Maëlle Leggiadro
So, you’ve graduated. You’ve got yourself a bachelor’s, maybe a master’s or a PhD – a golden ticket to a successful life. After all, so many years of intense study and living under the poverty threshold (for some of us) should pay off. You’re in your mid-twenties, and it’s about time to start a life… but what happens when that doesn’t come?
Welcome to the post-grad blues, the Gen Z despair and the infamous years of young adults’ angst. You spend your time crafting CVs, networking, perfecting your numerous skills, driving miles for an interview or the promise of an important meeting, and you spend an even amount of time between sleeping and sending applications on LinkedIn and Indeed.
We grew up under the illusion that higher education is a privilege – one that our grandparents, and sometimes parents, didn’t get to experience. We were told to work hard, and it’ll all unfold. But, the reality of the 2023 job market and current social and economic crisis is sour, here’s why.
Where are the jobs?
Many graduates struggle with finding a job in 2023, especially in the area that they studied. We have the diplomas, skills, and we may have had an internship or two, yet it seems no one wants us. The problem lies in the fact that there is an overabundance of highly-skilled graduates. Someone I know has a PhD in science. He recently applied to a graduate scheme that offers three spots. There were 800 applicants.
Lack of Experience
“We are required to get that experience first-hand, but there is nowhere to get it.”
The second issue is that we may have the skills and the certificates, but experience is not easy to acquire. We are required to get that experience first-hand, but there is nowhere to get it. We’re told networking sites, like LinkedIn, will increase our chances – who are we kidding? A recent survey of close to 4 millions jobs posted on LinkedIn since 2017 showed “35% of postings for “entry-level” positions asked for years of prior relevant work experience.” BBC reporter Kate Morgans explains: “In short, it seems entry-level jobs aren’t for people just entering the workforce at all.”
A Generation Not Taken Seriously
“Even when we beg to work unpaid, it appears there is no room for us.”
So where do you get that experience? Impossibly, internships are almost as hard to access. Even when we beg to work unpaid, it appears there is no room for us. It has become so competitive that getting an interview is now a pipe dream. A post-grad friend told me recently: “The job market is so depressing, the moment when you celebrate is getting earlier and earlier. I used to celebrate when I got a job, then if I got an interview, now if I get an email saying they haven’t rejected me yet, soon it will be when I receive the automated email that tells they received my application.”
In short, our expectations are as low as they can be. There is an evident gap between being twenty-something today and what being twenty-something was like for our parents. In 2023, at 25, you’re lucky to make ends meet, you might live in a shared house and your situation is probably far from stable. Yet, we grew up with the delusion that it was an age to settle and to start getting things in order.
“There’s this trend of successful young people displaying unrealistic habits and goals.”
The pressure to know what we want and to start a solid career is everywhere, coming not only from our elders but from social media as well. There’s this trend of successful young people displaying unrealistic habits and goals. It’s curated and well-edited, and we consume it every day. These posts often imply you should just start a business and become rich overnight – clearly not realistic for all! It’s all very distant from the reality of life. If anything, those pieces of advice may only apply to middle/high-middle-class individuals.
Is Gen Z the Problem?
Now, you might want to blame it on us, Gen Z –the incompetent, daydreaming, social-media-obsessed, mental health advocates. This would be easy, but also far from the truth. Almost every person in their twenties I know is dedicated, apologetic, works on self-discipline, and is a good listener. We thrive to become better, yet our elders keep saying that we do not hustle like they used to. Although, this is a comment that completely disregards the political, environmental, economic, social and post-COVID crisis Gen Z are battling in the job market.
Constantly, we hear threats of recession, another lockdown or pandemic, war, and so on. Crucial years of our life and early development as adults/late teenagers were taken by these crises, and jobless Gen Zs are being accused of wanting privilege.
In Defence of Gen Z
Research has shown that Gen Z are the most anxious generation. Chloe Garnham puts this down to the pandemic, unemployment, climate change, technology, and “other stressors.”
Essentially, our generation is suffering, but we are aware of our rights and wellbeing. We have the drive and the desire to work, but we care about working reasonable hours and hope to be able to dedicate a pocket of time to our family and loved ones, because we know that is what matters. The crises we live in have made us realise that.
Blaming Gen Z is denying the capability of this new generation to change the world for the better and repair the mistakes of our elders. Then, if the job market and education system remain stagnant, it will be strenuous to move forward all together.
Advice for Gen Z
“Maybe you should apply for the job you never saw yourself doing.”
Here’s my take: Consider trying different things. To stay as open as we can be, it might be worth working for a few months, making some money, and going travelling. Maybe you should apply for the job you never saw yourself doing. Perhaps learning that new language and moving away is a good bet. It might be worth trying and failing, and trying something new again, because if we keep staying still, waiting for our elders to open doors for us, we’ll be waiting a long time. We have to leave room for exploration.
I have heard older people say that the Gen Z generation isn’t resilient. I think it’s far from the truth. We bounce back quicker, learn to work smarter, are used to rejection, and keep pushing until it works.
Featured image courtesy of Annie Spratt on Unsplash. Image license can be found here. No changes were made to this image.
Maelle Leggiadro
Hi, I'm Mel. Or Nora. I have a thing for adventure, creative writing, cinema and coming-of-age stories. Some would say I'm fiery and I might be a helpless romantic - one of my favourite films is Romeo + Juliet and I loved Wuthering Heights. I'm always craving for more, paying attention to little details and unable to settle.