The Hidden Career Advantages of Being Born Between Generations
Helen Phung, a communications consultant, had what she considered a brilliant Halloween costume. She couldn’t wait for her coworkers to give her knowing nods and make clever comments as they passed her in the kitchen. She was dressed as the Chicken Lady from Kids in the Hall, the Canadian sketch comedy show that originally aired from the late ’80s to mid-’90s, and later as reruns on Comedy Central during the ’00s.
When Phung strolled into her office wearing her pink and white masterpiece, ready to score points and winks, she recalls, “No such thing happened. No one knew who I was, nor did they think it was funny. I ended up having to say emphatically, ‘I’m the Chicken Lady from Kids in the Hall! You don’t know the Chicken Lady!? Oh, you’ve never seen Kids in the Hall? Okay. Cool. Well, it was hilarious. You should YouTube it.’”
Then she admits, “This led to a compounded feeling of alienation.”
Phung’s experience may sound simply like a case of generational differences. And maybe that’s true. But for Phung, who was born on the cusp of both the millennial generation (born 1981–2001) and the tail end of generation X (born 1965–1980), her own generational position isn’t so clear.
Like her, some generational “in-betweeners” in the workplace today may feel puzzled by Snapchat, yet were too young to listen to Nirvana and wear Doc Martins and flannels the first time around. Or else they’re older members of gen X, who feel a little too old to identify with their Reality Bites peers but a little too young to throw in with the baby boomers (born 1946–1964) now in the midst of retirement planning.
This matters because, for better or worse, we’re obsessed with dividing up our workplaces along generational lines. And as it turns out, being born between generations has it’s advantages.
Find out the distinct career advantages those born on the cusp of two generations have in my Fast Company article: Born In Between Generations? Here’s How it Can Help Your Career
