This blog is not meant to be exclusively about Generation Y. If you read the “About” section, it doesn’t mention Generation Y. Yet, probably mostly because of all the interest in the Gen Y presentation, it seems that most of the discussions on here have tracked back to Gen Y in some way.
I point this out because I don’t write for this blog because I’m part of Gen Y (which I am) or because I only want to discuss Gen Y topics (which I don’t). Yet some of the discussions have surprised me, and it seemed to be an appropriate time for me to share what I’m up to at NASA.
Two opinions about Gen Y have shown up that really surprise me: 1) that we’re all talk and no action and 2) that we don’t play well with other generations. Well, I want to share what I’ve done in those areas.
I started as a co-op at Goddard seven years ago. By the time I was finishing my co-op tour, a friend and I were presenting to management our ideas and suggested actions to improve the co-op program. We were basically ignored and then forgotten for the next year, until an independent body provided the same message: that there was a real problem with the new employee experience. So the New Employee Welcoming Board was formed, and I was one of the leaders of that group. Unfortunately, I was a little too demanding, and I was kicked out of the group - but NEWB produced products that are still being used today.
Fast forward to today, and I still don’t sit around and complain without doing something constructive about the problem. Right now, I’m working with a couple of other folks on a presentation about an internship program at Goddard. While sitting in a selection committee meeting, I thought that folks in the meeting had lost sight of the needs of the students and of the agency, so this presentation is designed to pull everyone together, back towards a common goal. I’m also pulling together a team that is going to design a “Young at Heart” type event at Goddard that will establish new methods of communication and a new paradigm for the way we can work together across disciplines. In the meantime, I’m taking leadership and self-development classes that will enhance my own skills as a leader.
On the second point, I’m working on LRO in what is certainly a full time job with launch coming up at the end of this year. I work with (and manage) teams made up exclusively of older, non-Gen Y folks. I’ve been complimented both by my teammates and by third parties on how well I work with and lead older, wiser, and more experienced folks.
So if those two traits are really Gen Y traits… well, then I guess I renounce my Gen Y status.
So what’s the point? Why am I doing all of these things at NASA? Because my commitment is for NASA to serve as a source of inspiration for all mankind. My promise is that I’ll take on whatever challenges are getting in the way of that inspiration at Goddard, and I’ll share my experiences in whatever way inspires and empowers other folks at other places to take on their own challenges.
Now hold me accountable for that promise.
April 17th, 2008 at 7:30 pm
This post touches on the heart of a universal principal about stereotyping and generalizations. While there is a correlation between age and work and interaction patters, that correlation is in no way indicative of the characteristics of an individual.
Any individual at NASA can posses or build useful skills for interacting on diverse teams and on difficult programs. I believe that employment with NASA is a self-selective process, and generally NASA employees are hard working and motivated people.
Rivers, the new employee experience is paramount to ensure that that self selective process doesn’t exclude those with the requisite skills but without the patience for an anemic career start. I’ll hold you accountable for your promise and look forward to discussing what you do at Goddard to make NASA “a source of inspiration for all mankind.”
April 18th, 2008 at 12:37 pm
Great post. I guess it means we as a generation should be hard at work to redefine what people mean by Gen-Y. And it’s great to know there are some that already are.
Good luck and bring on the inspiration!
April 18th, 2008 at 6:38 pm
I am surprised how much I have started using the phrase “Generation Y” because of the presentation. I didn’t even think people still said the phrase anymore, but somehow I find myself uttering it often.
I suppose it is because I run events that appeal primarily to this demographic (via http://www.newmindspace.com) and it is a good shorthand for a culture with its own stories and values.
I think the message is often lost in what Generation Y *is* - it’s more of a culture than an age bracket. It just so happens that most of this age bracket shares the same culture.
I think it would be good, then, to have more posts about what “open” means. We had an unconference here in Toronto called OpenCities where we discussed what it means to be open, open source, government being accessible to the public, keeping public space public, using social media and collaborative online tools as an effective communications strategy, etc.
It just so happens that we Gen Y’ers have a better grasp on these things at the moment.
Getting the Candian Space Agency to embrace “open” is going to be even harder - they don’t even have an office in Toronto, and some of the Canadian public doesn’t even know Canada *has* a space program. The recent hullabloo about the MDA sale just highlights some of the public’s feelings about Canada’s role in space.
Perhaps we should organize a SpaceCamp to see who in the city is really ready to push CSA toward “open.”
April 18th, 2008 at 8:37 pm
>>Two opinions about Gen Y have shown up that really surprise me: 1) that we’re all talk and no action and 2) that we don’t play well with other generations. <>>engineering<<< work. It can’t be all about communication and related hardware, but that’s what is seen on space-interested sites the include Gen Y issues. Thus the disconnect.
Believe me, NASA “gets it” when it comes to needing your generation. There are more of you than there are of, say, my generation (Gen X), and you’re the ones who are going to have to fly on the birds, come the day.
Re: point 2
I was not at the 3rd Space Exploration Conference, but I got several earsful of griping from folks who thought the Gen Y team’s message was to “Let us in, give us the keys, and get out of the way.” Whether those words were actually said or not, that was what some folks in your audience HEARD. Demands for advancement don’t go over well with established players, especially if those players do not believe the advancement has been earned yet.
Other Thoughts:
This whole debate has been of curious interest to me, perhaps because a corresponding effort was not made with Gen X. I’m not whining. I’m in the space biz, and am quite glad to be here. Nevertheless, because I’m not exactly a decision maker, nor am I just starting out, I like to think I can view the Boomer-Gen Y debate with some impartiality.
The transformation of NASA into a 21st century organization will need to take place on several levels, beyond the generational/cultural and the communication/technological. NASA also needs ongoing political support, especially as it faces an uncertain funding future. It faces a contracting workforce, partially due to Shuttle retirement, partially due to the retirement of its Apollo-era workers and partially due to a lack of scientists and engineers coming out of American schools. NASA is also facing an identity crisis. Is it simply an “aeronautics and space” organization? Is it primarily responsible for collecting global climate, astronomical, and planetary science data? Does it have the right or responsibility to continue human exploration of the solar system? All this uncertainty can breed hesitancy for young people entering the workforce. However, it also means plenty of opportunity for those willing to do the work and put themselves at some professional risk. I look forward to additional conversations on these and other matters. Keep up the good work!
April 18th, 2008 at 8:40 pm
Oh, for gosh sakes…too many arrows screwed up what I typed. Trying that first paragraph again, minus arrows.
Re: point 1
Most of the chatter on this and other sites has been about the need for NASA to improve its Gen Y outreach efforts without a corresponding commitment by Gen Y to do the necessary engineering work. It can’t be all about communication and related hardware, but that’s what is seen on space-interested sites the include Gen Y issues. Thus the disconnect.
April 19th, 2008 at 9:15 am
I am also curious what you think about the phrases “Internet generation” and “digital natives.”
The latter demographic allegedly begins in 1989, which is, according to the presentation, 12 years after Generation Y was first born.
It implies that some Gen Y-ers were born into a world without the “pervasive Internet,” although I know that I have been using the net since 1994, a mere 5 years after the web was invented.
Is there a need to further sub-categorize this culture you’re talking about?
April 21st, 2008 at 2:02 am
BD: You make excellent points about how there is often a disconnect in communication between what people hear and the message that was intended to be heard. Matter of fact, your first point is interesting in that regard - from my perspective, there are very few engineers (young or old) at NASA who are willing to engage in this type of discussion about how we can be effective communicators and leaders. I see many more folks who wouldn’t touch these types of “management” discussions with a ten-foot pole, as they’d much rather be engaged in their engineering tasks. So it is really strange for me to hear that people may actually get the opinion from this discussion that somehow NASA Gen Yers don’t want to do the engineering!
April 21st, 2008 at 11:30 pm
BD: I want to comment on your point about the need for America having a lack of science/engineer type of students going into these fields. I may have mentioned this in a previous posting, but what America is falling behind on is its education in the K-12 realm! Point blank. When you start putting science and technology as an elective and not as a requirement in your school systems, we are only hurting ourselves. When the focus is only on the language arts and math, where does NASA get their next generation workforce? Our school systems are failing to inspire students to think creatively and out of the box and thus less and less are going into the STEM fields in college.
Now look at other countries that our workforce is coming from…how much emphasis in their schooling was on STEM versus the United States? We should really be taking a look at those countries and their values and learn from them!
Gen-Yers may be the lucky ones that have grown up with the Internet, but the truth is that not every student has access to technology, what the US and maybe NASA needs to do is get involved in getting all students connected, get away from paper textbooks in high school and provide low cost laptops with eTextbooks, etc…
Another idea could be to have special K-12 schools designed to emphasize and foster young minds in the STEM fields, while providing them the other areas like art, music, physical education, language arts, and history (I truly believe in the well rounded individual). The school would have an application process and certain requirements to allow one to get in, like college. It would allow students to learn more targeted STEM and NASA curriculum in a different light. MIT, Stanford, Cal-Poly, etc provide summer camps, but can you imagine how it would work if it were an entire school year or even year round education! Oh the possibilities.
Now I know my ideas are out there and feel free to comment on them, but I am just rambling here and haven’t thought things through in terms of cost and an actual plan, but it would be neat to see!
Also, just an FYI…I go out to preschools and elementary schools to talk about NASA, science, and space! It is one of the joys of my job to see even 3-4 year olds get excited. I emphasize the importance of education and eating right and exercise to become an astronaut and more.
I think more people should be going out and speaking for the NASA Speakers Bureaus. So this is my promise, to continue to go out and inspire the next generation as best as I can!
April 21st, 2008 at 11:40 pm
You’ll get little argument from me. As I understand it, we lose kids somewhere between grades 3 and 6. I would peg it more at middle school–grades 7 through 9.
Your suggestion re: STEM education is a good one. However, as I understand it, and I’m sure someone will correct me if I’m wrong, there has been a decline in machine shop, industrials arts, auto shop, and other sorts of education in our public schools. Part of this could be a funding issue. Part of it is a decline in America’s capacity to “make stuff,” thus translating into a lack of jobs. I think there is also some social stigma attached to “shop” classes or “trade schools.” After all, “smart people go to college,” because that’s where the money is, right? And our economy is now based on college credentials. It’s also been awhile since hands-on engineering was combined with engineering theory.
Keep fighting the good fight!
April 22nd, 2008 at 12:00 am
JKremer: Thank you for your commitment to inspire the next generation! I have a question for you - it seems like when we at NASA talk about the need to inspire the next generation, we always end up saying that NASA employees need to get out and speak to more young folks. I propose that this isn’t a very effective solution because 1) employees are now splitting their time between their “real job” and inspiring the public, 2) your typical scientist/engineer doesn’t necessarily know how to inspire young kids or even have any interest in doing so, and 3) there are pretty limited parts of the country that are conveniently located in places where they’d get a real NASA person come speak. It seems to me that we’d be much more effective if we engaged the school boards and the teachers. Those folks are the ones who design curriculums and interact with the students on a day-to-day basis. Engaging them in the importance of science and engineering would have a direct day-to-day influence on the educational experience for kids across the country. What do you think about that approach?
April 22nd, 2008 at 1:48 am
I think your suggestion is good and with some education initiatives its being done, but it isn’t enough. It is one thing to have your teacher constantly go over the information, but a guest speaker from NASA is a big deal! Most schools make it more of an event and invite parents and other classrooms to hear what you have to say. They want to hear from the experts and be shown the cool stuff that NASA is doing…they are especially interested in how Astronauts use the bathroom in space and let me tell you…I enjoy telling them.
Most people want an astronaut when they first ask for a speaker and know that they probably won’t get one. It means the world to them to just have someone come and try to answer their questions because we are there and we are learning something new.
Each NASA Center is responsible for a portion of the United States. Ames for instance has 10-12 western states that they are responsible for reaching, this includes places like Alaska/Hawaii and Montana/Idaho. I used to be the Speakers Bureau Coordinator for Ames and I have sent NASA folks all over to schools, conferences, city events, etc. What I am seeing now is a decline in an employees willingness to participate in the program for lack of time and/or funding and the inability to promote this service to the US.
We talk about no one really knowing about NASA. This is my way of doing my part to spread the word on a local level. Grander gestures need to be made to get the word out on a grander scale!
BD: To answer your question Girls are lost in Middle School, not for a lack of not knowing, but more of the pressures they are receiving from Society. Puberty, makeup, etc. They are pressured into not standing out with their brains and so are embarrassed to excel in certain subjects. And I know I wasn’t really pushed to try automotive class or shop class…although in seventh grade I had a knack for wood class. It ended there! Boys and Girls need to extra oomph…girls especially in middle school and boys in high school or even elementary school. Sally Ride Science is doing a lot of work in this area and I truly believe in her mission, but again its still not enough.
Our problems are only going to get worse if we can’t correct our education system. Forget the Gen Y’s problems now…look whose coming up behind us?!?!
April 23rd, 2008 at 1:24 am
JKremer: Two things strike me after reading over your comments…
First, I imagine that we need a way to turn the excitement generated by a NASA school visit into something that is sustainable. Do you have any feel for how long after the visit kids and parents are still excited about math and science? My guess is that for most of them, it is forgotten pretty quickly, and I imagine that’s where engaging the teachers would become vital. (?)
Second, it seems that most of us see NASA as having a unique ability to motivate and inspire kids to go into science and engineering fields. Could NASA take a leadership role for the nation in this area? What would it take to make that happen? What if we told Congress that we would take the lead to transform our nation’s science and engineering education? What could that look like?
May 1st, 2008 at 4:46 am
Rivers: There are several things that motivate people to not pursue science and engineering careers that I have identified.
1) Money (or lack thereof)
2) Perception of being uncool
3) Lack of understanding how you can use math and science
1) Money
Unfortunately in America money is a big factor in any endeavor. When I was in California I met waiters that made more money than I did. I mean come on…do the math. Go to school for 4-6 years and work your butt off, or become a waiter and start making money now. Industry can easily go submit an application to get a working Visa to hire a skilled worker, and by doing so they effectively keep the wage of the science and engineers artificially low. If they were not able to do that the market for engineers would go up and make it lucrative to get into the engineering and science fields.
Perception of being Uncool
Lets face facts on perception: science and math is not cool. I read an article on some science magazine that suggested creating a TV show portraying scientist and engineers in a “cool” light. It mentioned that the advent of all these criminal investigation shows on TV has created a rise in university enrollments in fields related to those in the show. Just a thought. If there was a show that did this type of stuff with NASA it might be cool. Don’t allow one of our engineers/scientist produce it…let the professionals do it.
Lack of Understanding:
This one is big. I wouldn’t have gone into engineering if it wasn’t for the fact that I am extremely good at math. When I was in high school I thought an Electrical Engineer was the guy that wired your house. I was like “I am not going to school for 4 years to do that”. The TV show previously suggested would help with this. Also if NASA helped create more hands-on projects that could be done by younger kids would help. If NASA opened up their data obtained through the telescope technology for students to use through their computer I believe that it would spur excitement in science and math too.