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

[CalmAndCosy]

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

Agreed. I once worked a summer in a lovely pub-restaurant, would've happily worked there for the 40 years except the wages wouldn't have covered the cost of living in that area.

This is bitter nonsense. The cost of housing in comparison to average incomes is massive compared to previous generations. So obviously that makes it harder to build a career which will cover those bills.

OP, I would have loved to do an arts degree but my df had kicked me out and my priority was to survive so I did a business degree. It enabled me to earn a decent salary but wouldn't have been my first choice. I swapped to marketing after a few years which allows a certain amount of creativity.

If I'd done an arts degree I would probably have starved or ended up in a minimum wage job. I think it's always been that way. Too many people wanting to do arts degrees pushes the going rate down.

My parents are gen X, I am a millennial. I think it it probably harder now to find any job that pays well and affords the standard of living my parents had without many more hoops to jump through - they all want degrees and lots of experience now.

However, I think YABU to a degree. It has always been hard to find a job that pays well and is something you love, especially if that love is in a sector like the arts.

I think its admirable that so many of gen z want to do jobs they love, and I get it - you're spending most of your life doing it! But perhaps need to be realistic too and find other, better paying, loves

Have you considered being an independent childminder? (The government were on about funding new ones, don't know if anything happened with that.)

I don’t know why so many people love to be contrary. People always seem so insecure and desperate to point out that they worked hard too!!!
The reality is wages have not increased at anywhere near the same rate as basic needs like housing, energy, food, transport. The result is careers that were regarded as well paid a generation ago, teachers, nurses, social workers etc actually cannot offer you the same lifestyle anymore.

And that is a travesty , a genuine national disgrace. But my advice was essentially to follow the money; find something you're good at that can earn you good money. If the money isn't in teaching any more, don't bother (nightmare for schools but that's a different conversation).

I don't know which 'Gen' I am, but I was born 1988. I'm married, 3 kids, earning a six figure salary in a finance job that is off-the-charts boring. But I (and my husband) need to provide for my family, and following my passion, writing, was never going to let me do that as I love it, but I'm not good enough to ever make serious money and would spend my life struggling which is soul destroying, even when you love the work.

So that was my advice:
Job you love + are good at, + with high earning potential = jackpot most people can't hit.
Job you are good at + high earning potential + hobbies you love = best case compromise.

Yes, I think they have a grant for new ones. I would enjoy it, but because it's home-based I don't think it would be practical as I am a renter. I would need to be able to afford to rent somewhere which has enough space for the children, and I'd need permission from the landlord to base my work in the home - and renting can be pretty insecure generally so not sure I'd want my workplace tied up in all that too.

Well I have to say that if today’s 20 somethings didn’t pay people to do their nails, wax their legs, dye their hair, piss around with their eyebrows, inject their lips with filler etc, and didn’t expect to buy new clothes, designer handbags, fancy phones for the best part of a grand, and coffee for a fiver a time - they might have more money for rent!
I know you’ll all slag me off for this opinion though, but life as a 20 something for me was shared houses, charity shop clothing, and reduced price groceries - and I was a junior doctor.

That's a shame - there are a lot who rent though but I can see it makes it tricky.

Going against the grain, I would find a career you love. We should all value our mental health more.

I work in a nursery, I qualified to do this and earn minimum wage. I am very happy, and look forward to work each day, knowing I am making a difference in those children's lives.

We live in a high cost area (South east), most of our wages go on rent, bills etc. But we live frugally otherwise, it's almost a challenge now! There are days I am sad that we haven't been on holiday or can't just buy whatever we like, but we have everything we need. New experiences and fun doesn't have to cost much.

Our children are 14 and 11 now, my advice to both of them has been to pursue careers that bring you joy, there's no point earning a huge wage if you are miserable, or end up having a breakdown due to stress. They have grown up appreciating the small things, how to cook from scratch and hunting free sites and charity shops for clothes etc.

This is the exact opposite advice to what I gave above. I find human nature fascinating; that people make such different choices but are both happy with their choices and encourage their children to go the same way. I guess this just shows OP, follow your gut and above all else shoot for what will make you the most happy 😊

Tbf I replied to that because it resonated with me, please don't think I'm trying to say it's worse than you have now. It was bad in different ways.

I managed to buy a house cheap because it was a recession and there were repossessions driving down the housing prices. Although I didn't buy a repossession it did mean I could buy a small house for cheaper than you could nowadays. And food prices, electricity, gas were all cheaper.

I think you have to find your compromises. I wouldn't work the job I was just doing if I had had the choice but I didn't hate it, it was just boring. I have managed to get a promotion to something more stressful but more interesting which I think I am going to be happy with.

Instead of an amazing job, maybe choose an amazing place to live, or a great hobby or a good lifestyle and then pick the least worst job you need to do to get you there.

I don't think that's fair, there are people in every generation who live beyond their means. I cut my own hair and have never bought anything designer! I don't look down on my friends who get their nails done, and the fact I don't get mine done doesn't change the fact of lack of affordable housing for most people my age.

Agreed, I worked in recruitment until the year 2000 and average type jobs don’t pay much more now than they did then. Most definitely not in line with the increased cost of living.

I don't think it's hard to secure the career itself I think what's hard is the price of everything now.

This.

I think most people have always had to make career choices between what they enjoy and what is more financially viable. The cost of housing makes things harder for young people today but there's plenty of career opportunities.

So people are only allowed to complain about the cost of living rises vs wage stagnation if they are older or don't have their legs waxed?

30-49 year olds are the group for spending the highest on clothes in the UK not 20 somethings.

It's boring. It's the same arguments that have been used against millennials for over a decade now being used on a younger generation. People can talk intelligently about inflation and cost of living until a 20 something joins the conversation and then it's all 'well stop having a nice phone' as if that makes a difference

Before the Internet, there was much less information available

People relied on their friends & family more
Personal recommendations

Sometimes, it is about being in the right place, at the right time

A few years ago, I recommended a friend for a job & received an employee bonus & my friend has done well. So the same applies now

OP I'll be honest Mumsnet isn't the place to ask this, I have found Mumsnet to be quite , unsympathetic to young people, I will wages do not match inflation like previous generations where they could buy a home house prices were lower so yes, we have it harder.

But, older generations (gen x/boomers) don't want to admit this.

*our wages

I’m gen x but definitely agree. We don’t have problems with housing because of our age, but our DSs are nearing adulthood and they are going to have it much harder than we ever did.

So much has changed

But Housing costs are madness which makes things much harder

I'd be banning second homes and unoccupied homes to try and get the market back under control and currently there is a false lack of supply that's pushing prices and rent sky high

Well a nice phone costs many hundreds so it does make a difference

Even renting is hard, I have older millennial friends still stuck in house shares

Aye cos the 50 quid a month for an I phone vs a tenner for a sim is what's causing all the problems for the younger generation. 😂😳