From what I've seen, Gen Zers are just catching all the residual smoke that we millennials were getting (and still get) from the older generations. We're not "lazy" or "unmotivated"; we realize that we are very limited in certain things that we can change about our futures, and are deciding to change our values and priorities instead. We're changing the rules about what it means to be happy and fulfilled by putting our time, effort, energy and attention into our hobbies, our interests, our friends and our relationships, and on having meaningful experiences and interactions. I think Boomers and some Gen X-ers are mad because they can't profit from our changed mindset. We're not competing in the work force, passing up on socially acceptable milestones like buying a house, getting married, having kids, etc, we're not submitting ourselves to superstitious dogma the way our parents and grandparents did, and we're learning how to not attach our self worth to a job. I'm not saying ALL Gen Z-ers are getting it right but for the most part, a lot of us younger millennials are right there with them.
There is a window of time around twenty y.o. or so where people’s romantic energy is at peak level of excitement, optimism, rawness, openness, playful inexperienced vulnerability, and beautifully naively ready to fall in love and bond. The marriage cycle is upside down where people give this fleeting energy to partner after partner and just a worn out heart to the person you finally settle down with. Earlier marriage may have its advantages
"In early 2020, 54% of 18-year-olds said they were willing to work overtime. By 2022, it was 36%. That's a (relative) drop of 33% in just two years." This is going to be long but it's relevant, so bear with me. I am Gen Z (late 90s) and was working full time in 2020 during the pandemic, in a grocery store. I had no problem with working overtime if I was asked to stay late, I liked my manager and I liked the extra money. I'll never forget that first day they announced the local schools were closing. It was a Thursday in mid March, and I was originally scheduled a 3-11 shift. I didn't find out what was happening until I got to work and it was the busiest I had ever seen it. We had 16 registers and 18 self-checkouts, and the line for every single lane stretched back halfway through the store (this was already one of the largest and busiest stores in the region). I ended up working 10.5 hours that night and the lines didn't get short until halfway through the 9th hour of my shift. I was standing there all day, unable to go to the bathroom even because it was an endless stream of customers. We spent the last hour desperately trying to clean, sort and return "reshop" and scan out damaged products for the opening crew. Normally those tasks are done by someone every couple hours throughout the afternoon and evening, but during the pandemic it was "all hands on deck," at the front. People were panicking, angry that the service desk was closed, frustrated that the lines were so long and products were already sold out, and it was just an awful experience. Every single day working during the pandemic was horrible, but I pushed through. The only solace was that the company was giving us an hourly bonus of $2/hr (so I was making $12 an hour) for being essential, frontline workers. However, just a few months into the pandemic, they got rid of the hourly pay. In response to massive backlash, they gave us a one time bonus, $400 for full-time and $200 for part-time. I received the part-time bonus because of my employment status, despite the fact that I had regularly worked 10 and 11 hour shifts during the first 5 months of the pandemic. I was full-time during that period the bonus was being awarded for. Many employees had a similar experience and felt betrayed by corporate. While we were suffering through busy shifts breathing through masks and foggy glasses, trying to balance new cleaning procedures, backed up reshop and damaged products, and dealing with irate, stir crazy people...they got to work from home. People really high up got to work from home AND got massive bonuses on top. It disgusted me that even though WE were the ones facilitating sales during the pandemic, our $2/hr pay was taken away, and many of us were cheated out of an extra $200 on the bonus. Meanwhile, the executives were sitting on their *** in the safety of their own homes taking multi-million dollar pay packages. In fact, when our $2/hr bonus was taken away, the CEO gave himself a 6% bonus, up to $22.4 million in 2020. So you are me, you are a young person in the U.S. that has experienced this during your young adult years. Why would you continue to work overtime? Why would you be loyal to a corporation ever again? The pandemic was a wake up call for a lot of Gen Z; neither your labor nor your life is valued by the elite, ruling class. This is actually why I decided to go back to school and pursue a career where I can have a positive impact on people's lives and situations. I can't stand the idea of working for a corporation. I have lost all respect for them.
Zillenial here- Worked my ass off, was eager to learn and improve, improved the pipelines we had at work including setting up what order tasks should go in, was given more responsibilities, was asked to manage outsourcing, was always 2-4 weeks ahead of due dates, did a ton of bug fixing.. I asked for a raise as I saw the post for a new hire for the same job but with less responsibilities was starting off 4K more than me (also found out other people were making the same amount the post had but doing less than me) and what did that get me? Nothing. I got laid off. : ) Def in the boat of just doing the bare minimum if working hard gets you nowhere.
Most people I know around my age (24-28) are doing okay, but it's hard to know if we are the exceptions or the norms living in the urban west coast US. One thing I feel is that from 18-24 you don't have much time to figure things out, like getting your job, career, metal health, and social life in a good place. In previous generations people would bumble around in their 20's, figure things out later, and live really nice lives, it seems that gen z has less time to start slow in their 20's and reach the same heights with how competitive things are.
There are companies buying up all of the available housing and pricing us all out. Blackrock is one of them but there are also holding companies including some owned by Wall ST.
Idk i kinda love gen z, i got kids that age. Ppl dont even try to understand them or relate to their way of thinking unfortunately. They want to live differently bcoz things ARE different nowadays. They'll figure out what works best for them eventually!
My job is purely transactional. I clock in, they tell me what they want me to do, I do the task, and then they cut a check for my labor. I’m not striving to go above and beyond.
I'm 28, just got married and have been working for 11 years or so. My work ethic is 8-10/10 depending on the day but I have been so burnt out by my job and, moreso, the people I work with. The absolute worst people I have ever worked with? Gen X. Hands. Down. 99% of the gen x people I have worked with don't know the difference between there/their/they're, how to use an 's, don't take notes when being taught a new task that they can refer back to later if they forget (like how to use the copier and other extremely basic office skills and beyond), they don't understand how email works. I have explained several basic things that affect my work eg. How to follow the document naming convention for client docs and I may as well talk to a brick. In the nearly 3 years I've been in my current position, I've brought up the same problems with the same people at least 25+ times and nothing ever happens. They basically whine when confronted and say something to the effect of "you can't teach an old dog new tricks". Not just that, but I cannot get out of entry level admin positions. I'm beaten out by hardly literate gen xers most of the time for reasons I will never understand.
As a late gen z my goal is to not work for anyone. Im so burnt out im trying to grind out that self sufficient homestead lifestyle. Hoping to have some land to start building on next year
I’m knocking on wood as I say this, but for me it really isn’t about the money. I make dog crap but it’s enough to pay rent/necessities, eat well, and go to a concert here or there. But I have no drive to get a higher paying job than my mindless data entry job after I finish my masters nor climb the ladder because I don’t want the stress and responsibility it’ll come with. I like not having to think at work and being able to leave my job at the office at 5 pm.
I would like to add to the notion that Gen Z is discouraged to obtain higher education and say that it is either that, because we recognize that it might be a waste of time and money, or we work ourselves to the bone to get a master's because there is no point in stopping at a bachelors. Bachelor degrees are losing their value it seems and for me and many of my peers, we are actively planning to obtain graduate degrees because we would not be able to survive on our own with an income that is relative to a bachelors degree. Our generation has been screwed over.
The education system sucks, the healthcare system is a sham, and corporations desperately need to be put in check in America. Human rights are either being capitalized on or straight up getting taken away in this country. I’m 27, and elder gen Z, and I do not blame anyone for doing the bare minimum at any job.
People are burnt out from life life is too much these days nobody can afford anything people are overstimulated and everyone is being taxed too much all of these things lead to burn out and fatigue so can you really blame any of them
When boomers and genx are gone there will be no one left to actually keep the world running. Actually producing things that make the world go round. Oh wait young people in other countries will take up the mantle because this worthless mentality is only prevalent among western genz. Women with nonsense jobs in "social media" will be a thing of the past.
It's hard to have hope when your generation is being called to BE the hope of the world. Gen Z is going to help change everything one day - Love, a Millennial
I'm from Europe, gen z, 1997. And let me tell you it's a real struggle here too. 5 years ago I was hardworking, motivated and ready to learn. I saw people who literally did nothing at work get their raises meanwhile I did 2 person's job and all I got was more work. Never again. I will never forget my teacher's words in high school when she told us that our generation will need to work 2 or more jobs just to be able to pay for basic necesities. She was damn right. And about all that "gen z doesn't want kids" me and my fiance want to start a family but we literally can't afford that...we barely make it to the next pay check.
I'm at border between millenial ans gen z, 5th year in a phd program right now and i am BURNT OUT to a crisp lmao I'm glad I'm getting an education since should be able to find a decent job after doing research but fuckin hell bro insane to think half a century ago it was sufficient to just get high school diploma and still have single income middle class lifestyle. Tbh the decay of capitalism and the inequality, alienation, and desperation that comes with it are exactly why we're seeing a rise in fascism. We would 100% be better off in a more egalitarian, small d democratic society but noooooo apparently the order of the day is theocratic fascist oligarchy? Yummy. Also i should say this experience has made me soooo glad for the coworkers around me and before me who FORMED A UNION and WENT ON STRIKE for a much better contract. The experience of being in a union and getting much better contract because of it has convinced me that any workplace that is union busting or anti-labor is not for me & i will NOT accept some toxic work culture, I'd rather quit
Join the post office. I'm 34 i make 100k+ joined at 19 got 15 years in and I'm not at top pay, had 8k in student loans and I've been able to drive a Mercedes since 19. It's hard work and sucks but I just work.
If you want a better work/life balance get an hourly paid job that most closely meets your wants. If you have a salaried position that means the company pays you a certain amount per year BUT your on call 24/7 and the company tells you (often on short notice) when you will work and how long you will work. It's always been that way.
Time is something you can never get back, but companies think you owe them 40-60 hours a week to never see your loved ones and to still not be able to afford a house to live in.
It's always mattered what your degree was in ! It's always been true that many college/university majors have been worthless in the job market. You can easily sit down and with a little internet research find out what a given major is worth in the real job market.
I'm a Boomer, when I was in high school and complaining to my father about the pointless classes offered by most colleges and university's he said to me something I have never forgotten. "Son, you have to remember that colleges and university's are in the business of Selling education".
A Bachelors Degree or higher can help you get a better paying job BUT it depends what your major is in. Your college degree must have give you a marketable job skill. With the internet available you can research any job or field you want and find that information.
I'm not gonna pour my heart and soul out at work every day to be below the poverty line lmao. Can't afford a house, cant afford groceries, can barely afford rent and car repairs. Rip bozo to the corpos who think I'm gonna give them more work than I'm paid for
I'm 24, born in 2000. I graduated college a year and a half ago, did everything I was told to do. Studied hard, fought through covid and made it out the other end. However now, a year and a half after graduating, I'm living with my parents and stuck working a low-paying retail job that barely relates to my degree. I've applied to hundreds of "entry level" jobs, went through a gauntlet of 3 interviews for a pair (including one 1hr long interview), and have ended up rejected from them all. It's been incredibly frustrating, and has left me really burnt out. I've got a mountain of debt to pay off, but I'm barely getting paid enough for groceries. I can't see myself buying a house, much less paying rent somewhere. I work hard, and I'm trying to get a better job while also trying to get promoted. But it's hard not to feel exhausted when all your hard work leads to getting paid poverty wages. I can't even begin to imagine trying to start a family, I mean I'm still scrambling for pennies in an attempt to create some sort of stable foundation for myself! Like, how are we supposed to live? I'm just so tired, and I really don't want the bulk of my working years to be spent in the retail mines. I'm really regretting getting my degree at this point, like I'd have been better off spending those 5 years building up the work experience these companies seem to value above a degree.
If you are going to college you need to answer some questions for yourself. 1. what will my major be in and what marketable job skill will it give me. 2. As best that I can determine what will the job market be like for my degree/job skill when I graduate. 3. If I'm taking out student loans, how much money am I borrowing and how will I pay the loan back with compounding interest and how many years will it take me to pay the loan off ?
Oh sthu! You don't know the first thing about the circumstances of previous so-called Gens. The main difference is that kids today cannot stop staring at social media, whereas older people are mostly nauseated by it; they'd rather go to work than scroll.
Yes, two parents is a privilege. But also people work very hard for that privilege. A healthy relationship requires selflessness, compromise, and the willingness to serve each other on a daily basis for the greater good of their future. I think a lot of adults pick terrible partners to have kids with and/or are too selfish for marriage. Social media has created a society of narcissists that are more interested in how they can be served rather than serving others. And that is a recipe for failed relationships.
