Week 3 EOC:
My Demographics
It seems
that, through and through, I belong to Generation X. And not just because I was
born in the tail end of 1969. The labels and descriptions used to describe my
generation fit me like a glove.
One such label is the “MTV Generation.” I was alive to see three or four television channels turn into hundreds overnight. When MTV rolled onto the scene it was mesmerizing. And it changed the culture. My high school was filled with people sporting fashion trends they’d seen their favorite bands wearing on MTV.
I had lots of spare time to watch MTV, and a virtual plethora of other new and exciting cable television stations, because I was a “latchkey” kid. My parents were divorced, and both of them worked. This left me free to get into all kinds of no good with my friends, most all of which were of the latchkey variety. There always seemed to be a house we could go to, to escape parents or other authority figures. I could tell stories, but I’ll keep them for another post.
Having grown up, at least to a large degree so, I have begun more and more to ponder my future. Untrue to one of my generation’s descriptors, I was very interested in financial success from an early age. I studied architecture in college, then boldly moved to California from Indiana, with the hope of striking it rich! After a move to Miami, and then to Las Vegas, I was doing very well that I started my own practice. Things were going well, until the economic crisis hit, costing me the business. In the wake of that misfortune, I have come to appreciate quality of life over career success. Though when I look to the future, it seems I have squandered away my savings and am indeed “woefully behind in saving for retirement,” as our text puts it. And like so many other Generation X’ers, I’m working on that.
