“Your generation is lazy. Technology is ruining kids today. You’re not going to get far in life like your parents did.”
As a teenager today I hear these words at least on a weekly basis from teachers or other adults that pass through my life. In general, I can understand where they’re coming from when they say these phrases. It’s true- as children, the older generations had to actually use a dictionary to lookup a word. Adults had to actually use books to write research papers. They had to actually call their friends’ home phones to make plans. We do have it easier when it comes to gathering information; Google is single-handedly the most valuable tool we have today in my opinion. Rather than spending time searching through books, we can find material quickly and efficiently, and we can do more with our learning now than has ever been possible. Technology has not broken Millennials, but rather improved us.
     It’s difficult though. Even knowing that we have access to such powerful tools thanks to the Internet, it can be tough for me to believe that I can amount to anything when adults are engraving it into my mind that I will never be as good as their generation. I presume that it’s because change is hard to accept; this goes for any age or situation. It could be transitioning from living at home to moving away, or losing a friend after several years. It’s hard to accept that technology is utilized from early childhood and into our entire lives when that was not the case thirty years ago. Take the LeapFrog, a tablet that every kid my age had when they were five years old, or the computer that sat on a kid-sized table in my living room for my brother and me to learn the alphabet on. 
     I’ve recently realized how technology will get me ahead in life. Ever since I was ten years old, I’ve wanted to follow in the footsteps of my dad and become an engineer. What he did at work during the day was intriguing to me. It wasn’t until several years later that I started facing discrimination. People informed me that I couldn’t be an engineer because I’m a girl and multiple people have laughed in my face or rolled their eyes when I expressed my goals. Having grown up in an engineering and technology oriented home, I am already at an advantage towards being prepared for college and the workforce. Despite this fact, I still feel incredible doubt from adults in my life that say, “Your generation has no work ethic.”
     Looking at Generation Z from my perspective, I imagine it’s how our parents look at us Millennials. I find it shocking that kids as young as six years old have iPhones. To some extent, it makes me feel jealous of them. So instead, I’d rather talk about how spoiled they are because I didn’t have an iPhone until I was 13. A person will always believe their generation is better than the ones below them, but we are not spoiled, we are fortunate.
     As a disclaimer, I understand that technology hinders some of our abilities. The art of conversation is completely lost in some teenagers, and admittedly, that includes myself. There have been so many instances where I start talking to someone new via text or social media and when we meet in person, awkwardness fills the air. I don’t know how to respond to their words without having all the time in the world to think of a precise response. In school, phones can become a trivial distraction to the reason we are sitting in the classroom rather than enhancing it. However, those who choose to waste their time texting in class should not define the Millennial relationship with technology because they do not reflect the majority. Answers to our serious inquiries or irrelevant facts can be found in a matter of seconds. Access to new technology is the best part of growing up in this era, but the dissatisfaction adults show us is one of the hardest.
     To any members of Generation Z, I say don’t let the opinions of those older than you discourage you from achieving your goals. By the time you enter high school and college, you will have even more resources than I have now. I may even resent you for it. But that does not mean you should listen to me when I look down on you; you should take it as fuel for your fire, a reason to prove that you are exceptional. Use it to its full capacity because you probably don’t even know how valuable it is to you right now; it’s just a regular thing you’ve had in your life since the day you were born. Do big things by taking advantage of your tools and they will get you ahead in life.