hurry to fulfill traditional expectations, they’re keener to explore the world and seek out new experiences before starting a family or settling down.
Work-life balance wasn’t a priority when I was building my professional life, but with the new generation, I see a different perspective. They’re seeking more equilibrium, but they’re willing to go the distance if the opportunity has a pay-off towards their happiness. They’re excited to invest time in honing their craft and then leveraging that to grow into success. Our young have evolved from our approach – from focussing solely on hard work to smart work.
In my opinion, the future of this country looks bright and is in good hands with a generation that is resilient to facing odds and inspired to set new benchmarks and take this country ahead. The role of technology is also vital in harnessing the potential of our youth and future skilling requirements. I can’t wait to see what they do with the skills they’re developing and the new horizons they’re opening up for themselves and our industry!
Article by Sundeep Chhabra is the Head-Training, State engagement, and marketing at THSC.