Such Misaligned Expectations

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Over the course of the winter, when our aquatic operations at the city are slowed to a crawl, I take the opportunity to schedule time to interview all of my staff one-on-one. It's a great opportunity for me to learn more about the 100 or so employees that work for me. The majority of my employees are college students. I have noticed an alarming trend among them, one where they have unrealistic expectations upon graduation from college. Last week, I had asked one of my employees (who graduated from college a year ago), why he was still working for me as a lifeguard. He told me that with his business degree, he would accept nothing less than a starting salary of $75,000 a year! He has turned down multiple offers from companies who have offered him $40,000, $50,000, and even $60,000 for a starting salary! And he's not the first employee of mine who has thought like this! When I graduated from college, I didn't expect to start at the top, commanding a top-dollar salary. I expected to get a decent job right out of college, but with the understanding that it was an entry-level position and that I would have to work hard to work my way up the corporate ladder. Students these days think differently. They think they should start somewhere near the top when they graduate. Someone told me recently that it's the "entitlement" factor, where graduating students feel entitled to hefty salaries and high-level positions because they have college degrees. Last time I checked, it doesn't quite work that way. And in the meantime, my employee who is too good to accept a salary less than $75,000 a year is instead making $10.00 an hour lifeguarding at our swimming pools! Go figure.