These articles paint twentysomething students and recent grads, and even unemployed workers in their mid-to-late 30s, as idealistic slackers without a care in the world who – for a time – surf couches, take odd jobs and, God forbid, actually feel optimistic about the future while they’re doing it.

Indeed, the trend is spurred on by changing attitudes towards work, says Karyn Gordon, a workplace and youth consultant. Young people today are less likely to see work as their raison d’être. They are happier to stay jobless because they don’t base their self worth on their job, Dr. Gordon says. [The Globe and Mail]

While this is generally true, many of us still long for a life-long career we are happy in. Unlike our parents’ and grandparents’ generations, who often stayed at one job or only a couple similar jobs their whole lives, perhaps it’s not the individual jobs that make up an important part of who we are. After all, we’re likely to change jobs at least a dozen or so times in our lifetime. But I think a meaningful career that progresses steadily from Point A to B to C, etc. is still important to Gen Y. We want to know our dedication and hard work is paying off in the long run.

Although I usually favour the Globe over other Canadian publications, its article on this topic doesn’t hold up to the paper’s normally high standards. It focuses on Gen Y’s stereotypical Peter Pan-ishness (however, most of the sources in this article are in their 30s for some reason) and doesn’t acknowledge the fact that young people currently have a lot of competition for jobs due to the recession, and there is also currently more reliance on short-term contract work which might leave people unemployed, then employed and then un/underemployed again.

Now, aside from the fact that I know more people who are working hard (or at least working hard at trying to get a job so they can work hard) than not, in previous generations the “funemployed” were simply free spirits who needed a little extra time to “find themselves.” Weren’t they? I don’t think this is something new nor do I think the funemployed should define our entire generation.

In the more recent Maclean’s article on the same topic, I think the reality of Gen Y not being able to find meaningful work and pursuing other valid options is more accurately represented. For example:

• realizing it’s a tough time to look for a career-advancing job and working a service job to finance a vacation before taking international internships abroad;
• getting laid off and living on the severance package while keeping an ear to the ground until another meaningful opportunity presents itself;
• working on hobbies and projects that make you happy, such as art, music or blogging, which can also help with networking and preventing the isolation that typically occurs when someone is unemployed.

Although the article is still peppered with a few Gen Y stereotypes, it’s much more kind than the other. And as for our generation being more accepted of unemployment than previous generations, let’s just say we realize there are different paths we can take along the journey toward a fulfilling career. Sometimes it includes travel (for business or for pleasure), or exploring different interests, or just being unemployed for a while because it can be tough to find a job.

And it’s OK!

(However, I have to mention that I think time off should include something that is potentially relevant to your career path, such as volunteering/unpaid internships or creating work for yourself through some sort of project or even just a blog.)

First, second and even third year passed without any noticeable weight gain, for most of us. We were just too busy to experience it and, especially for those of us in Toronto, we walked everywhere we had to go.

But as we finished up fourth year, we noticed a lot of us gained some weight – whether it was recently or over the four years is impossible to know – and for me personally, it’s feels like I’m wearing a fat suit some days.

I’ve never been thin, but I can feel the weight I’ve put on recently more than at any other time in my life. And it’s not hard to see why:

I just spent months on computers writing, editing, designing. While I was an editor at The Ryersonian and a reporter at the National Post, I ate at least one meal each day from a food court, cafeteria or the ready-made section in a grocery store. There was no minimum-wage part-time job keeping me on my toes. I worked really long days, squeezing in the fastest, most convenient food when there was time.

I don’t even want to think about how many calories, grams of fat, preservatives, etc. I’ve eaten since January.

A few of my peers, like me, finished up university not being able to fit into their clothes. The future is a depressing enough prospect when we’re not only thrown from cushy university life into the real world, but we have to worry about your career, relationships and all the money we spent at university (which we now have to pay back).

Add to that a veritable fat suit, but under our skin, and it’s hard to feel good about life despite all we’ve accomplished.

However, lucky for me, I have a job. I earned my first real, substantial pay cheque on Friday, so on Tuesday I’m going to join Curves. It’s the only gym within walking distance of my dad’s house and, honestly, I hate traditional gyms.

I’m not going to be calorie-counting or obsessively weighing myself, so I hope eating more responsibly and exercising a little every day will give me some more energy and, you know, a bit of weight loss would be a plus too.

A girl directly in front of me is toggling between two chat windows, a website of song lyrics, email, her Facebook profile, and, every now and then, her lecture notes. It’s hard to concentrate. I feel a pang of sympathy for the professor at the front of the hall. His multitasking students are certainly busy, but by bringing their online lives into the classroom, are they paying enough attention to him—or their educations?

Over at Maclean’s OnCampus, Karen Pinchin argues in, “Can I have your half-attention, please?” that although many post-secondary institutions now require their students to use laptops, using a computer during lecture can actually cause the student to score lower on tests.

And, of course, some professors just find them plain disrespectful.

It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out using a laptop during class takes brainpower away from learning.

But I would argue students just aren’t being challenged to use enough of their brainpower during a lecture to warrant giving their full attention to the instructor.

Post-secondary students have been listening to lecturers and scribbling down notes to memorize for centuries. Haven’t our brains, and our expectations of communication, evolved over that time? Especially over the past 20 years or so? Of course!

The old tribal storytelling method where important information is passed down to the youth from the elders no longer applies. Not in the information age.

We’re not the first generation to seek out distractions during a tediously boring lecture. Before laptops became as prevalent as they are today, students doodled, worked on other assignments, discretely read books, wrote letters (or grocery lists, novels or to-do lists) or just zoned out altogether.

That says a lot about the method of delivery of information. Too many instructors rely solely on the lecture method to teach students. Three hours listening to the same person drone on and on about a single topic is enough to drive away anyone’s attention span, no matter how disciplined a learner.

Some professors think their lectures become more entertaining if they throw the information together in a PowerPoint presentation rather than writing it on a black/whiteboard or putting it up on an overhead projector. Putting notes online ahead of time is even worse because students already know what to expect when they arrive — if they arrive.

Looking back over the past four years of my undergraduate career, I remember leaving lectures during the break halfway through numerous times simply because it was boring and I felt like I wasn’t learning anything. Sometimes I had something better to do, sometimes not.

Now, I’m not an educational flake. I love learning. I constantly consume information. I always want to know more.

But maybe that’s the problem. Either the information being provided to students by most instructors or the way it’s being delivered isn’t up to snuff with what we’re used to.

The most interesting and, I would aruge, informative lectures I’ve ever attended have included at least some of the following elements, all of which I think are must-haves in this day and age:

• Variety – A mix of the traditional podium-style lecturing along with other styles is the only way to ensure students pay attention in class. Otherwise, it turns into a real snooze-fest after about 15 minutes or so.

• Discussion – Even in large classes, giving students the opportunity to form and verbally express their thoughts on a topic is the easiest way to mix things up. Although students can become  annoyed by peers who voice opinions too regularly, a group discussion at the beginning or end of a class will get their mind working whether they raise their hand or not.

• Multimedia – Most post-secondary classrooms are totally wired these days and allow instructors to share video, audio, photos, slideshows and web pages with students. Too few profs take advantage of this incredible tool, however, and even fewer know how to use it properly. Moving smoothly from one method to another is essential in avoiding those deadly techno-phobic moments during which attention — and respect — is lost.

• Interactivity – Whether the instructor asks survey questions or simply asks students to write down the answer to a question on a sheet of paper to hand in at the end of class for participation marks, allowing students to contribute something outside of a discussion setting should prevent them from zoning out too often.

• Web 2.0 – This under-used tool is probably the most valuable. By giving students the opportunity to participate and think about class material outside of a classroom setting, they’ll be more interested in class lectures and discussions. Online blogs, forums, social networking and communities are easy to create and maintain. Students can contribute at any time and move the online material and ongoing discussions into the classroom setting.

• Time out – Providing students with a short break mid-way through a longer class is essential. Not only will you notice a renewed focus when they return, their bladders and stiff bodies will thank you.

What do you think is essential to providing an interesting, informative lecture?

As a university student and an NDP supporter, this makes me very upset.

I don’t attend York, but I can sympathize with the more than 50,000 students who have been out of class for nearly three months. I’m sure there are hundreds, if not thousands, of students who, like me, rely on a fixed income from student loans or lines of credit to fund their education.

And once the money runs out, that’s it.

Even if they get their tuition back for these lost semesters (and they probably won’t), the true cost of attending university is the cost of living and, more importantly, the cost of not working.

I understand the fight for higher wages by teaching assistants and contract professors, but I don’t necessarily support it. Not for three months when tens of thousands of students (and many of their parents) are struggling to pay for school so they can try to get a decent job in the future.

If Ryerson had gone on strike this year instead of York, I would have been completely screwed. I wouldn’t be graduating this April with a Bachelor of Journalism and I probably wouldn’t be graduating in the next few years either, simply because I would not be able to afford to return to school for quite a while.

The provincial NDP made a huge mistake by not supporting this back-to-work legislation.

Not only did they alienate hundreds of thousands of young voters, many of whom want a viable political alternative to the Liberals and Conservatives, but they also gave critics of the party reason to continue to think of the NDP as a one-dimensional labour party.

If the provincial and federal NDP truly want a shot at leading a government in the near future, they’ll have to take a less extreme position on issues such as these.

Supporting unionized labour is a good thing — to a point. Once millions of dollars are lost, tens of thousands of students are forced out of the classroom and lose up to an entire year of education, and there is no hope of the two sides negotiating a contract, it’s time for back-to-work legislation.

I never thought I’d say this, but this is one time the Liberals and Conservatives have it all right and the NDP have it all wrong.