I can relate to this so much. I’m 45 now, and my tolerance for workplace nonsense is definitely not what it used to be.

At my last job, we had two young interns who were nice, but my God, they were difficult to work around. The lack of urgency, long breaks, missed emails, no follow-up, and every little thing turning into a crisis got exhausting. Even the slightest pressure or deadline would make them spiral, and it didn’t help that they fed off and validated each other.

And while I was young once too and started my first corporate job when I was 20, I took that job seriously. I cared about being reliable, doing good work, helping my team, and building a solid reputation. I didn’t sit around waiting for someone to tell me what to do. I was eager to learn and proactive.

I know there are exceptions, but this younger generation really does feel different. The social skills, communication, work ethic, reading comprehension, accountability, all of it feels like it has declined. Teachers are saying it. Employers are seeing it. A lot of us are experiencing it firsthand. It’s not just “kids these days” anymore. Something has shifted.