Millennials Have Now Been Defined

I am one of the youngest people working here on the show and in the building. I'm what's considered a Millennial. Like, I'm not the only one who thinks so, according to the Pew Research Center, Millennials are officially defined as being born between 1981 to 1996. So if you are between 22 and 37 this year, congratulations, you're a Millennial. In every report that's been given, they usually say that I'm a Millennial, so this isn't news to me. What I am surprised at is the cut off year, 1996. Reports have always said it was 1998, and I've always considered my nephew, who is 19, a fellow Millennial but I've noticed that there are vast differences between my nephew and I.

According to Pew, Millennials would have been between the ages of 5 and 20 when 9/11 happened. I was 12 when that happened, my nephew was 3. While I can understand the historical significance of 9/11, my nephew has basically grown up in a post 9/11 world and remembers nothing of a time before. For the most part, Millennials entered the work force at the height of an economic recession and it shaped our choices and future earnings.

Lastly, as a Millennial, I can remember a time before the internet. We came of age during the explosion of the internet, whereas my nephew has not lived in a world without internet. The constant connectivity is something Millennials quickly adapted to. Post Millennial's may have grown up in a world where they're always attached to some device but it's now that researchers are starting to see some repercussions of that.

Millennials get a bad rap, but Pew remain hopeful in the generation and if you ask me, the post-Millennial's are the ones you should worry about! Below you'll see the full breakdown of the generations:

• Silent generation:  Born 1928 to 1945.
• Baby boomers:  Born 1946 to 1964.
• Generation X:  Born 1965 to 1980.
• Millennial's:  Born 1981 to 1996.
• And for anyone born after 1996 has no official name yet but Pew calls them "Post-Millennials"