That Early-Career Stuff - Class of 2023 Hits Up Against Very Different Job Market Than Their Grandparent Boomers

 "The Class of 2023 Faces a Jittery Job Market: 'The World Seems to Have Flipped on Its Head.'" 

The Wall Street Journal, March 30, 2023

In response, Gen Zers are recognizing the search for that crucial first job won't be the kind their grandparents - that is, we boomers - embraced. And, unlike our early-career experiences that first career move probably won't represent the "stability" they crave. Soon enough they will probably be looking for another way to pay the bills or be forced to by official reductions-in-force, quiet firing, and business bankruptcies  and mergers. 

We boomers went for the job related to our major, found one fairly easily, and tended to stick with it. With the job market being turned upside down, many Gen Zers have to ditch the expectation that they will land a position related to what they had studied in school. And which they had been told until recently is in demand in the labor market.

Instead, after they hit a wall, they are presenting themselves for other lines of work. But even that is not all that effective. As a result they are accepting gig hustles. In addition, they are opting for grad school. The latter, if the knowledge and skills are not marketable or pay peanuts when they earn the degree, could be counterproductive. Also, there will be the loans.

In contrast, blessed with opportunity, we boomers were consumed with "climbing the ladder." We became slaves to the career experts. At night, we picked up M.B.A. degrees. Even the most introverted got networking down cold.

It wasn't until corporate downsizing during the late 1980s (I got pushed out of middle management) that we had to regroup. Middle-aged, we had been declared "redundant."

But we did learn how to survive. We were among the First Generation of Accidental Entrepreneurs. Currently, to continue to earn income from work we are doing whatever it takes. Those strategies range from changing careers to setting up mini online businesses to grabbng gig work. We are accepting reduced compensation.

The boomer edge in this unusual market for labor is this, of course: experience coping with whatever changes on a dime. One day we were poring over Harvard Business School professor Rosabeth Kanter's insight on success. The next day, as we gunned up the guts to apply for unemployment, we got it that we better shift to survival. We have kept shifting.

Once Gen Zers accumulate that kind of experience about work they could wind up rewriting the rules for career success. It will be interesting to observe what they are up to.

Meanwhile, as a career coach I help those over-50 get, hold, and move on to better work. The goal is not so much success as just being able to stay in the game, in some way.

Where are you in how you make your living? Or in your job search? Intuitive career coaching offers you a new way to go about it. Take advantage of a complimentary consultation. Schedule an appointment with Jane Genova (janegenova374@gmail.com)

Genova and Associates also provides Human Resources communications, ranging from white papers to thought-leadership articles. You will differentiate yourself from the competition. Please contact janegenova374@gmail.com or text 203-468-8579.