There are some new kids on the block — and finding the best way to handle them is becoming a preoccupation for a coterie of Baby Boomer CIOs unused to dealing with such impetuous youth.

In executive council meetings and around the water cooler, the hot topic of the day is how to attract and retain a generation more technology savvy, vastly more restless and less programmed for company loyalty than perhaps any generation before.

That's me in the spotlight

I am a product of my generation in many ways.

I had my first computer, an Amiga 500, before I hit puberty. I use my current computer for far more than just work, to the extent that it has become my primary source of entertainment — a one-stop box for social networking, audiovisual stimulation and gaming.

It's important to hold down the same job long enough to actually gain knowledge and experience from it

Daniel Viney, business systems analyst, USC

I chose my career path early in life, instead of just falling into one. I chose journalism because it suited my skills and the idea of becoming a hard-nosed muckraker appealed to me, not because of any financial considerations. Money just isn't our primary motivation. Like most members of Generation Y, I'm at the beginning of my professional career.

I have much in common with my Baby Boomer parents. Most members of Gen Y do. But there are fundamental differences in our motivations and our attitudes towards work that upper managers eager to augment their workforce with Gen Y staff would do well to be aware of.