Gen Z Struggles in the Current Job Market and How to Earn Your Way In
- 6 days ago
- 5 min read
Disclaimer: Written from the heart and human fingers. AI was only used for post-editing. Please read it in full, I packed value in here to respect your attention and time. We at RIPPICULAR thank you and wish you many wins.
The Current Challenge
We felt the need to write this because not enough people are recognizing the real struggle Gen Z is facing while trying to build a career. People (and employers) love to criticize: “Kids these days are just not the same” … and when Gen Z looks for help online, they often find noise that makes them feel worse, like it’s their fault for not trying hard enough.
Meanwhile… in reality, Gen Z is walking into one of the most ruthless professional development environments modern workers have seen.
With cumulative inflation of about 27.6% since 2020, new participants in the marketplace are facing serious financial pressure. That pressure can tempt you to skip the actual learning process just to survive. I get it.
And it’s not just you competing with your peers. Many recent grads are also competing with experienced professionals who were victims of layoffs and restructuring across industries.
As if that wasn’t enough, entry-level jobs have reportedly shrunk by about 29% since January 2024. There are multiple reasons floating around (AI, economic anxiety, companies tightening up), but the impact is the same: fewer doors to walk through.
Add the ripple effects of a multiyear pandemic, remote work/learning, fewer chances to shadow in-person, less exposure to mentorship and workplace dynamics, and a lot of Gen Z ends up feeling stuck. Politics and influence in organizations matter (as unpleasant as that truth can be). If you weren’t in the room during those years, it’s harder to learn the rules of the room.
While this game is not currently fair, I cannot emphasize enough: you still have to play the game….and play it right. Hard work matters, but hard work without direction can lead to a very unfulfilling career.
WHISPER: If you feel behind… that’s not weakness. That’s context. The environment changed, and you’re adapting in real time.
I truly believe there’s light at the end of this tunnel. The market tends to overreact and then correct. We’ve seen this pattern again and again: world wars, pandemics, bubbles, crashes and humanity still endures. Not because it was easy, but because people learned, adapted, and built forward.
So let’s do what we can control: increase our tools, improve our direction, and raise our odds while we ride this wave of uncertainty.
Develop Interpersonal and Sales Skills Regardless of Your Specialty
AI is becoming increasingly disruptive. So strategically, we have to ask: what can you do better than a tool?
It’s our strong belief that authentic interpersonal connection is one of those things. Decision makers, buyers, and sellers are still people (even if they’re behind layers of tech). Relationships drive business.
You will increase your chances, regardless of your field, if you learn to connect with the key players and participants in the organization you’re in (or the one you want to join) in a more professionally “human” way. The more automated communication becomes, the more people crave genuine human interaction.
Here’s the awesome part: YOU DON’T HAVE TO BE IN SALES TO USE SALES SKILLS.
Sales, when done properly, is just alignment. It’s communication mastery. It’s asking better questions, listening better, and helping people move from confusion to clarity. That helps you whether you’re a developer pitching a roadmap, a nurse advocating for a patient, a teacher getting buy-in, or a professional negotiating compensation.
PRO TIP: If the word “sales” makes you cringe, replace it with “influence with integrity.” That’s what this is.
Perceived Value is Real Value
We at Rippicular believe in upskilling and building real expertise. But recognition from your audience matters too. You can be the best coder, accountant, or researcher, but if you don’t learn to position your value, people may treat it like no value.
I’m not telling you to shout from the rooftops or become a “ME ME ME” person. Positioning is not ego, it's clarity.
I’m inviting you to build a simple communication framework that creates alignment and participation with peers and leaders. That framework can look like:
● Pre-task/project clarification with peers and leadership (TIP: it lets them express or realize the value of the task).
● Execution updates (TIP: opens room for resources, avoids pitfalls, improves success).
● Post-completion evaluation (TIP: feedback loop + results become a team process).
WHISPER: When more people see the result, your personal brand grows through real outcomes , not self-promotion.
Quick Note If You Are Currently Not Employed
If you’re not employed right now, you still have power. Here are two real plays:
1. Do free freelance work for a company you’d love to work for based on your expertise or research. Then reach out to the right person and say: “I built this and would love your feedback.” Give it to them free of charge.
*WINK WINK* You might be surprised how fast opportunities show up when you do this consistently.
2. Prospect smartly. Where do people from the company you want to work for actually go? Coffee shops, lunches, afterhours, community events… Start showing up and starting conversations.
SOMEONE ALWAYS KNOWS SOMEONE …an introduction can eventually become a win.
Onboarding & Training Inside Organizations
If you’re already employed (or when you land something), here’s what improves retention and performance:
● Mentor pairings. There’s a reason it works: real-world observation + guided reps accelerates confidence and competence.
If your organization offers no support, a closed mouth doesn’t get fed my friend. Ask leadership. Ask high performers. Ask for shadowing.
● Framework before techniques. A major concern (especially in sales/consulting/service fields) is overemphasis on scripts and one-size-fits-all techniques. Without a foundation, juniors struggle then blame themselves.
Learn the workflow of your specific company, then pair it with a consultative framework: steps matter, criteria matters, and you don’t advance stages until they’re met. Frameworks allow mistakes while still making real progress.
Important pitfall: avoid hustle-culture that pressures you to work hard at the wrong thing. Direction matters more than volume.
Money, fame, and power are weak goals by themselves. They’re outcomes, not foundations. Your foundation should be deeper: mastery, contribution, dignity, freedom, impact.
Final Encouragement
YOU GOT THIS! This tough environment can become the foundation for your professional impact. Focus on frameworks, continuous learning, alignment, and interpersonal relationships. That combo helps you stabilize now and thrive later.
To be impactful, you have to create opportunities for yourself. So, get out there my friends, keep your head up and we will get through this.
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