Yuppies inherit legacy from their forerunners

Yuppies inherit legacy from their forerunners

JAKARTA (JP): There are few comparisons to be drawn between
young executives of the 1990s and their forerunners just 20 years
ago.

Like father, like son? Hardly. Young executives today are on
the whole better educated than their parents, have more
opportunities to build a career and take home a much bigger
paycheck. Their greater spending power translates into more
avenues to unwind, including ones never imagined by their
forefathers.

Senior executives told The Jakarta Post their views on today's
young generation.

M.V. Adhiprabawa, president of PT Hewlett-Packard Finance
Indonesia: The emergence of yuppies is a general phenomenon. They
could be called big income spenders.

There are two kinds of yuppies -- the patient and impatient
ones. The patient ones will get recognition in their work because
they can immerse themselves in their job. The others are kutu
loncat (fleas), who do not care about their career just as long
as they get lots of money to have fun.

There are good things about this phenomenon. For one, we have
more qualified people to work in the market. But the employers
also have the challenge of giving them sufficient rewards because
the yuppies usually hunt not only for a career, but also money.

There are yuppies who are qualified, but there are others who
are not. The time will always come for people to see their
qualifications. Those who are not qualified will be stuck in the
same position.

Iwa Sewaka, president of PT Satelindo: Most of the yuppies I
know graduated from colleges abroad. Some of them have a master's
degree, some even have a higher degree. After living abroad for
years, they are accustomed to life in a foreign country. We don't
doubt their professionalism, but in Indonesia there is always the
X factor.

They also have to learn about other things, especially about
the culture. They have to be able to readapt themselves to the
local culture.

And those who did not graduate from abroad have to work hard
so that they can compete with graduates from foreign colleges.

Isakayoga, President of Surabaya Stock Exchange in Jakarta:
The yuppies are the fruit of development. I see the phenomenon in
big cities like Jakarta and Surabaya, but not in small towns.

I often meet them at formal occasions and I think they are
professional enough.

I see there have been improvements in their professionalism
compared to three or four years ago, when these young
professionals seemed to spend more time having fun than on work.
Now there is a balance. If you look around, you'll see the
mushrooming cafes, full of young people. But you'll also see that
the office buildings are full of these young professionals. I
believe they are really professional, or else there wouldn't be
such a huge number of them working in offices.

I also notice their heavy consumerism. They invest their money
in things like cars and clothes for the "taste" of metropolitan
life. There are not many of them who would invest in productive
things, like in the capital market. I don't see their enthusiasm
in this field. Yes, there are many young people who work on the
stock exchange, but they are not investors. When they meet each
other, they don't talk about the stock market. They talk about
shopping, traveling, playing golf and such things.

I think this is only to be expected. They earn more than other
people, and they spend more, too.

Many of the young urban professionals are not aware that they
are actually part of this "yuppie" society. But there are also
some others who consciously adopt the yuppie lifestyle even
though they actually do not have the financial resources to do
so.

Yuppy social concern is "seasonal". For example, before the
fasting month or Christmas, they pay great attention to the less
fortunate, the poor. But they don't evidence these concerns in
their daily lives. For them, social activities are just a
fashion, not a need.

The yuppie phenomenon in Surabaya and Jakarta is just the
same. The only difference is that there are more yuppies here.

Christianto Wibisono, director of the Indonesian Business Data
Center: Those young people, especially those who work in
established companies, have to work hard, whether they like it or
not. If they are capable, they will have good careers.

They like to enjoy themselves in their lifestyles. Well, they
deserve it.

Meity Robot, president of Iwata travel agency: I have the
impression that the yuppies, those young executives, live
exclusively. They have their own group and don't mix with
"ordinary people".

The term yuppy itself is not ours, so maybe the connotation is
slightly different here from the dictionary definition.

I think there is nothing wrong if they want to have fun. We
work hard and we need refreshment. Everybody wants to have fun
and relax. But we have to strike a balance. Don't have too much
fun.

And don't waste your money. Consumerism is dangerous. Okay,
it's their money. They say they work hard to earn the money, so
they have the right to spend it any way they like. The more you
earn, the more you spend.

But I wonder if they really work hard. I know there are those
who work really hard, but there are others who came into the
money not because of their own efforts. Maybe their parents are
rich, or maybe they got advantages from other people.

I hear that they like to take that drug, what is it called?
Ecstasy? I don't think it is good. I also read in a magazine that
they have orgies. How could they do such things? (icn/sim)