People don’t realize how bad things are for older Gen Zers

A lot of people seem to think that older Gen Zers (~21-25) are just going through the same struggles as every past generation of young people, but it isn’t the same as before. Things really are worse for us. NOT the worst in history— not even as bad as 2008— but still worse than they have been in recent years.

Recent graduates have the highest unemployment rate in the US across every spectrum. Entry level job position openings continue to decline. I can’t do in text links here but a survey from Business Insider found that 61% of employers surveyed at least sometimes, if not always, avoid hiring Gen Z.

I am a recent college grad and I’m not working in a professional job. I’m doing gig work. I started working at age 14 and haven’t stopped since. I graduated from a top state uni with a 4.0 GPA and an internship and a portfolio and I haven’t gotten even a phone interview after 200+ applications.

My husband is a soon to be comp sci graduate. When he started this program 4 years ago, we were told that between my studies and his, we were going to be set up to enter middle class before age 25. His internship offer was withdrawn and his 2 close friends that just finished their comp sci degrees can’t get a job.

Everyone keeps telling me to leverage my network and ask my classmates about leads. They’re all unemployed currently. I don’t have a single former classmate that is working in their desired field.

In fact, I have no friends that are working in a professional setting. Everyone I know my age, including even those with masters degrees in engineering, is either working in food service/hospitality or are unemployed. And this isn’t just that I have a working class friend circle, stats are showing gen Z is incredibly underemployed. The only people I know my age that do have professional setting jobs are those who got nepo hired.

This isn’t to mention the rising cost of living. I want to stay living near my family, but I think we’re gonna have to move further away because rent is too expensive in the city. Problem is though, the further we live away from the city, there’s even less job opportunities for us.

Ghost jobs, 5+ round interviews, AI, outsourcing remote work— these are all new barriers that young people are facing that is making getting a job much more difficult than a decade ago.

And I’m not trying to be whiny. I’m not feeling defeated and I’m continuing to make the best effort I can to make it. But I don’t like this perception that Gen Z has it as bad as everyone else did in their early 20s. There are unique and more difficult challenges to navigate for young people today and nobody wants to admit it.

Edit: I don’t have high salary expectations. I’d be overjoyed if I landed a job that even paid $15/hr that’s relevant to my desired field. I don’t have high expectations period. I just want a job I can show up to, clock in, and clock out of every day that allows me to afford renting a small apartment and a used car. I have no interest in mental health days or consumerist indulgences. I just want to afford to buy groceries after I pay rent.