2 Billion Under 20: Think Different Because Millennials Sure Do

The funny thing about success is that most people only see the end result, you know, the actual success. What they don’t see is all the twists and turns it took to get to that point. I just turned 26 years old and during my time on this planet I’ve noticed something else about success, the people who find it the most don’t play by the rules. Our parents and their parents grew up in a time where pretty much everyone followed a “set out” path of how things were supposed to be, but now, a new generation of people known as millennials want to change all that.

As the millennial generation is getting ready to enter (or is already in) the workforce there has been an interesting response to their push to break down walls and change the very definition of the word “work.” In stark contrast to other generations, many millennials are willing to take more risk and/or follow an “untraditional” path (e.g. not going to college or starting their own companies) yet they are being labeled as lazy or entitled when in fact that couldn’t be farther from the truth.

There are 2 billion people under the age of 20 in the world — they are our future and I think that’s very exciting. This is why I’m so proud of my friend, Stacey Ferreira, along with her co-author Jared Kleinert, for the launch their book: “2 Billion Under 20” — it’s a compilation of 75 different stories from people under 20. And the stories are incredible. Stories ranging from kids developing apps, starting tech companies, going to work for major companies (in tech and elsewhere), taking over the acting world, and just so much more.

I truly believe this generation wants to make a bigger impact on the world than any other generation before it. And if you don’t believe me you need to read this book, it will change your mind.

I’d like to share a summary of one story from the book (so you can see what I mean).

The story is from Andrew Aude (who now works at Apple). Andrew grew up in Wisconsin and while in high school he taught himself app development after being immersed into the world of technology by cable TV channel TechTV (I also lived on this channel growing up, I don’t think my cable box ever left it). He then decided he wanted to attend Apple’s WWDC in San Francisco and flew out — it was this trip that completely changed his life. He met so many people — CEOs, developers, designers, etc. It was on this trip that he also learned how to network and met another like-minded teenager named Paul Henry who was already working as a full-time software engineer at a startup in the Bay Area. All of this inspired him so much that he started applying for full-time jobs in the Bay Area before he had to leave to go home. After returning home he did some more interviewing, landed a gig at a startup, and moved out to the Bay Area. He hasn’t looked back since.

This is just one example of the 75 amazing stories in the book. Definitely check it out today!