Two pieces of tech that changed the world and defined Gen X: the answering machine and the ATM. We were the first generation not to be tied to the phone waitng for it to ring. We could go out. If someone wanted to contact us, they could leave a message. Boomers hated the answering machine. They insisted we stay home, waiting for that phone call and answer the phone within 3 rings.
The ATM meant we didn't need to go to the bank on a Friday afternoon to get cash for the weekend. We could out on a Saturday night, pick-up some cash, and be on our way. Boomers had to walk around with a wad of cash and when it was gone, they were done for the weekend. We could just find an ATM, and hit the stores. And it would be that way until the advent of Pay Pal, Venmo, Apple Wallet, and the other cash apps.
Gen X was and is always looking for a better way of doing things, which usually involves tech. We are the original technology generation.
Cmon man. Boomers were early adopters of answering machines. The TV show The Rockford Files used an answering machine in the opening sequence when the oldest Xers were in Kindergarten (1974).
Please, just please stop with the tired anti boomer rhetoric. As a boomer, me and most of my friends readily adapted to ATMs and answering machines. We saw them as godsends. I think there are too many who confuse boomers with previous generations.
True. Like with all generations, there’s more variance than we realize. I agree that there were plenty of Boomers who evolved alongside technology.
That said, I do remember adults when I was a kid in the ‘80s who advised us to be home instead of relying on answering machines when we were expecting an important call. “It shows you care & take it seriously” if you answer right away when a prospective boss calls you after you’ve applied for a job, for example.
I started teaching myself HTML on GeoCities in 1996 while working temp jobs to support my new family. It was just for fun, but I ended up adding it as experience on my Monster profile; why not. In the fall of '99 a recruiter reached out with an interview opportunity. I ended up interviewing for a developer job and after semi lying my way through the interview (about my level of ASP knowledge), I landed the gig and began teaching myself ASP on-the-job. When my supervisor announced his resignation a few weeks later, I asked him to teach me his job. Within six weeks of starting, I was the Web Programming Supervisor; the start of a career that has spanned 25 years and counting. There have been some spots in between like a stint as a real estate appraiser a couple years before the crash, and the year I took off to try to get a film off the ground after the crash (we were close), but I've always returned to dev work. Thank you, Tower!
Too bad we're the generation that (largely) couldn't count on company loyalty and retirement pensions unless we worked for The State.
There’s also the jujitsu of going reverse slacker. Not that I ever was a slacker, nor am I now - but after 30+ years in offices, well, selling out, I burned out. Now I’m working part-time in a McJob - which is terrible for my finances but amazing for my mental health.
For some reason this got me thinking about how the moment I got a cell phone- which had its own voicemail- I stopped having a landline. Everyone I knew from my own and previous generations thought I was being
irresponsible. “You HAVE to have home phone.” Lol no. Now I’m on 26 years straight without a landline.
LOL my boomer wife really struggled with letting the landline go. I’m an OG GenX who, at 60, was able to retire a little early. I’ve been successful in the music biz, then as a chronic pain and addictions specialist, then videography and music again that I get to do for fun! Thanks for the reminder that we navigate(d) quite well rather than “poutandwait” that appears more prevalent today.
I never thought about watching the Challenger in that way, but spot on. I really enjoyed this reflection. I would add the microwave to changes for Gen X. Our mom’s cooked vegetables faster. Ha!
I'm a civil servant and I was offered early retirement. I applied for it and was approved. Retiring in May...yaaas! I never let my job become my identity...I'm more than a job. I'll figure out what I'm going to do job wise to have some extra coin in the pocket, but I'm used to figuring things out, I'm a Gen Xer!!
True, yes, BUT. Both my husband and I had careers in graphics and Apple. Both gone. We tried to be entrepreneurs and FAILED miserably (pub concept, got ripped off). I am employed part time as an office mgr (I do it all: socials, ads, payroll, billing, EVERYTHING) and hubs, who has 25+ years in prepress, a career that does not exist any more, is working in large format printing for about $20k less than he got in prepress. We were both early adopters in tech, which saved us from being the technophobic part of Gen X thank the gods. But neither of us use our core skills for money any more. And it SUXXX. 3 Xs.
I am trying SO HARD to use my real live actual camera more lately. Trying to get more offline and just be on my front or back porch or yard without the phone. It’s challenging! And I mostly take nature photos and (my own personal) family photos… but I do have a website to sell my art. 🤷🏻♀️
Anyway, I agree that GenX is the master of The Pivot. We have had to be!
A friend of mine in an advertising firm lost her job. Most of the work is AI. I left the job market 7.5 years ago due to a move. Everyone tells me I got out at the right time. It is just nuts out there.
I was just thinking the other day about change. This new, new world order doesn’t completely surprise me. I’ve had a Mac computer since 1988. Every time I’d get comfortable with a program or an operating system it would all upgrade to a new operating system. You’re right we are the generation that keeps on adapting.
Liz, what I love about this article is that it positions Gen X as the most adaptable generation. I am a latch key kid. I was also a latch key kid when my mom WAS home. I just always found a way around obstacles. That’s my superpower. I have repeatable examples of this throughout my life.
Two pieces of tech that changed the world and defined Gen X: the answering machine and the ATM. We were the first generation not to be tied to the phone waitng for it to ring. We could go out. If someone wanted to contact us, they could leave a message. Boomers hated the answering machine. They insisted we stay home, waiting for that phone call and answer the phone within 3 rings.
The ATM meant we didn't need to go to the bank on a Friday afternoon to get cash for the weekend. We could out on a Saturday night, pick-up some cash, and be on our way. Boomers had to walk around with a wad of cash and when it was gone, they were done for the weekend. We could just find an ATM, and hit the stores. And it would be that way until the advent of Pay Pal, Venmo, Apple Wallet, and the other cash apps.
Gen X was and is always looking for a better way of doing things, which usually involves tech. We are the original technology generation.
Cmon man. Boomers were early adopters of answering machines. The TV show The Rockford Files used an answering machine in the opening sequence when the oldest Xers were in Kindergarten (1974).
Please, just please stop with the tired anti boomer rhetoric. As a boomer, me and most of my friends readily adapted to ATMs and answering machines. We saw them as godsends. I think there are too many who confuse boomers with previous generations.
True. Like with all generations, there’s more variance than we realize. I agree that there were plenty of Boomers who evolved alongside technology.
That said, I do remember adults when I was a kid in the ‘80s who advised us to be home instead of relying on answering machines when we were expecting an important call. “It shows you care & take it seriously” if you answer right away when a prospective boss calls you after you’ve applied for a job, for example.
“So unless your name is Gwen Stefani, you’re probably not a poser sellout”
B-A-N-A-N-A-S!!!
I love that this is finally coming out. We've (Gen X) all known it since the 90s
I started teaching myself HTML on GeoCities in 1996 while working temp jobs to support my new family. It was just for fun, but I ended up adding it as experience on my Monster profile; why not. In the fall of '99 a recruiter reached out with an interview opportunity. I ended up interviewing for a developer job and after semi lying my way through the interview (about my level of ASP knowledge), I landed the gig and began teaching myself ASP on-the-job. When my supervisor announced his resignation a few weeks later, I asked him to teach me his job. Within six weeks of starting, I was the Web Programming Supervisor; the start of a career that has spanned 25 years and counting. There have been some spots in between like a stint as a real estate appraiser a couple years before the crash, and the year I took off to try to get a film off the ground after the crash (we were close), but I've always returned to dev work. Thank you, Tower!
Too bad we're the generation that (largely) couldn't count on company loyalty and retirement pensions unless we worked for The State.
We learned to be loyal to ourselves since no one else would be
There’s also the jujitsu of going reverse slacker. Not that I ever was a slacker, nor am I now - but after 30+ years in offices, well, selling out, I burned out. Now I’m working part-time in a McJob - which is terrible for my finances but amazing for my mental health.
For some reason this got me thinking about how the moment I got a cell phone- which had its own voicemail- I stopped having a landline. Everyone I knew from my own and previous generations thought I was being
irresponsible. “You HAVE to have home phone.” Lol no. Now I’m on 26 years straight without a landline.
LOL my boomer wife really struggled with letting the landline go. I’m an OG GenX who, at 60, was able to retire a little early. I’ve been successful in the music biz, then as a chronic pain and addictions specialist, then videography and music again that I get to do for fun! Thanks for the reminder that we navigate(d) quite well rather than “poutandwait” that appears more prevalent today.
“The Serial Killer Decades”….there you have it, title of your book.
I never thought about watching the Challenger in that way, but spot on. I really enjoyed this reflection. I would add the microwave to changes for Gen X. Our mom’s cooked vegetables faster. Ha!
I'm a civil servant and I was offered early retirement. I applied for it and was approved. Retiring in May...yaaas! I never let my job become my identity...I'm more than a job. I'll figure out what I'm going to do job wise to have some extra coin in the pocket, but I'm used to figuring things out, I'm a Gen Xer!!
True, yes, BUT. Both my husband and I had careers in graphics and Apple. Both gone. We tried to be entrepreneurs and FAILED miserably (pub concept, got ripped off). I am employed part time as an office mgr (I do it all: socials, ads, payroll, billing, EVERYTHING) and hubs, who has 25+ years in prepress, a career that does not exist any more, is working in large format printing for about $20k less than he got in prepress. We were both early adopters in tech, which saved us from being the technophobic part of Gen X thank the gods. But neither of us use our core skills for money any more. And it SUXXX. 3 Xs.
I am trying SO HARD to use my real live actual camera more lately. Trying to get more offline and just be on my front or back porch or yard without the phone. It’s challenging! And I mostly take nature photos and (my own personal) family photos… but I do have a website to sell my art. 🤷🏻♀️
Anyway, I agree that GenX is the master of The Pivot. We have had to be!
I was recently told for a job that I was too expensive and they would use AI instead. *Knife stab and twist*
A friend of mine in an advertising firm lost her job. Most of the work is AI. I left the job market 7.5 years ago due to a move. Everyone tells me I got out at the right time. It is just nuts out there.
We had the best music ever
Thanks for getting me thinking about this.
I was just thinking the other day about change. This new, new world order doesn’t completely surprise me. I’ve had a Mac computer since 1988. Every time I’d get comfortable with a program or an operating system it would all upgrade to a new operating system. You’re right we are the generation that keeps on adapting.
Thank you 🫶
Loved this!
Thank you! ❤️
Liz, what I love about this article is that it positions Gen X as the most adaptable generation. I am a latch key kid. I was also a latch key kid when my mom WAS home. I just always found a way around obstacles. That’s my superpower. I have repeatable examples of this throughout my life.