Tow #10 "For Millennials, It's Not Practical"

The NYTimes article "For Millennials, It's Not Practical" is written by Elena Sheppard, a writer and editor for NYTimes and in charge of arts and entertainment at PolicyMic. In her article, Sheppard writes about the financial struggles artists face who are trying to make it in "the real world". She states that "becoming a successful artist requires a cocktail of connections, financial support, talent and luck, so many of us are opting for more stable paths". Indeed, as a result, the rising creative class of artists is now largely determined by money. In "For Millennials, It's Not Practical" calls attention to the plight of Generation Y artists in the U.S. through her use of anecdotes and counterargument. Sheppard also establishes credibility with her audience by identifying herself as a struggling artist. However, she notes that she is more fortunate than many due to her advantage of growing up in New York City. Unlike many others, Sheppard was able to live at home and pursue the beginning of her New York career of unpaid internships and entry-level salaries. Without this opportunity, she may not have been able to seek the field of journalism and may very well have chosen a different career path.
Sheppard also quashes the "you-can-do-anything" dream that anything is possible as long as one persists. Seriously misleading, she points out that artists have to face student loans first, and unpaid internships. In the end, Sheppard makes the point, "no matter how passionate you are, at a certain point, finances trump all". Artistically, millennials have been labeled the "me me me generation"but in reality, Sheppard thinks they are practical. With huge debts and petty income, if the pay for the arts fails to increase, the creative class will remain monopolized by the wealthy.