Had a chance to talk with a Gen Z (a new college grad) recently. She said the pressure to fit into certain career types and roles is probably at all time high for her generation, with the prevalent use of social media etc.
We’ve all seen Youtube vlogs from a young Googler who just graduated from college and makes $120k, eats a fancy lunch in Google cafeteria, comes home in his leased Tesla model 3 at 4:30pm to hop on a Peloton in his swanky one bedroom downtown apartment.
Some people get to play this “techie/Googler” role; other GenZ’s quickly scan the next roles they can fit into. When they can’t find any roles they can easily fit in, they feel anxious and left out. It’s like a societal musical chair. Fit into one of 27 template roles, or you’re out.
Pressure to fit into certain types has perhaps always existed, but for me it really hit home while listening to her story from a GenZ’s perspective. We older generation should continue teaching the young generation about creating one’s own path and thinking outside the box. But we should also know their struggle; we didn’t grow up on social media, they live and breathe it. Unless we recognize, we can’t be sympathetic.