Generation Z is having a hard time. The job market looks nothing like the one our parents lived through and many people seem not to see it, inflation has made practically all the jobs we can find precarious. There is more unemployment, less stability and many closed doors in front of us. With the new year, many might think this will change and that getting a promotion or a new job is easy, but are we sure?
From the top of some of the biggest companies in the world comes a kind of “mantra” message saying that there are opportunities for new generations, but they do not come in the usual format and that everything will be unpredictable.
A market that no longer works like before
Many young people look for their first job with the idea of working in what they just graduated in, crazy, right? Who would ever think of that? And many believe that this is where the mistake is, because artificial intelligence has wiped out many jobs and automation many others. The job market no longer looks anything like it did five or six years ago, and everything seems to point to the fact that nobody is prepared for this change.
Curiosity
Julie Sweet, the CEO of Accenture, has said in different interviews that she did not intend to become a CEO, but that her curiosity and ambition led her there, and that young people today could learn from this, to be curious and always ask for advice.
You do not have to have everything figured out
Andy Jassy, CEO of Amazon, believes that one of the biggest mistakes is thinking that at 20 you have to have your professional life solved like most of our parents did, who bought a house at 25 and we at 30 are waiting for mom to give us clean laundry.
According to Jassy, trying things, making mistakes and changing direction also counts and there is nothing wrong with starting over many times.
Raising your hand when nobody else does
From Walmart, Doug McMillon insists that many opportunities appear when others do not step forward, and that starting from the bottom and accepting what nobody wants catches the attention of superiors, because sometimes it is not about being the brightest, but the most available.
Growth is usually where it is uncomfortable
Lisa Su, CEO of AMD, says that she runs toward problems. That means she always tries to face the hardest challenges because that is where you grow and learn the fastest. Always choosing the comfortable path may seem safe, but in the long run it usually holds you back, while getting into more complicated territory makes you much more skilled and valuable.
Dream big
Jane Fraser, from Citi, believes you have to be resilient and reinvent yourself, that you do not need to know everything but you do need to know a bit about many things.
Nobody is going to take care of your career for you
From McDonald’s, Chris Kempczinski warns that nobody will care about your career more than you, and now that many young people are stuck in precarious contracts it is key to accept that reality. According to Kempczinski, you have to say “yes” to all opportunities even if they do not seem like the best. Maybe because he does not have to worry about eating at the end of the month or paying the electricity bill.
A less linear future, but not closed
That is what those who already have their lives sorted out with a Porsche at the door of their house say. For us, even if they tell us that the future will bring other jobs, we will have to adapt to new circumstances. A more uncertain and less “known” future is ahead of us. Will it be as good as the future our parents had?