Midway through the second decade of 21st century Ireland, it may be interesting to note how student lifestyles have changed since humbler times.
If you listen to older generations, it would appear that between spending forty hours a week toiling on the farm, slogging away at the reams of homework that the nuns bate you into doing, and washing your dad’s car, there simply wasn’t time to be doing anything else.
If you were lucky you might get to watch the Angelus in black and white on channel 1 of 2 (that is, if you were one of the millionaires who owned a television set) and have apple crumble once a week, after mass of course. Far from the realms of Minecraft and Candy Crush were our ancestors raised.
And fair enough, things are much improved nowadays. With our SuperDry hoodies, iPhone 6’s and skiing holidays in the family chalet, the pampered sons and daughters of the ever expanding first-generation middle class just don’t know how good they have it. But I contest that the going is as tough, if not tougher than ever, for these same youths to excel in life.
Take education for instance. Back in the day, Leaving Cert results were counted in terms of how many honours you got (i.e. better than a D). Heck, you were doing well just by being one of the few who actually sat the damn thing. Sure wouldn’t it be great if you could reach the upper echelons of graduate programmes and university courses with “four honours, sure isn’t (s)he great”.
You could walk into a cushy, well-remunerated public sector gig just for having a Leaving Cert which would only be considered moderately good nowadays.
In 2016, you’d be doing well for any employer to take you on unless you have at least two years’ experience in a similar role, a Masters, and you’re willing to work for free.
It’s ludicrous. These days instead of watching horror films I just peruse the LinkedIn accounts of my over-achieving peers and feel utterly insignificant for not having done internships every summer since I was twelve, not having set up my own business, or worse still, not having 50+ people recommend me on my “Teamwork” skills.
It is ridiculously hard to get a good job nowadays, the extracurricular accolades you need for your CV to get a look in goes a million times above and beyond the highest standard of “Sat my Leaving Cert”, which sufficed in times gone by.
So a better leisure and standard of life, certainly, but an infinitely taller ladder to climb to boot.
