Last week, SHIFT Communications made the hard decision to conduct layoffs, and those let go were mostly junior staffers. The same goes for lots of other public relations firms across the country. And this is not exclusive to PR. Small tech startups to behemoth management companies are joining the fray as well. Dark days.

So what? This is the first time the all-smiles, reach-for-the-stars generation has experienced life and work in a major downturn. Gen-Xers and Boomers know the drill–they’ve been through this sort of thing before. This recession, these hard times–it’s a first for us, and these days will inarguably force Millennials to change the way we think about the world around us. Gone are the days of expecting gold stars for doing our best. Make no mistake, we get it.

It will be interesting to see how the hits we take today will affect the Millennial generation’s outlook and experiences in the future. I wonder too, if perceptions of our generation will change as we work hard to adapt and navigate these hard times. Will the kids who were told they could do anything change their tune after going through a major recession?

Photo by terren in Virginia