Male engineering student explains why his female classmates are not his equals.

[Johnny2X2X]

33. Fanatstic awareness

It's human nature to be proud of one's achievements, but too often it gets in the way of seeing the reality for other people.

I am an engineer, I see this in action, everyone worked hard to get through school, so there's not an appreciation for how much harder some others might have had to work.

When I hear senior engineers complain, "These young kids want everything handed to them. They demand so much." My response is usually something like, "well, they've had to work a lot harder than you or I, so they can demand some more." That usually garners shock. People don't understand when they have it easier, they just can't bridge that gap in their minds. As a straight white, male I had a leg up. And as someone who mentors young engineers, I am continuously struck of how much more serious today's college students are than I remember from my time in college in the 90s. They drink and party less, they study longer and harder, they're expected to do more than 1 internship now. Because of AP classes they're often graduating in 3 years and are expected to then join the workforce when they're barely adults. They haven't grown up in a world where they could make mistakes and still achieve their goals, for them, one slip up could cost them everything.

It's like people forget, I remember what it was like in college and I wasn't blessed with parents who could help so I had to work too. I still got through school working, partying, and finding time to study. I saw my peers then too mostly doing the same things and getting by. Yet they fail to recognize that the younger generation doesn't get that luxury of just getting by, more is expected of them.