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President Ilves: the young people of today are the real generation of winners
11.05.2012
People younger than 30 years today probably represent one of the happiest generations in Estonia's history: they have attended schools, acquired higher education and have been free to choose their own life path, told the President, Toomas Hendrik Ilves, today in addressing an official Entrepreneuring Estonia – Successful Estonia seminar of Junior Achievement, an organisation that delivers education in economics.
However, people aged 40-50 are often called the generation of winners in Estonia; they reached adulthood and started their self-actualisation as the Singing Revolution and the restoration of Estonia's independence began, recalled the Head of State, adding that this so-called generation of winners has caused tension and pressure among the slightly younger generation.
"However, the space is always a bit limited on the top of a pyramid. It is almost impossible to make such a quick and successful career for the generations that have followed the winners. A manager or top specialist, aged 45, intends to remain a manager for another 25 years, at least," President Ilves said. "Many of them believe that everything that was right and possible and brought success 15-20 years ago has remained exactly the same today."
The directors of the next generation, successful entrepreneurs and the shapers of Estonia's future are free from such burdens as they do not have to do anything differently than what was done during the Soviet period, but they have to change things and the ways that they are being done now, in Estonian time, stated the Head of State.
"You have the guts to take risks; you are creative and innovative. We can see this every day in fine arts, the opinions you express and in business. You are world citizens in the true sense of this word; those who set you an example and offer competition are not your class or course mates in Estonia, but communication partners throughout the world," said President Ilves in addressing the young people.
The President described good education as a key to the future, a ticket for the real generation of winners, and he emphasised the importance of real sciences: "This is why I stress, once again, the importance of learning real sciences. Demand special and extra lessons. Show your dissatisfaction if something offered to you in class is not sufficient or not good enough."
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