The youngest workforce cohort, roughly teenagers through age 28, is redefining aspirational careers by opting for non-college paths. Many pursue licensed roles such as real-estate and insurance agents and skilled trades like HVAC servicing and wind-turbine installation. These choices prioritize autonomy, control over earnings linked to effort, and perceived resilience to generative AI disruption. Peer influence and social media shape career perceptions and validation. A growing entrepreneurial mindset among Gen Z values practical experience and self-starting opportunities over traditional four-year degrees.
While some of us are trying to keep up with the latest , here's another trend worth watching. The cohort of teenagers to roughly 28-year-olds is slowly but decisively changing the definition of an aspirational career and what it takes to achieve one. While millennials and their elders prioritized the four-year degree as the key to success, Gen Z is pursuing other paths.
They are putting in the work for dream roles like licensed real-estate or insurance agent, and blue-collar gigs like HVAC servicing and wind turbine installation, BI's Amanda Hoover reports. And they definitely do not want to work for you. "A true entrepreneur doesn't need to go to college for entrepreneurship," Toni Marmo, a Gen Zer, told Hoover. "You've just got it. You just have it in your body."
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