Boomer Skills Millennials Just Won’t Use

Replaced by: Common-law
Cause: Different idea of the family unit

100 years ago the world looked completely different, with the expectation of marriage being fairly absolute. Today, the idea of family is so much more diverse. We are exposed to more people in one session on a dating app than many back in the 1920s were exposed to in an entire year.

Staying Married ©Wedding and lifestyle / Shutterstock.com

The excess of choices and the rise of individualism have resulted in many millennials getting married much later in life, if at all. In a more generally liberal society, there is often no real justification for the institution of marriage to the modern generation. Cohabitation, civil partnerships, and common-law marriages are increasingly popular. When boomers were younger, many suffered through unhappy unions just because it was the done thing. Now, it’s much easier to separate.

Replaced by: Different services
Cause: Streaming channels

It’s hard to understand how 77.6 million households in the US still have cable TV when we have options like Netflix, Amazon Prime, and Hulu. In this day and age, we expect immediacy, a wide variety of choices, and absolute autonomy.

Figuring Out Cable TV ©Burlingham / Shutterstock.com

Once you have switched over to streaming, it is fairly easy to see why Cable is totally outdated. Repeats, lack of options, and the fact that you are limited to what has been scheduled on your behalf makes it fairly obvious. That being said, many boomers refuse to give in to the streaming giants and stick to Cable religiously. Why? Sheer stubbornness.

Replaced by: Casual wear
Cause: Workplace changes

Flexible hours, working remotely, and the new awareness of work-life balance have changed the face of the workplace forever. In the last couple of years, we have seen jobs that were not originally meant to accommodate remote working somehow finding ways to adjust.

Finding A Good Business Suit ©Kreangkrai Naktaku / Shutterstock.com

So, what does this mean for boomers? For one thing, the art of buying a suit is becoming less and less known. Boomers could spend hours going to a tailor and finding the perfect office wardrobe, but nowadays, it’s just not needed. Many millennials only buy suits for special occasions such as weddings and funerals. 

Replaced by: Internet banking
Cause: Different banking methods 

It might seem totally insane to boomers, but many millennials don’t have the first clue what balancing a checkbook actually means. In many countries around the world, checks are not accepted anymore as a standard way to pay for something. The rise of card payments means it’s simply not necessary. 

Balancing A Checkbook ©NIKCOA/Shutterstock.com

Balancing a checkbook used to be pivotal as it helped you make sure your funds weren’t being misappropriated somehow. These days, it takes two seconds to log in to internet banking and banks will automatically alert you if there’s any suspicious activity on your account.

Replaced by: Dryers, non-crease material
Cause: Less formal clothing 

Back in the ‘50s and ‘60s, it was important to iron your clothes and keep everything in tip top shape. Even casualwear was more formal in those eras, with slacks having neat pleats and shoes always being polished. It’s hardly surprising that many boomers (especially women) were taught to iron from a young age. 

Ironing ©Zivica Kerkez / Shutterstock.com

However, many households don’t even have an iron now, let alone know how to use one. More and more clothing companies are using anti-crease materials, and dryers are more prevalent than ever. When it comes down to brass tacks, we simply just don’t care that much about getting rid of creases anymore.   

Replaced by: Sat Nav, smartphone navigation
Cause: Advanced technology 

Going on a road trip before technology advanced usually meant getting incredibly lost and having arguments in the car. In fact, the introduction of satellite navigation didn’t happen until relatively recently in modern history. By the time millennials were on the road themselves, though, physical maps were a thing of the past. 

Reading A Map ©Leo_nik / Shutterstock.com

Even specialized car navigation systems are being pushed out in favour of smartphone navigation apps like iPhone Maps or Google Maps. It’s much easier to put in a destination and hit the road than to spend hours arguing over who didn’t take the right turning on the left.

Replaced by: Automatic gearboxes
Cause: Change in trends

There are many countries in the world where driving a stick shift is more common than driving automatic, but America isn’t one of them. However, in the ‘80s, 35% of American cars were manual, meaning a healthy portion of the population knew how to drive them. These days, that number is almost zero. 

Driving A Stick Shift ©Virrage Images/Shutterstock.com

The vast majority of Americans drive automatic cars and wouldn’t have the first idea of how to handle a stick. Statistically, boomers are way more likely to know how to drive one than a millennial, who likely never learned. 

Replaced by: Livelier sports
Cause: Culture change

There was a time when exclusivity and ‘members-only’ meant something was much more desirable for previous generations. Today though, millennials are more likely to participate in a sport that promotes open and equal opportunity. 

Playing Golf ©ESB Professional / Shutterstock.com

The male-dominated, upper-class environment of golf courses and country clubs will need to adjust their protocols to accommodate the needs of the modern generations. Millennials are also less likely to sign up for a long-term, expensive membership which is what country clubs classically require. They are much more inclined to choose flexibility and “pay as you go” options.

Replaced by: Different types of bottles
Cause: Cans/screw tops 

While the purists out there will be very offended by this, the bottom line explanation for the drop in demand for corks is…boxed beverages. It seems many millennials might find corked bottles intimidating. While a good bottled beverage is best enjoyed slowly, the younger generations are not known for being, well, slow.

©nadia_if/Shutterstock.com

Cans are sold as more suitable for the outdoors and much easier to open. Also, the portion size should be sufficient for one person, which makes it a great option. There are certainly examples of convenience being better, this, however, is not one of them.

Replaced by: Not writing in cursive
Cause: Less strict schooling

It’s no secret that schools are a lot less strict these days than they were when boomers were growing up. Back then, punishments could even include getting hit by the teacher. It would never fly now, but it could be why boomers pay so much attention to the way they write. Many have neat, flowing cursive handwriting. 

Writing In Cursive ©Toasted Pictures/Shutterstock.com

Millennials, on the other hand, are way less likely to have neat writing. In 2010, U.S. schools were told they didn’t have to teach cursive as part of the curriculum anymore. Many schools chose to stick with it, but it’s definitely not on the top of the agenda anymore. 

Replaced by: Casual texting, different habits
Cause: Various

When boomers were growing up, there really was only one way to write – properly. Texting wasn’t a thing, so texting slang and casual grammar didn’t exist either. To this day, boomers will often text in the same manner they would have written a formal letter in the ‘60s. 

Traditional Grammar ©Lamai Prasitsuwan/Shutterstock.com

According to research, fewer and fewer people are using correct grammar as it’s simply getting lost in the sands of time. A prime example of this is the confusion of “its” and “it’s” and “they”, “they’re,” and “their.” 

Replaced by: Fast fashion
Cause: It’s often cheaper to buy new 

It’s good to be resourceful and back in the ’50s and ‘60s, people often took this to the next level. Sewing was taught in schools, especially to females, who would often make their own dresses and fashions as it was cheaper than buying new garments. While sewing is a great skill to have, it’s not as cost-effective as it was back in the day. 

Sewing ©Miguel_AF/Shutterstock.com

Fast fashion is everywhere and at just the click of a button, you can have a new outfit delivered to your door in less than 24 hours. As such, sewing something new seems like a long and laborious process that simply isn’t up to date with the modern world.

Replaced by: Paper napkins
Cause: Conscious consumerism

Paper napkins are decreasing in popularity with cloth napkins being a more popular choice with millennials. In general, today’s consumers prefer a reusable product rather than single-use. However, the market is keeping up with concerns and creating more eco-friendly paper napkins, some made from fully recycled materials.

Using Paper Napkins ©Elena Pavlovich / Shutterstock.com

Though, generally speaking, paper napkins are produced in large factories that produce a lot of pollution. Like anything else, we can be conscious consumers by simply questioning the source and materials of the products we consume and making choices in line with a more sustainable future. 

Replaced by: Unknown
Cause: Change in consumer behavior

Consume less, create more. This is something that the younger generation is working towards. This means that even in the city, we can grow our own herbs and perhaps even some vegetables and if we can’t produce them ourselves we can support small businesses who produce them on our behalf in an environmentally friendly way.

Bulk Shopping ©eldar nurkovic / Shutterstock.com

On the opposite end of the spectrum, boomers will often have fully-stocked fridges, larders, and enough to keep them going in case of a nuclear winter. It’s simply a change of lifestyle, but boomers spent years perfecting the art of bulk buying only for it to end with their generation.