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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Harder for Gen Z to build a good career which pays the bills?

81 replies

CalmAndCosy · 13/05/2023 18:32

Mid-20s, satisfied and very grateful with life but very lost in my career. My question is, is it more difficult these days to start building a career you truly enjoy AND which pays you enough to live a good life?

Background: I dream of working in the arts but the cost of living crisis and state of the sector right now make this very difficult financially. I love working with children so thought about pursuing childcare or teaching - both quite creative and in-demand roles - but I've had rubbish experiences with some awful nanny agencies, and most of my friends who have trained as teachers regret doing so!
Tbh I could've done a law or engineering degree, but I wouldn't have been happy. And not necessarily financially viable either - some of my friends in the legal sector earn the equivalent of minimum wage.

So, is it harder these days to secure a career you love AND which also pays adequately?! Or has it always been like this?

Would appreciate any well-meaning advice!

YABU - No, it has always been this hard
YANBU - Yes, it is harder these days

OP posts:
RosettaTheGardenFairy · 13/05/2023 18:44

Find work that pays well, that you are good at. What you enjoy should be your hobby.

Finding a job you enjoy that you're also good at is the jackpot. Choosing a job you enjoy but are not good at is a mistake; you'll always be mediocre and over time this will destroy your soul.

For a successful carer, follow your strengths not your passion. This is nothing new for your generation, it's old as time.

GoodChat · 13/05/2023 18:46

It's not harder these days than it was previously.
People just think the world owes them more.

mintbiscuit · 13/05/2023 18:48

YABU

It’s always been like this. but it’s not hard…. It’s just life.

PinkButtercups · 13/05/2023 18:49

I don't think it's hard to secure the career itself I think what's hard is the price of everything now compared to many years ago when our parents were raising us. That's the problem.

abyssofwoah · 13/05/2023 18:50

Mid twenties is very young to expect your career to be sorted. At 25 neither me nor any of my friends were anywhere near established in our careers and none of us had any money. 15 years on we’re all doing not too bad.

Quarter life crisis is a real thing IMO!

Spendonsend · 13/05/2023 18:50

I am not sure that building a career is much different now than when I was young 28 years ago. I never managed too build one! But wages have stagnated so affording life on the lower rungs is harder and I think that the lower rungs require more entry qualification. So things that didnt need a degree now do. And actually now I think on it management structures have flattended out a bit so I think there are middle jobs.

Spendonsend · 13/05/2023 18:51

Less. Less middle jobs!

betaglucans · 13/05/2023 18:54

I think in some ways easier to learn the skills you need to earn good money e.g. online, internet courses, accessibility of information.

However things will be changing quite a bit with the advent of AI and so maybe think about that and how your chosen field could be impacted and ways around it.

Use the internet to your own advantage!

My own career has been a slow burn. One small step at a time, focus on the method and little steps rather than focussing on the desired results. Think outside of the box and keep learning. Earn trust. Do great work. Slowly over time people will trust you and you will be able to do what you love just don't expect it overnight and beware of things that will hold you back / push you in the other direction e.g. job that uses all your energy etc. Better to train doing something you LOVE for a low wage initially to learn from experience and mentors than chase money in the longer term doing a dull job.

Waitingforsummertocome · 13/05/2023 18:56

I don’t think it’s harder career wise, in fact in many ways it’s easier than ever. For my generation, it was only the very bright or the children of professional parents who could go to university, everyone else went into factories, offices or manual work of some kind.

What is so much harder is the cost of housing and the cost of living and pay just hasn’t kept up with this. I also think because also many go to university now (& pay extortionate amounts to do so) you have to be really talented to shine. I really feel for younger generations. It isn’t fair.

betaglucans · 13/05/2023 18:57

Also there's a great book called The War of Art by Steven Pressfield which could be good for you to have a read of for inspiration. I also like Robert Greene - he has a book called Mastery which should help you out and loads of good youtube advice videos - eminently practical and wise, check them out for sure!

Original poster
CalmAndCosy · 13/05/2023 18:58

I don't expect my career to be sorted at all! Just thinking about what my options are at the very start of my career and what is worth pursuing.

OP posts:
Original poster
CalmAndCosy · 13/05/2023 19:00

Thanks so much for the genuinely wonderful advice and recommendations here. Will check them out. Thank you!

OP posts:
PinkPlantCase · 13/05/2023 19:00

YABU

It was much harder for the people who graduated uni in 2008 just after the financial crash. I was still in school then but when I hear about it from people at work it sounds horrendous.

I think it also depends on what you enjoy, a well paying career in the arts is something that’s always been very hard to come by. Me and DH are 28 so a little older than you. We both have careers in STEM that pay well and we really enjoy. They took at long time though, 25 is the age I was when I completed the last step of my professional qualifications. At 25 DH was still doing a PHD and didn’t really know what his career would be in.

Out of our friends quite a few who did arts degrees went into accountancy, I think they’ll be around 25 when when quality. Other friends have gone into marketing and are doing well.

Springissprunging · 13/05/2023 19:06

It was much harder for the people who graduated uni in 2008 just after the financial crash

This is what happened to me and it was horrible. Hundreds of applications for every job, competing for entry level roles with people with 10+ years of experience because of redundancies. I think it probably put my career back several years compared to friends who had graduated 2-3 years above me. I was going to interviews for graduate schemes surrounded by people who had graduated a few years before but who had ended up out of work etc so I never even did a graduate scheme although it was normally what someone graduating from my degree would do. I ended up in a part time job for a year just to have some income whilst waiting for it to settle down and get something better. It didn't help that I was in an area of the country that was badly impacted either, if I had been somewhere else or prepared to move it might not have been so bad I'm not sure.

Original poster
CalmAndCosy · 13/05/2023 19:07

Waitingforsummertocome · 13/05/2023 18:56

I don’t think it’s harder career wise, in fact in many ways it’s easier than ever. For my generation, it was only the very bright or the children of professional parents who could go to university, everyone else went into factories, offices or manual work of some kind.

What is so much harder is the cost of housing and the cost of living and pay just hasn’t kept up with this. I also think because also many go to university now (& pay extortionate amounts to do so) you have to be really talented to shine. I really feel for younger generations. It isn’t fair.

Yes, I think you've hit the nail on the head there. I seem to have lots and lots of career and training options which is great, and a luxury my parents didn't have. The difficulty is the cost of housing etc and the basic building blocks of life being more expensive comparable to earnings. I guess that's why I feel a bit overwhelmed!

OP posts:
gegs73 · 13/05/2023 19:09

It definitely seems harder to be able to afford to live as 20 somethings now then when I was that age. If you were at the start of your career, or even just had a ‘job’, it was mostly fine to rent a flat (maybe not in the nicest area), pay bills and be able to eat and have a social life just fine. Now that is much harder even with professional jobs due to housing prices and the cost of living.

That said I definitely picked jobs to peruse which paid more rather than those I would have enjoyed more, but I could still have lived reasonably well and independently on the lower paid ones.

Throwawayme · 13/05/2023 19:10

I think you're being unreasonable in that careers in the arts have always been hard to come by.

Original poster
CalmAndCosy · 13/05/2023 19:11

Springissprunging · 13/05/2023 19:06

It was much harder for the people who graduated uni in 2008 just after the financial crash

This is what happened to me and it was horrible. Hundreds of applications for every job, competing for entry level roles with people with 10+ years of experience because of redundancies. I think it probably put my career back several years compared to friends who had graduated 2-3 years above me. I was going to interviews for graduate schemes surrounded by people who had graduated a few years before but who had ended up out of work etc so I never even did a graduate scheme although it was normally what someone graduating from my degree would do. I ended up in a part time job for a year just to have some income whilst waiting for it to settle down and get something better. It didn't help that I was in an area of the country that was badly impacted either, if I had been somewhere else or prepared to move it might not have been so bad I'm not sure.

Yep have heard similar from my dad about the 80s. He says even if it's rubbish pay and stressful work, count your lucky stars that there's jobs at all!

OP posts:
gogogoji · 13/05/2023 19:12

RosettaTheGardenFairy · 13/05/2023 18:44

Find work that pays well, that you are good at. What you enjoy should be your hobby.

Finding a job you enjoy that you're also good at is the jackpot. Choosing a job you enjoy but are not good at is a mistake; you'll always be mediocre and over time this will destroy your soul.

For a successful carer, follow your strengths not your passion. This is nothing new for your generation, it's old as time.

What is new though is that a teacher's salary won't afford you anything. In the past, a teacher could get on the property ladder

DryIce · 13/05/2023 19:14

I think you've had some harsh responses. I think career options are more varied now than they ever have been.

But with the cost of housing and general living, finding a career that can afford you what used to be considered a reasonable lifestyle is increasingly hard

betaglucans · 13/05/2023 19:17

I think most people don't think "outside the box" as far as career goes. There are plenty of careers beyond standard employment, self employed and freelance being some of them. It's not necessarily easy to make the jump to freelance, but if you can manage it by working part time and building up a client base, eventually, depending on your profession, you may be able to ditch the employment completely. Not necessarily an easy option, but you may find you learn a lot more and can progress your career in much more interesting ways by being freelance (plus charge more per hour etc freeing up more time). During the build up phase you kinda get used to being poor, but that's good training for anyone in an arts based career!

And then eventually depending on what you want to do, you can push your own projects and work more and more, hopefully leaving client work behind if you so wish. Took me years to get to that point though, and still doing some client work!

It's not an easy path and I wouldn't necessarily suggest it to anyone without careful thought but it is one way of doing it. IMO many jobs suck your energy and leave you restless for independence and creative freedom if you're in anyway creatively minded.

betaglucans · 13/05/2023 19:20

Basically as well, to mention, frugality is your best friend. Be frugal and careful, and good at managing your money. Because having a financial backup plan is important for anyone wanting to pursue a creative career. Many people won't understand why you have to be so careful, but for me, living simply and frugally is the reason I've been able to progress in my career.

cobbledstone · 13/05/2023 19:24

I think it's always been this hard. I'm old enough to be your Mum and we did not have it easy.
(I won't tell you I actually earn less now than I did at 25 thanks to becoming a mum later in life!!!)

musicalold · 13/05/2023 19:25

My parents worked in a factory in the 70s earning the lowest of low wages. My DM worked part time. They were able to buy a nice house in a decent area.
I was able to buy a small flat in London as a newly qualified nurse in the late 90s.
These would just be pipe dreams now.
So yes there is probably a lot more choice in terms of career now, but it's getting harder and harder to have a decent standard of living ie not living in a shared house or with your parents into your 30s than it as 15/20/30/40 years ago, I'm not. Sure how anyone can disagree with that.

musicalold · 13/05/2023 19:29

betaglucans · 13/05/2023 19:20

Basically as well, to mention, frugality is your best friend. Be frugal and careful, and good at managing your money. Because having a financial backup plan is important for anyone wanting to pursue a creative career. Many people won't understand why you have to be so careful, but for me, living simply and frugally is the reason I've been able to progress in my career.

This smacks of "if you didn't eat so much avocado on toast you'd be able to buy a house" unfortunately.