If you are part of the post – millennial generation (born after 1997) then the world you are inheriting has been just through a period of unprecedented change – the impact of which we are only now starting to appreciate.  Your challenge today is to work out what those changes are, how they impact your life going forward and what you can do now to improve your long term prospects.

First the good news…..

Global life expectancy has increased 50% in the last 50 years. While the impact is less dramatic in the developed world as a generation you should be planning for a life-span of at least 100 years.  Advances in medical science mean that not only will you live longer than earlier generations you have the prospect of being fit and healthy for much of your life.  The global reach of the internet makes us better informed and better connected then earlier generations. As a generation you are more globally aware and better informed than ever before.

Then comes the kicker….

While you are likely to live longer and be fitter than previous generations you’ll need to be! The concept of ‘retirement’ at 65 is already outdated and will soon disappear altogether. As a post-millennial you should expect to work through to the age of 90 with ‘retirement’ happening only as and when you can afford to do so.  Working longer in a period of unprecedented change means you are likely to have a number of different careers throughout your life – the latter ones being in jobs that have yet to be created. With this is mind the purpose of school changes from being the learning stage of life to being a time when you learn how to learn. Schools are likely to become centres of learning for all ages with students returning throughout their careers to learn new skills.  While medical science continues to discover new and better ways to keep us fit and healthy the cost of delivering these benefits to all has reached un-sustainable proportions. The NHS already costs the UK £350 million pounds a day – and for the last 70 years that cost has risen faster than inflation. This is simply not sustainable.

And finally a caution….

One of the dangers of such rapid change is that at any one time there may be five generations alive at the same time – each with very different expectations of life. Beware of ‘advice’ from earlier generations – while undoubtedly well intended, it might be outdated and no longer relevant to the live you face.

Bon Chance! (as they say in France)