Poor chap. So ignorant and arrogant. He claims that Gen Y are the best educated mob ever, because they have travelled and got the web I presume. I am afraid not. All the evidence is that the level of education , knowledge, understanding and critical thought in Gen Y is low. My personal observations are that they are profoundly ignorant. They claim to be 'savvy', usually with reference to web issues, but I do not see any evidence of any real level of education or wisdom.
I do not want to see Gen Y 'steamrollered', (I don't think I would be able to stand all the whinging and wailing) but I do wish that they would, - how can I put this? - grow up.

"...most educated in history..."

Perhaps this allegedly "educated" author should note that according to the Oxford English Dictionary, "education" is derived from its Latin root, "educare". Educare means "to rear or to bring up". Educare itself can be traced to the latin root words, "e" and "ducere". Together, "e-ducere" means to "pull out" or "to lead forth".

My point, is the to educate is not to fill the glass, but to get the glass to fill itself. Our teachers of late could only achieve the first, hence the palpably poor quality of the gen Y product that rides this international animal into its bankruptcy

This isn't an altogether bad post - in fact I think it's quite a decent offering - but I have to agree with Eyejaw on some of the silly comments made. To describe Gen Y as the "most educated in history" suggests a naivete borne not so much of arrogance but more so of inexperience. And to further suggest that Gen Y have "a sound understanding of the world and Australia's place within it" is similarly extremely naive. At the risk of sounding grandparent-ish (not the best look given that I belong very firmly within Generation X ranks!), I can't see how many of the Gen Y cohort can show a "sound understanding of the world" without having experienced any kind of serious deprivation or frustrated ambitions. When I look back on my experience as a graduate of the early 90s, I still feel a very raw sense of anger - it was a dark period for some of us with seemingly no light at the end of the tunnel. But looking at it from another angle, I feel blessed to have experienced such a big setback so early on. It gave me something that no amount of formal education - or international backpacking - ever could. Kane, you can only achieve so much in the way of worldiness and wisdom through your travels as an affluent young Westerner. Travel and cosmopolitan living do not necessarily maketh the man/woman.

I'm never really sure, but I think I'm part of Generation Y. As such, I sympathise with the author of the article but would not go so far as to say that we are the best educated. Certainly, our way of attacking problems is substantially different from our Gen X predecessors. I read an article quite recently (don't ask for a link, because it wasn't online and I have no idea where I read it) in which an interesting distinction was made:

Gen X is characterised by following procedures. Most (not necessarily all) learn by reading manuals, learning how to do things or (in the case of computers) using help files.

Gen X is characterised by learning from chaos. Most learn by trying things, experimenting and using manuals and help files as a last resort.

Which is better? Probably neither. I am certainly more adept at finding information (online AND in print) than my just-before-Gen X parents, though I would probably save time by doing things the old fashioned way.

We should also remember that it was Gen X who taught Gen Y, so rather than being angry at our poor education it might be appropriate to show some regret for having raised us to be so profoundly ignorant. And, perhaps, an occasional clip around the ear would have stemmed the whinging and wailing.

Certainly, though, I agree with Mandy9: having lived only in an era of boom, most members of Generation Y cannot claim to have the depth of wisdom or worldly education that our parents had. I spent much of my childhood in abject poverty but this is the first time I have ever had to worry about my own finances and steer my own ship to safety. As such, it is an enormous learning curve and an education that could be acquired through no means other than experience.

This recession doesn't surprise me in the least, in fact I have been waiting and preparing for it for the last 5 years or so. My only surprise was that it didn't happen sooner. Living in a sea of debt is just not sustainable. The only time to have debt is for the use of production not consumption, but then I was bought up in England under a hail of bombs, so I know all about deprivation.

Not only does this author suffer the ignomie of being Gen-Y but also suffers the opprobrium second only to that of a financial wizard, a lawyer!