Perhaps the BEST B1G Forum anywhere, here at College Football Fan Site, CFB51!!!

I was nearly 26 when I started my first real job.

I got a summer job while in college.
Turned it into a real job
maybe 22

2.) I think there is some truth to this.  However, there are a couple of barriers.  First, a lot of larger firms hire kids straight out of college just as cheap labor, with no desire to promote them.  A lot of them, from engineering firms, to accounting firms, to law firms, want those new hires to burn the candle, and then leave.  Then upper management is all laterals that bring their own book with them.  The other end is the back end not retiring.  I can't tell you how many partners at our firm are "retired".  They still manage their large clients, but don't actually ever bill any hours, but are also unwilling to hand the client off to anyone.  The junior partner on our largest client is 52.  The managing partner is in his 80s

Our firm is different.

We encourage growth and seasoning with the goal of the older guys (me) handing off clients (I don't have any clients now) to those who stayed and grew. Then the older guys (me) get slowly bought out (wish it was faster) while we (me) spend our time supporting the younger guys in the form of actually doing land surveying and civil engineering work.

Very happy to still be able to perform that work - and I still tell the young guys that I've forgotten more than they know. They agree, which is good, because they ask questions and take advice.

Those who stay will be champions, so to speak.

Yeah, my first job was being a caddie at the age of 13 b/c there was no other legal work available. Not sure if that's considered a "real" job or not. But from the time I was 14 and could get a work permit from my guidance counselor (needed until 16 in IL at the time) I've been filing income tax returns every year. 

Our firm is different.

We encourage growth and seasoning with the goal of the older guys (me) handing off clients (I don't have any clients now) to those who stayed and grew. Then the older guys (me) get slowly bought out (wish it was faster) while we (me) spend our time supporting the younger guys in the form of actually doing land surveying and civil engineering work.

Very happy to still be able to perform that work - and I still tell the young guys that I've forgotten more than they know. They agree, which is good, because they ask questions and take advice.

Those who stay will be champions, so to speak.

That's awesome.  And without knowing much, I think you own a small to midsize firm?  And I think that is somewhat true.  The funny thing is the large firms that come in, scoop the top 2% out, and then just replace them with lateral hires from small and mid size firms.  I think that's the market issue that I'm shocked hasn't fixed itself yet.  I can't speak to other arenas, but in law, I think the major issue is that 1L and 2L summer hires are a huge prestige issue.  Small and midsize firms don't have the capacity to take on interns often.  Even unpaid, you are talking about lost costs from the attorneys that train them, and the certainly can't afford to pay them.  The large firms can, and they can hand them off to some 3rd year associate to find them work.  It's hard to tell a 22 year old not to take a (relatively) well paying summer job with a large firm.  Then, when they get an offer, early in their 3L year, when no small or midsize firms are handing out offers to students who are 10 months away from taking the bar, you are asking them to throw away a well paying guaranteed offer, for the chance to work at a firm where they could grow their practice.

Both of those are very true.

We get kids who interview and imply that they want to take my job.

I'm thinking "You really want THAT?" while also thinking WTF have you ever done?

Did you ever consider WHY they act that way???

Back in the day, you could support a 4-person family on one sub-supervisory income.  Now you can't support shit on one income.
There's a lot of goofy shit younger workers say, think, and do, but on this, they're just trying to financially stay afloat.  All the decades of efficiency large companies have implemented has trimmed A LOT of monies going to the worker bees.  Corporations used to be fat, bloated entities gettng by on high volume.  Now, they're smart and shrewd, and the worker bees get bent.

It's not 1967.  

Uh huh...

Millennials, Gen Z go on tirades over jobs climate: 'A bone to pick with America' (foxbusiness.com)
Millennials, Gen Z go on tirades over jobs climate: 'A bone to pick with America' (foxbusiness.com)

I mean this nicely to whoever compiled this piece of ... fun content for older folks. 

People complain all the time every day about all sorts of nonsense. You can round up a mess of people complaining about damn near everything. Some people are saying they deserve more of a thing? Oh wow. That's people.