• Generation X denotes those born in the years after the Baby Boom.hackysack image by jbach from Fotolia.com
  
  Generation X was a punk band fronted by Billy Idol, who went on to become a pop-culture icon of the youth of the 1980s. Those youth would themselves be tagged with the name "Generation X." The widespread use of the moniker dates not from Idol's band but from a 1991 novel by Douglas Coupland. He used the designation "X" as a shorthand "to signify the generation's random, ambiguous, contradictory ways," according to M.J. Stephey in "Time."
  
  

Age

• Generation X graduated from high school in the mid-1980s through mid-1990s.graduation image by timur1970 from Fotolia.com
  
  The easiest characteristic of Generation X to identify is age. Sources differ on the exact boundaries, but in general, Gen Xers were coming of age in the mid-to-late 1980s through the mid-1990s. Diane Thielfoldt and Devon Scheef, writing for Law Practice Today, cite Generation X's birthdates as 1965 to 1976. This range is typical, though experts cite some variation, especially on the latter dates.
  
  

Culture

• Generalizations about Generation X include describing members as "slackers."handsome man image by sasha from Fotolia.com
  
  Much has been written about Generation X's cultural characteristics. Thielfoldt and Scheef, for instance, list traits such as "accept diversity," "pragmatic/practical," "self-reliant/individualistic," "reject rules" and "mistrust institutions." In a 1997 article for University of Nevada Reno's Outpost, Jennifer Jochim shows the negative side of common stereotypes about this group: "Generation X is made up of cynical, hopeless, frustrated and unmotivated slackers who wear grunge clothing, listen to alternative music and still live at home because they cannot get real jobs. It is a label that has stuck."
  
  

Employment

• Gen Xers' disillusionment with traditional employment led to business innovation.holding laptop image by Adam Borkowski from Fotolia.com
  
  Members of Generation X came of age at a time of recession, and the disillusionment faced after graduating high school or college to a landscape of unemployment colored much of the group's attitudes toward and habits of employment. Matt Starcevich also cites this disillusioning experience with Gen Xers' approach to jobs. They "have nothing but disdain for corporate politics and bureaucracy," he says, adding, "They grew up watching their parents turn into workaholics, only to be downsized and restructured out of their chosen careers." Author--and Generation X member--Jeff Gordinier points out this workplace independence has led to some of the great business innovations of the 21st century, such as Google, YouTube and Amazon.