What do Alan Chhabra and Nicole Mirabile have in common – besides a great deal of chutzpah? They are members of the so-called Entitlement Generation, the upstarts at the office who put their feet on their desks, voice their opinions frequently and loudly at meetings, and always volunteer – nay, expect – to take charge of the most interesting projects. They are smart, brash, even arrogant, and endowed with a commanding sense of entitlement. And since a new crop is graduating from Boston's high-powered colleges and universities every year, chances are, one may be heading to your office soon...

All of this would seem to suggest that this generation, which is flooding into the workforce, will create chaotic, unpleasant, and utterly unproductive work environments that will drive many a good business directly into the ground. But there's another very real possibility. It may be that this much-reviled generation will revitalize the economy and ensure the prosperity of America for years to come. Painful as it sounds, in the not-too-distant future, we may owe a debt of gratitude to these narcissists.

The author's argument is that the narcissim of the Me Generation also endows them with an extra dose of independence, creativity, and willingness to challenge received wisdom. This can, in theory, fuel a new entrepreurial spirit. And for a select, gifted minority, it probably will. But what of the rest? For every Generation Me Bill Gates, how many whiners and slackers will find the transition to work traumatic and... unfair? And how ready are they to cope with the inevitable bumps, setbacks, and frustrations of risk-taking? Especially since being forced to confront adversity was never part of their curriculum?