They are educated and ambitious and, at work, Generation Y are driving their Gen X sisters to distraction.

Here we examine the traits that define each generation and speak to two women on either side of the age divide.

Generation X

Born: 1961-1977

Traits:

• Career-oriented, but tend to embrace change in the workplace

• Commonly labelled the "me" generation - considered to be too selfish for marriage and children

• Highly cynical and suspicious: they want Generation Y to work harder

• Money-focused

• Having grown up with divorce, they are more self-reliant

• Entrepreneurial

• Pessimistic

• Currently seeking a good work/life balance

Generation Y

Born: 1978-1994

Traits:

• Impatient: this "technology" generation wants instant gratification

• High-achievers: they demand success quickly, yet want a job that they are passionate about and is flexible - eg, willing to go part-time, downshift

• Success is personal: old stereotypes "doctor or lawyer" no longer apply

• More traditional values: don't want to leave marriage and kids too late

• Fun-loving outlook

• Swamped by choice

• Friends are the new family; they're staying at home longer

• More concerned about the environment

Generation X

"Starting my first job in the early 1990s, I believed in the concept of "working my way up". And after finding my niche in event and conference management, I did exactly that for the next eight years - putting in the hours, fitting into the culture, and steadily scoring promotions.

"Generation Y don't seem to understand this concept. They keep asking, "How can we fast track?" and my answer to them is, "You can't, really, because you need to make your mistakes along the way and learn from them." - Lisa Messenger, 36, is the managing director of Messenger Marketing and Messenger Publishing in Sydney.

Generation Y

"I've had three different jobs in three years, increasing my annual income by $15,000. Like most people my age, I don't feel obliged to spend years in a job before I progress; I even have a rule that if I haven't been promoted or I'm not being challenged after 18 months, I'll leave.

"A fun working environment is essential. In my first job as a publicity coordinator for a charity, I left after nine months because I had nothing in common with my colleagues at work." Lisa Newman, 23, is a features executive for News Limited in Melbourne.

To find out more about the differences - and similarities - between Generation X and their younger Gen Y colleagues, see the July issue of marie claire.

HAVE YOUR SAY

What are the differences between Generation X and Y? Are there benefits or disadvantages of working with a Generation Y colleague? Have your say below.