Dues paying and ladder climbing is out. Confidence is high among GenXers and not just because demand is outpacing supply. GenX is not in such high demand just because the economy is good, but because the economy is going through the most profound changes since the Industrial Revolution and GenXers are in perfect sync with those changes. Most GenXers are not planning to base their careers on a long-term relationship with one established company. They reject authority for the sake of authority and rules for the sake of rules.
Dues paying and ladder climbing is out.
Everything was like this when we started our working lives and most of us kind of like it this way. Moreover, these changes are leveling the playing field for our entire generation, and we now have the rare and historic opportunity to transform the very meaning of success and security. Experience and seniority no longer rule the job market. What matters in the new economy is one's ability to add value and to sell that value on the open market. GenXers know instinctively that their success will not be defined by the hierarchy of a particular corporation, or any other establishment.