Since Andrew Benton graduated from college less than four years ago, he has dropped out of a Princeton Ph.D. program in economics, moved to rural Georgia to start a Web-software company that he’s trying to sell, and now works freelance (自由职业) for a cloud-computing company in Silicon Valley. He buys his own health insurance and contributes to his retirement accounts; neither his policy nor his accounts receive corporate contributions. Does his job instability and lack of benefits worry him? Nope. The 26-year-old does not expect to hold a traditional 9-to-5 job unless he starts his own business again, and he is not overly pessimistic about the recession’s long-term effect on his career. “I don’t pay that much attention to what is going on in the economy,” he says. “I just found stuff I was interested in.”
Whatever you make of this attitude — smart, entitled, tech savvy (聪明的), risky, or bold — Benton is arguably the prototype (典型) of the new and perhaps ideal worker in the post-recession economy.
Still, this savvy demographic group isn’t immune from the career setbacks of the recession. Workers born after 1980, who are having a harder time gaining a foothold in the job market, may face lower earnings over the next several years of their careers.
Those who opt for traditional corporate careers have had to readjust their expectations. For some young, well-educated workers such as 24-year-old Adrian Muniz, the recession has been startling. Muniz graduated from Brown University in 2007 and moved to New York City, expecting to easily find work at a magazine. Instead, he ended up working at high-end retail stores for the past three years and doing media internships on the side to build up his résumé.
When the economy does pick up, experts warn that millennials, i.e. people born in or after 1980, may leave their companies for better jobs and higher paychecks. They will quit to travel the world, or simply because they did not like their boss. When more jobs become available, the millennials will use their tech savvy to promote themselves on Facebook, Twitter, and other social networks. They will have no problem accepting contract, short-term work in place of a steadier paycheck. “The economy is actually creating a type of work that suits millennials well and does not suit baby boomers,” says Karl Ahlrichs, a human-resources consultant. In part, that’s because the economy is generating jobs in technology, computers, education, and health care that require serious technological, entrepreneurial, and creative skills as opposed to expertise in operations or management.
Armed with their education, parental support, or savings, millennials seem to have plenty of answers when it comes to dealing with the current economy. Still, questions remain. In their 30s and 40s, will they start their own businesses rather than joining the ranks of middle management? Will their innovative and entrepreneurial streak survive as they move through adult rites (仪式) of passage such as buying houses, raising children, or caring for aging parents? Ask a millennial and they’ll tell you that they’ll find or invent new answers to such age-old questions.
57. What do we learn about Andrew Benton’s work experience?
A) He has now an unsteady job without corporate welfare benefits.
B) Without a Ph.D., he was at a disadvantage when applying for job.
C) He gave up the chance to take a traditional corporate job. D) It takes about four years for him to realize what he wants to be.
58. What is a main concern of Andrew Benton?
A) Whether the economy is going to pick up quickly. B) When he should start and run another software firm.
C) Whether the job interests him and arouses his curiosity. D) How he can find an ideal job unaffected by the recession.
59. According to the passage, in the job market, workers born after 1980 ________.
A) earn much more than their predecessors B) have been affected by the economic downturn
C) gain a competitive edge with good education D) are undoubtedly ideal workers for the economy
60. What accounts for millennials’ being suitable for work created by the current economy?
A) Their desire to promote themselves. B) Their strong sense of looking after families.
C) Their special skills in running and managing firms. D) Their embrace of tech skills and innovative ideas.
61. What can we infer from the passage about millennials’ attitude towards their future?
A) Negative. B) Uncertain. C) Positive. D) Conservative.
