The Big Brain Drain: our most talented Gen Y kids.
To be sure, those with just a high school degree will stay behind, begging for factory jobs. But the best of the college educated crowd is already thinking about moving abroad.
I was talking with a woman from Baraboo, Wisconsin. She has a son aged 23. Willie is age 24. So I started to tell her what Willie replied when I asked him "How many of your friends have thought about living abroad?"
Having a Gen Yer herself, the woman interrupted and correctly and exactly gave me Willie's response, "All of them."
Out of curiosity, where are these young people looking to go? I would imagine China, France, and perhaps Japan would lead the list; does this agree with the young people you know? And if this is what they are looking for, how well prepared are they in terms of studying the languages of their new places?
Posted by: D. P. Lubic | August 21, 2011 at 09:53 AM
Haven't young people always wanted to leave the country at some point? It seems I've heard this since I was very young. Bill, how do you think this is different now than in the past?
Posted by: Terry Newman | August 22, 2011 at 11:50 AM
Terry, great question and the answer is No, young people have wanted to move TO the United States, not FROM the United States. As the world's superpower in the last century, We have imported top talent from nations all over the world.
But I can't think of more than one or two people in my generation who lives abroad.
Posted by: William Draves | September 10, 2011 at 02:06 PM
D.P, there's no statistics out that I know of. Older people are still unaware of this phenomenon.
My guess is they move to advanced English speaking countries like Australia, Hong Kong, U.K., Netherlands. They are NOT prepared in other languages, but with English being the world's business language, they don't have to.
Posted by: William Draves | September 10, 2011 at 02:08 PM