Originally Posted by SoundgardenRocks

This is a very common belief among older people about the younger generation and in my experience, it just doesn't bear out to be true. Sure, they might have a better surface level 'understanding' about tech than you did at the same age, but that's likely just a result of it being ubiquitous in their life. There's an implication to 'understanding tech'. Young kids and teens today are surely proficient at navigating web app interfaces (Facebook, Youtube, Twitter, TikTok, etc.) - they're also good at navigating smart phone and tablet GUIs and some, installing apps from the app store, and some may be able to tell you exactly what type of connector your new phone cable will need to have.

But how many young kids/teens today could reinstall an operating system, troubleshoot package dependency issues, explain what the TCP/IP suite is, use a DOS or Linux command line, tell you what a DDoS attack is, or set up a LAMP stack machine on a VM?

Kids today have a proficient enough understanding of technology to work entry level jobs that use some level of technology (fast food cashier, customer sales rep, etc.), but that's about it, in my experience. Could they be trained onsite to do a more technically demanding job? Sure - but most companies don't want to pay that price. A lot of companies are still focused (incorrectly, imo) on credentials like degrees, certifications, etc. You could become proficient in the realm of IT without a college education, but you'll still be passed over by a lot of companies without it.