Geriatric Millennials: Bridging the gap.
I recently read an article about Geriatric Millennials and at first, the term didn’t sit well with me. The word geriatric doesn’t seem flattering and with forty on the horizon, it tapped into my dread of leaving my thirties behind.
Looking past the term “geriatric” though and looking more closely at what the phrase meant and how I found myself relating to it I realized that there was some truth in the concept.
What is a Geriatric Millennial?
Firstly, to answer that we need to look at the generations:
| Generation Name | Birth Start | Birth End | Youngest Age | Oldest Age |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baby Boomer Generation | 1946 | 1964 | 57 | 75 |
| Generation X | 1965 | 1979 | 42 | 56 |
| Xennials | 1975 | 1985 | 36 | 46 |
| Millennials | 1980 | 1994 | 27 | 41 |
| Gen Z | 1995 | 2012 | 9 | 26 |
| Gen Alpha | 2013 | 2025 | 1 | 8 |
If you are born between 1980 and 1994 you are a Millennial. Generations get older in groups and that doesn’t follow a strict ten-year decade pattern. Instead, due to social and economic factors, they generally sit at between 15-20 years, with some exceptions. These generations will have faced the same world events, raised in the same world environments, governed by that era’s laws, society, and cultural impacts. However, what separates Millennials quite distinctively within their generation is the boom of technology.
The split comes around the birth year of 1985. Those born after 1985 will have grown up with the implementation of technology in everyday life and whilst they will know a clear distinction between the post and pre-internet explosion, that change will have come during their childhood or teens.
For those born between 1980-1985 that change will have taken place during their last years of education, during their first jobs, or at university making them the Geriatric Millennial.
What is special about Geriatric Millennials?
Well, being at the age where the cusp of change happened at a time that directly impacted their careers and education has meant a few things:
- One, Geriatric Millennials have learned how to navigate the post and pre-technology era.
- Two, they understand the challenges that either side of their age bracket face.
- Three, Geriatric Millennials see the strengths of either side.
- Four, they bridge the gap between the two.
Erica Dhawan, whose Medium article has caused the viral explosion of the term Geriatric Millennial spoke only in a positive way about the micro-generation
“Geriatric millennials are valuable because they have a varied skill set to refer to — one that lets them cater to the needs of people with different degrees of understanding of (and patience for) the digital world. Being fluent in both analog and digital communication styles is a key skill for today’s leaders. Consulting your geriatric millennial colleagues is a great way to polish your fluency so that you can meet the needs of everyone.”
– Medium Article, Erica Dhawan
Many members of the microgeneration agree and even those who are not members have stepped up to say how it is Geriatric Millennials in the workforce that have helped them the most and have made the best leaders.
So, why the backlash?
If you are a Geriatric Millennial and you agree with the sentiment that you are indeed the bridge between generations making you a valuable asset to any company… why complain?
Well, it is all in a name and let’s be honest a Geriatric Millennial is not a term I will be adding to my myspace profile anytime soon…