The Gen X work problem

First, let’s be clear: I have never been a big fan of generalizing about generations. I am making a small exception for parts of the argument in this post.

Who is Gen X?

Mid-40s to late-50s now. Molly Ringwald, baby! Kurt Cobain!

And how have they been described?

The big tropes about Gen X are “latchkey kids” and “alt-slackers” or something. But while The New York Times recently called them “a mess,” they also admitted in doing that how Gen X is the only generation that really puts its head down, goes to work, and gets shit done. Word. The Trains Moving Generation!

OK, so late 40s … career peak, maybe? Right?

Here’s some data on what’s going on with Gen X. Let me bullet point out a little bit for you:

• In the past five years, the majority of Gen X leaders (66%) had received only one promotion or none at all — significantly fewer than their younger millennial counterparts (52%) and more senior baby boomers (58%) who were more likely to have received two or more promotions during the same period of time.