Any GenX dads dealing with GenZ career-disillusionment?
Posted by NotSure2505@reddit | GenX | View on Reddit | 654 comments
I've had a pretty good career, and provided a great start for my kids (private schools, college fully paid for, Roth IRAs). Even gave them both internships at my SaaS company, gave them access to business colleagues for networking. They're far from lazy, and very intelligent. Having dinner with them is like being on CNN's Crossfire, they're very sharp and well informed. We've tried to teach them critical thinking skills as well, to see things for what they are, not how people spin them, and this seems to have worked from most of our conversations. Except about careers.
One's about to graduate college in May, and last night he says "What's the point? Private Equity already controls everything." (Haven't they always?).
"I have no skills." I countered that he has many skills, for a new college grad, and at this age he's not expected to be skills-heavy anyway, his goal should be to find a position where he can learn more skills.
Then he started trashing on how AI is going to take jobs and I pointed out that we've been teaching him how to use AI for the last 2 years. He used to be in charge of building our website using traditional tools and he just learned how to use Lovable to create it from prompts. He says that's evidence that he won't be needed.
Any advice on dealing with this?
BoneDaddy1973@reddit
They’re probably not wrong, and the enshittification is likely to continue until the AI bullshit reaches a tipping point where it is proven to be worse than humans and more expensive at the same time. Your sons should consider skilled trades that bots can’t do, that pay well enough to live on. HVAC seems like it isn’t going anywhere, and doesn’t wreck your back as quickly as many of the other trades.
Grafakos@reddit
If the quotes I've been receiving are any indication, he should consider building decks for a living. He could probably retire younger than I did!
BoneDaddy1973@reddit
Let’s see Grok do that!
NightGod@reddit
Give it 20 years
EonJaw@reddit
Five?
NightGod@reddit
I was trying to think positive!
FurryWhiteBunny@reddit
"...the enshittification is likely to continue until the AI bullshit reaches a tipping point where it is proven to be worse than humans and more expensive at the same time."
Looking forward to that tipping point. AI is a fun toy....but, by gosh it sucks most of the time...especially th AI phone trees.
NightGod@reddit
Getting into skilled trades isn't easy. Head over to the Construction reddit and read the daily threads about people struggling to find work with experience, let alone starting out from nothing
hitness157@reddit
I feel like a broken record about this. The trades don't "wreck" your body. Poor diet, lack of exercise and bad lifestyle habits wreck your body.
You don't know what you're talking about and it shows.
spc67u@reddit
I’m a dental hygienist and it absolutely hurts my back. I do everything correctly with diet and exercise and I’m still in pain by the end of the week. But to be fair sitting at a desk all day would be absolutely intolerable because I can’t sit still. I think we just hurt as we get older
Coffee_24-7@reddit
My son just decided to drop out of college and go into the electric trades. I fully support that decision.
just1here@reddit
Encourage him to save steadily for the long term bc the body does give out
specific-eletrick@reddit
I’m here to say that spending life sitting at desk isn’t avoiding injury or death either.
Fudloe@reddit
It is death.
Trick-Mechanic8986@reddit
Upvote because this person actually works for a living. The folks on tv encouraging trades and blue collar employment all seem to have college degrees...anyone else notice that?
MelpomeneAndCalliope@reddit
Yep. And the politicians and elites pushing the trades over college are still sending all their kids to (elite) colleges. It’s good enough for their kids, but not yours.
Fudloe@reddit
Trades are the answer.
Unique-Fan-3042@reddit
Adaptability is going to be the answer. Lots of careers that existed in my parents and grandparents days are extinct.
Fudloe@reddit
Chimney sweeps, bricklayers, plumbers, electricians, carpenters, painters, HVAC guys, well diggers, roofers, tile setters... all still here after centuries of change.
Like I said- the trades.
AnastasiaNo70@reddit
Very smart. My best friend’s son just finished underwater welding school (yes it’s a dangerous job). He loves it.
Unique-Fan-3042@reddit
That is very hard on the body, so he needs to have a plan for when he can’t do it anymore.
Footdust@reddit
Same! He did one year at college and is now doing a carpentry apprenticeship. As a person with a college degree who is rapidly facing the end of my career due to AI, I think it’s great decision.
Saint909@reddit
Smart move.👍
Fudloe@reddit
Send him to trade school. Neither of you will regret it and he will never be replaced by AIA, exported to China or outnof work.
He may not get rich (he may, however) but he'll never go hungry.
Trick-Mechanic8986@reddit
Private school and college experience tells me he aint gonna be happy roofing houses. Hard work is, well, hard work. That is learned through need at a young age. Not in trade school. Too late for that now. I started in trades and got out and went to school before I wore out. Physical work is tough to sustain until 67+. If you can't keep up you're just another replaceable machine.
Fudloe@reddit
What the fuck are you on about?
First off-that's you. Not my kid. He has a different outlook on the actual value of hard work, as opposed to revenue of hard work and has been working along side me since he was 12.
He's not planning on roofing houses. That's a semi-skilled trade, like painting.
He's training to be a plasterer. Not a drywaller, a plasterer. He can paint frescos as well as fix the wall in your centry home and his specialty is restoration, duplication and creation of ornamental plaster work. Folks with lots of money have that done and there are six reputable men who do it in the country.
We're sorry you couldn't cut it. But since you like to lump everyone in with your own experience, I can see why.
Trick-Mechanic8986@reddit
Yep, I couldn't cut it breathing weld smoke so I got an advanced degree and am sitting in an office being paid to reply to you. What a dumbass I must be. Glad you are proud of your kid. Hope his shoulders last to retirement.
Fudloe@reddit
Good for you, seriously. I'm glad you found your gig. I'd loose my mind sitting in the same chair every day for 8 hours. But I need you to do it, and you need me to do what I do.
I'm 58 and you could bounce a quarter off my arse because my job requires movement and exertion and I love every minute of it. No BP drugs, no pacemakers, no arthritis.
As for retirement, I was financially able to retire 30 years ago. But there's no fate more bleak to me than being useless. I love physical labor and if there's a God, he'll let me die on the job in my 90's.
Trick-Mechanic8986@reddit
Everyone has a dream I guess lol
Fudloe@reddit
Dreams are for wishers. Goals are for do-ers.
Being built like a brick shithouse, financially independent, being my own boss and still relevant and useful at 60 is my goal.
Lookit that... I'm already there.
scurrred1@reddit
The problem with this line of thinking is that it ignores the bigger economic picture. AI will not just affect white-collar jobs. It will also reduce or disrupt the pool of potential customers who hire tradespeople. A huge number of people are already arriving at the same conclusion, which means more workers may flood into the trades at the same time. If you combine a growing supply of tradesmen with a shrinking or financially weakened customer base, pricing pressure will hit hard. That kind of imbalance can create a downward spiral where competition increases, margins shrink, and prices get driven down fast.
Fudloe@reddit
I can see where that may make sense, uf you're not in the trades, yourself.
But the fact of the matter is, virtually no one can do for themselves because of their reliance on technology, already. This has always been a boon to tradesman. AI is simply more efficient automation.
The easier, posher life gets due to tech advancements, the less the geberal public knows how to do. AI has already begun doing that.
Everyone cried about the falling sky when the steam engine was implemented in manufacturing, the newspapers and publishers when radio became affordable, radio when television became affordable, television when the internet became available, etc.
Yet here we are, all still alive and listening to the radios in our cars on the way to the library after anchoring the local news at the television station.
And those radios can be swapped for better sound systems, TVs need to be mounted on walls, cars need tires changed and exhausts repaired and the library will need a roof and a coat of paint (as well as a plummer, and electrician, etc.).
So, the doom and gloom, trickle down rhetoric about the trades being somehow hobbled because data programmers have to get jobs at the grocery store is the precise opposite of what actually happens (as a tradesman, I have never seem the trajectory vary in 50 years and have been told by my elders that it never has).
Checkout girls houses need maintenance, same as tech moguls. Because if AI can't fix it or paint it or build it, the public will be clueless as to how. And then they call us.
The less the people know, the more we make. Besides, who's gonna built the data centers? Tradesmen.
scurrred1@reddit
I work directly with tradesmen, and I think people are confusing “hard to automate” with “safe.” Capitalism does not care whether a job is noble, difficult, or hands-on. It cares about supply, demand, and price. So even if AI cannot physically do the trade, it can still crush the economics around it. If customers have less money and too many people flood into the trades looking for safety, prices will get hammered. More competition plus weaker demand is not protection. It is how margins disappear.
Fudloe@reddit
There's very little competition in the trades, currently. Most tradesmen are 40 plus. We'll be, as we always have been, just fine.
Hard to automate is different than impossible to automate. And if, by some Azimovian fluke, machines start building average houses- tradesmen and the bespoke homes they can create will become the go-to rockstars for the elite. At which point, we can charge whatever we want.
I've no time for doomsday predictions. In the over half a century I've walked this rock, none of them, not a single one has come remote close to happening.
I respect your opinion, but I'd like to set your mind at ease with mine. The trades ARE the answer. The last few thousand years of global change effecting them not one iota should suffice as proof enough.
scurrred1@reddit
I hear what you’re saying, and I respect it, but I think that’s giving the market way too much credit for loyalty. There used to be TV repairmen, VCR repairmen, film developers, typesetters, and switchboard operators all over the place. That was real work. Real skill. Real paychecks. Then technology changed, the market changed, and a whole lot of that work dried up. That’s all I’m saying. Just because something is skilled and hard work does not mean it’s safe forever. If enough people pile into the trades thinking it’s the safe bet, and customers start pulling back at the same time, prices are going to get beat up. That’s how this works. The best guys will probably always find a way. They usually do. But that’s not the same thing as saying the trades as a whole are untouchable. We may not fully agree, but I appreciate the respect, and I’ve genuinely enjoyed this exchange.
Fudloe@reddit
As have I! And I'm excited for the future, either way. (Because they'll need somebody to imput the data for that LLM before it can build a fireplace!).
Here's to it! Have a wonderful evening!
telephonekeyboard@reddit
Yeap, electrician. Gotta wire up those datacentres.
Fudloe@reddit
Those things are already obsolete! Train stations and supermarkets need juice tho@
subterfuscation@reddit
In the AI age, this is the right answer.
glencoe606@reddit
Have your kids worked outside of your circle? It sounds like you do everything for them.
CodenameZoya@reddit
Honestly, this adds to their lack of self esteem. Hard to have confidence if you can’t do anything on your own.
ancientastronaut2@reddit
The job market is a disaster right now and surely your kid knows it and I don't blame them for being disillusioned.
My kid graduated with honors last may and can't find anything. At least not anything that will pay her more than she's making serving tables. She's submitted hundreds of apps and only had three responses. Now she's saying she doesnt know if she wants an 8-5 because she's over 30 and has never worked that kind of schedule.
We were also raised to good loyal workers and be loyal to the companies we work for and were told that would be rewarded. Those days are over for the most part. The reality now is they will promote people on personality alone and drop you without a second thought.
Kids today are wanting more from life than working for "big corporate" nine plus hours per day.
It took me eight months and over a thousand apps to get a new job last year after my job was offshored and it nearly killed me. Just sayin, I get why kids are disillusioned these days because I am too.
I'm also in SaaS fwiw.
CodenameZoya@reddit
Your daughter’s body won’t hold out forever and waiting tables is hard work. The bummer thing is she needs to get a job starting out at the bottom and work her way up and she’s about 10 years past when most people do that. I wouldn’t look at a job as paying equal to waiting tables, but as getting your foot in the door so you can work your way up.
Magerimoje@reddit
As a former waitress turned nurse, has she considered going to nursing school? An Associates degree in Nursing (ADN) can usually be done at a community college in 24 months or less. From there, the employer hospital will often then pay tuition reimbursement to get the BSN and even the MSN (bachelor's of science in nursing and masters of science in nursing). Plus, it's a job that AI can't ever take and can't be outsourced. Excellent pay in most places.... And honestly, it has many many similarities to serving tables.
And there are many areas of nursing that don't involve puke/shit/piss.
AnastasiaNo70@reddit
Dental hygienists start at $50K where I live.
ancientastronaut2@reddit
You're right, that is one in demand field. But def not her cup of tea and she's over school now.
AnastasiaNo70@reddit
This. 100%. I totally understand their disillusionment! I am too!
What’s crazy is the employer side is going WAY too far in an extreme direction (we want your NONSTOP PASSION and 10000% LOYALTY AT ALL TIMES and you can’t have a life at all and you’ll accept CHICKEN FEED for your salary) and on the employee side, more and more people are going “um this is COMPLETE and utter bullshit and I’m not doing it.”
I’m team employee.
GramercyPlace@reddit
As someone who has risen up the ranks of an industry in the midst of collapsing from private equity and tech bros, I feel very much like your child and worry I’ll soon be facing the same job market but middle aged and well, starting over and it’s super scary.
CodenameZoya@reddit
Stay frosty, I lost my job at 55 and it took me 10 months to find a new one. I’m making about 65% of what I was making before and grateful to have a job. Unfortunately, LinkedIn has become almost useless as about 80% of the jobs posted are not actually for jobs that are hiring. Indeed seems far and and few between, but that’s because those are the real jobs.
chicagoliz@reddit
Most private equity firms should not exist. LBO's should be illegal. We need more antitrust laws. We should have laws that make these big business conglomerates of unrelated businesses illegal. We only had a middle class because we specifically sought to create it. We regulated capitalism. Unfettered capitalism is not good for society, as it is exploited and you end up with a small group of super wealthy people and a huge mass of poor people. And if it's corrupted by authoritarians, it doesn't function. Similar to Churchill's quote about democracy, capitalism is the worst form of economic system, except for all the others. Communism doesn't work. Socialism is too easily corrupted by authoritarians. But DEMOCRATIC SOCIALISM brings about the best results, always subject to realities.
So many people run around claiming they hate socialism, when what they really hate is authoritarianism. But they are perfectly fine with the authoritarians corrupting capitalism.
I do believe private equity firms have been destroying our society.
GramercyPlace@reddit
We do have socialism for corporations and the ultra rich. They get government handouts and loans they don’t have to pay back constantly.
But we get rugged individualism instead. White knuckle capitalism, perform or live on the streets.
curiousme123456@reddit
And if they keep with the bad negative energy that encouraged them to go into a trade see if they like that. Of course you’re not paying for it cause you’re already paid for college so they have to figure out what created it is and how did they get the skills to do it.
CubicleMan9000@reddit
Trades are great until your body gives out.
curiousme123456@reddit
I agree but I know plenty of guys and women who sold their book of business : plumber, electrian, car mechanic with own shop, sandwich shops, restaurants.
MelpomeneAndCalliope@reddit
This. All the tradesmen in my family told the younger generations go to college because their bodies were busted. Plus, if everyone goes into trades, they won’t pay well anymore.
Also, you don’t see the elites and politicians screaming “go into the trades” doing anything but sending their kids to college.
Particular_Ad6680@reddit
My daughter (23) is perfectly content being a lunch lady at a private school, after years of Graphic design school. It kills me that she doesn't want anything more from her life.
SamePhotographs@reddit
Does she get deals on admission for her (future) kids? That's pretty valuable in itself.
You probably don't know all the details, but having a job where it's built in that you're home with your kids on weekends and school breaks is worth quite a lot.
I also hope you don't show your daughter how disappointed you are in her choices.
Particular_Ad6680@reddit
Cafe is run by a different company, I don't know if any of the school benefits apply. I keep any worries about her work choices to myself.
WallyWestish@reddit
Is she happy? And isn't that the most important thing in life?
Particular_Ad6680@reddit
She seems happy.
archbid@reddit
They are terrified. I have two kids of similar age, and the level of anxiety in their generation is just nuts.
Meet them at the fear and hopefully convince them to do something, anything, and see what truth emerges.
And no, private equity has not always owned everything. Not even close.
DetroitsGoingToWin@reddit
I was nervous at that age too, it’s normal and ok. Are they applying for jobs? The fear can be real, but putting one foot in front of the other is real too. A great outcome from a great start certainly is not guaranteed but what else can you do? If they want to do something else, travel, play in a band, do stand up comedy. Let them do it. No regrets, be bold, but you got to figure it out.
For my kids, home is always an option, it costs nothing but time. Eventually though one needs to be aware of what a precious resource that time is.
archbid@reddit
It really is different from when we were kids, and that is the first thing to understqnd
ChaosRainbow23@reddit
Facts!
I was able to move out of my parents house at 16 years old and get my own apartment with my girlfriend in 1994.
These just no way that would be possible nowadays. The apartment I rented back then was a 2 bedroom, 2 story townhouse with 2.5 bathrooms. It cost us $450 a month. It was my girlfriend and a buddy, so after bills and everything we weren't even paying $200 each.
That exact same unit now costs $1750 a month. Lol Not to mention his CRAZY those huge rental companies have become over the years. It's very difficult to get into a place without stellar references now.
Add the soaring price of literally EVERYTHING, and it becomes virtually impossible.
Something has gotta give eventually. The US is like a powderkeg in a match testing facility at this point.
I fully expect the shit to completely hit the fan in the next year or so.
I think most of my fellow Americans are living in complete and utter denialism about the severity of the situation we find ourselves in. My best guess is people will flip out once they realize free and fair elections are dead around midterms.
archbid@reddit
No corporate-owned housing. It should be illegal.
DetroitsGoingToWin@reddit
I get it and am sympathetic, in fact I worry for my self. That’s the thing though, you got to keep moving forward.
“What’s the point, we’re all doomed”, that’s the point, you got to fight”
Things are changing and realizing this creates opportunity.
chicagoliz@reddit
They've been destroying communities and companies for decades, but now we're really seeing the end results of that.
archbid@reddit
Yes. I don’t know why any kid would choose to enter medicine - either human or animal. It will all be wage slavery for “medical groups” except a tiny sliver at the top.
mvscribe@reddit
But, it's one of the jobs that seems less likely to be replaced by AI.
archbid@reddit
I suspect that is true, but almost 80% of the field is now controlled by PE which is resulting in falling wages. It is going to be a miserable profession.
ChaosRainbow23@reddit
Doctors make bank, though.
mvscribe@reddit
Amen. My kids are younger, and I feel like I'm constantly fighting the sense of dread and paralysis that's coming at them from all around. Things have changed, and are changing, in ways that are very scary for Gen Z.
ChaosRainbow23@reddit
Absolutely.
They should be terrified right now.
I think most of my fellow Americans are living in complete and utter denialism about the severity of what's happening right now. Not only domestically, but globally.
We are in SERIOUS fucking trouble here, but tons of people think it's just business as usual. That will likely change around midterms once people figure out that free and fair elections are dead and gone.
Unique-Fan-3042@reddit
100%
Rand_74@reddit
I think the emphasis on the “ trades” over the past 4 decades could be part of the problem. I’m 52. The education system ( I use the term loosely) in this country has for the better part of 4 decades been geared towards getting straight A’s, scoring high on the SAT, going to college, getting a degree, and then a “white collar” job. There are so many industries right now that are hurting from a lack of “skilled workers “ The US needs welders, plumbers, electricians, OTR truck drivers ( paid to see the country) Auto mechanics, etc. All of these trades would net you close to, if not over 6 figures a year. The problem is it’s not a sexy, cush, tech job which is all the nation has been set up for over the past two decades. If you’re willing to get your hands dirty, there’s a lot of money to be made.
ChaosRainbow23@reddit
Unfortunately, I fear he's correct.
I'm not sure when it exactly what it's gonna look like, but something has got to give.
We truly might be teetering on the edge of social collapse at this point.
I think most of my fellow Americans are living in complete and utter denialism about the severity of what's happening domestically and across the world right now.
Buckle up!
MakeupMama68@reddit
So perfectly said. I have an 18 year old and a 17 year old. My eldest decided to go to community college that has a culinary school. She wants to be a chef and I’m totally on board. My other daughter wants to go to cosmetology school.
They both feel like going to actual colleges won’t benefit them in the long run.
The world is a terrifying place right now. I never thought we’d be here.
ChaosRainbow23@reddit
This timeline is really something else.
It's just absolutely mind-boggling how fucked up things are. Lol
MakeupMama68@reddit
It’s really feeling like we’ve entered the Twilight Zone
GeoHog713@reddit
Private Equity has expanded the reach of its tentacles.
PE has been the largest buyer of single family homes, for a while.
Ryan Cohen had a good take on how industry leadership has changed.
Ryan Cohen Blasts 'Parasitic' Bosses, Burry Sees Shades of Buffett - Business Insider https://share.google/yoLqXMKLsIHbDD7mV
I blame Jack Dorsey and his ilk. Companies used to act like they had obligations to their stock holders, employees, and customers. Now, the view is that stock price is all that matters. The consequence is outsourced jobs, and degrading the quality of products. As an example, look at what Firehouse Subs has become since PE bought it.
I don't think AI will deliver on all of its promises. IF it does, then the job replacement will be like outsourcing in the 90s on steroids.
It sounds like you've equipped your kids as well as possible. But what world have we left for them?
The game is always rigged for the wealthy. We've systematically tipped the scales more in their favor the last few decades.
What is the point of a job, if you can't pay your bills and reach your goals?
I'm getting off my soap box. Thank you for tolerating my Todd Taulk.
TimNikkons@reddit
I'm a computer guy, and I wasn't sold that AI would deliver on all it's promises. As of this year, I'm changing my tune...
LawrenceSpiveyR@reddit
I think you're still correct. AI will be a companion tool for decades first. Sam Altman will be a joke one day.
WickedCoolMasshole@reddit
I have four kids. I have a bartender (32f), a baker (29f), a welder (21m), and a TBD (21 autistic son).
The welder might be able to own a home one day. My daughters? Who knows. It’s so hard out there.
That said, hustle is still hustle. It might look different today, but people are still getting hired and promoted. The work still needs to be done. Making yourself a productive member of your community is still a thing.
OldDudeOpinion@reddit
I guess the advice I got isn’t relevant anymore? Get a haircut and have your shirts professionally pressed.
It’s not difficult to work harder than the person standing next to you…be a resource, be visible, and say Yes a lot…so you are in line of sight proximity when opportunities happen for which you are the logical answer. Nobody is going to just hand things to you…gumption wins the day, not passivity.
pagette44@reddit
Not anymore. The ones who work hardest now are passed up.
Cacti-make-bad-dildo@reddit
You haven't out there for awhile aye gramps...
Azerafael@reddit
Sadly genz are stuck in a world where real skills no longer seem to matter anymore.
The reality of working hard and being the best in a 9-5 job means very little when some nepobaby can just walk in and take the lead job because their parents are friends with the boss. This is further compounded by the fact that someone on onlyfans can make millions by just streaming themselves doing 'stuff'.
And then there are the influencers who are driving mclaren's because they post themselves doing all sorts of weird crap all day and get paid hundreds of thousands if not millions doing it.
The world today plays by a very different set of rules from our time. Perhaps the only thing your kids can do is to find a job that they love or at least like, even if the pay is crap, unless you're connected and can hook them up with a cushy job.
MarquesTreasures@reddit
us Gen Xers literally created entitled Gen Y and Gen Z. started with participation trophies all because our divorced boomer parents were at work all the time and never showed up to our soccer games.
that's half the problem OP is experiencing.
these kids are indeed facing different problems than we did, like the inevitable AI takeover...but is that any different then when robots started building cars instead of people building cars? is it any different when written correspondence went from physical letters to email? what about when movie theaters started streaming their movies rather than using physical film? or how streaming to smart TVs simultaneously destroyed Blockbuster and cable television?
all of these examples mean losing certain jobs and even destroying careers. but they also created new jobs...ne opportunities that our Boomer brained parents couldn't even conceptualize. Today's environment is no different.
later generations give up too easily and they cannot accept reality as it is. But they need to be the ones to take reality as it is and innovate new careers, just like Gen X did when we literally embraced technology in our high school years despite being told "it's not like you'll have a calculator everywhere you go."
JustNota--@reddit
Yes, they did end careers, while at the same time reducing the staff required to support the new operation via automation and now AI, while the population and people in the fields continues to increase. Basically in every industry you are usually competing with 10-30 people with the same or better qualifications for 1 position which makes it extremely difficult to get a job in your chosen field this doesn't just apply to one field but nearly all fields. Like nowadays even entry level positions are not even entry level anymore, and you also need to get through an AI to even be interviewed for a position. But that is business most companies will go for the lowest cost solution which is automation as you only have a 1 time cost of the hardware and software, vs having to pay the salary and insurance, training ect of an employee or multiple employee's to complete the same functions versus just pay 1 person to oversee multiple machines. Eventually as robotics and AI advances it will eventually get to the point of being untenable for people to get jobs.
MarquesTreasures@reddit
this is exactly why I did a career in the military. My bachelors was in Graphic Design in the late 90s with the web development boom. spent 5 years (for my 4 year degree) just to see only like 20% of my peers get jobs in the field because of oversaturation of qualified people vs actual careers on the market. fast forward to today and every YouTuber and 12 year old making a website can do the same thing with a downloaded UI that points and clicks. they can do in a day what I spent 5 years learning to do manually.
but unlike OPs kids, I took what I had and made something work. nobody handed me anything. I kept failing till I found something sustainable. I retired at 47 and have not worked a day since. so it worked out for me.
AustinFlynt@reddit
Yes, this! I got laid off five times during the dot com crash, went back to school, and found a new, better career. Made $8.25/hr after grad school. The younger gens expect their parents’ lifestyle without the sacrifice. Being agile, flexible, and learning quickly that you often can’t plan out your whole life when you’re 21. Their curveball is AI. Ours was the internet and technology. My son is getting a physics degree, but I might try to push him into a trade. 🤷🏻♀️ Our kids will eventually figure it out once they get knocked around a little, just like we did.
ViolettePlague@reddit
I don't think it's that younger generations expect their parents lifestyles. It's that no matter how hard they work, they will never achieve their parent's lifestyle because they see the American Dream as being dead. Wages haven't kept up with inflation. People aren't having children because they can't afford them. A lot of millennials, never mind GenZ, have accepted the fact the will never be able to afford a home. Heck, my husband and I had cash, from selling our previous home, and still had a hard time buying a house because we were competing against commercial individuals wanting to do a bad flip and rent the place out.
Gloomy_Narwhal_4833@reddit
Hell, they eliminated both my shop classes in the summer between my sophomore and junior year at my high school. Auto and wood shop were replaced with intro to computing and auto-cad. I was absolutely pissed, I had been in both classes since 6th grade and had every intention on going into the trades. It was at the height of the college and computers are the only way to succeed narrative, they literally forced us that direction, with no options. 3 years later they opened a trade school right next to the high school, which of course was a private business and cost money that my parent didnt have. We lived in a very working class area and it screwed a lot of kids out of careers in the trades. So we didn't "embrace" anything, we were forced to adapt. It sucked and we are feeling the consequences in my particular community to this day. A lot of kids that could have at least had comfortable careers ended up just taking whatever work they could get, with no possibility of ever going to college. Adapt or die has always been how it works for humans, and its the only real answer you could give this kid. Yes, it sucks, but its just how it is. Especially in the current climate,being from a stable household and having options is giving this kid a giant headstart that a lot of Americans do not get. He will be fine and will find his way, I am sure. Disillusionment is part of growing up.
octopus-opinion987@reddit
Ai is everywhere, while robots are still in the rare side except in China which heavily invested in them for 10+ years. US is cooked.
newwriter365@reddit
I don’t envy these kids. Many of us struggled to get career footing, the enormous cohort of workers in the Boomer Gen really sucked all the opportunities out of the market. A key difference for us was that information wasn’t ubiquitous, nor did we see the massive shift in productivity via technology that was on the horizon.
These kids are smart. They can read the situation and are overwhelmed by what they see. I think they are right to be concerned.
Cottage industries may make a return, many of us shun SHEIN and Amazon culture. Pick some product and become expert at production and differentiate.
BeerandGuns@reddit
For the US, we sent manufacturing overseas, retail isn’t close to what it used to be due to the Internet, white collar jobs are being sent overseas or taken over by AI. The jobs teenagers used to do are filled by older people who’ll take any job they can get. Now “go into trades” is being thrown around by people who have zero idea how difficult it is to get into trades. No envy here for the shitty situation these kids have been given.
shadowstar36@reddit
And op runs an Ai company. He's causing part of thr problem.
shadowstar36@reddit
You are thr problem... An Ai company. You pull thr ladder up so they can't get jobs. The housing market is out of wack. Everything is super expensive. I'm younger gen x and struggling. Not all of us are 6 figures snobs.
acecoffeeco@reddit
He’s not wrong. My oldest is going to trade school, she’s stoked. 100% placement in her field. My youngest is also planning on something which can’t be taken away by machines.
msoats@reddit
Private equity has destroyed the American dream. There is even a book with the same title, i cant recall the author.
They graduate with a degree and end up door dashing for less than minimum wage, can you blame them? Entire work forces are being laid off. Rents are unaffordable for “adults” with “real” jobs, so forget about ever BUYING something. Car payments and insurance are about what rent should cost.
Hes not disillusioned, he sees whats happening. Try to see their plight instead of viewing it from the lens of what was available when we graduated. Actually get on sites and look at jobs. Create a fake profile and start applying, see if you get ANY replies. Theyre not exaggerating, it’s taking people years to find ‘real’ jobs.
ofthrees@reddit
OP needs only to spend some time over in r/jobs, r/careeradvice, r/work, r/recruitinghell. Kids out of college, people with multiple degrees, people with degrees and experience, unable to find jobs, working for minimum wage, ghosted after seven interviews requiring hours of unpaid labor during the process - it is UGLY out there.
AI is taking jobs. I work in healthcare and we are laying off MONTHLY and every department is laser focused on replacing as many functions as possible with AI. Our CEO and board of directors are hellbent on this. We don't even have live people as our first layer of internal IT support anymore, and as a member, bots are now the ones taking your calls and reviewing your claims. We are not an outlier.
For that matter, a tech company in San Francisco was just approved by the medical board to have AI prescribe psych meds.
And private equity does own everything. Setting aside them gobbling up homes, they're also buying up businesses and laying everyone off to bleed every profit dollar possible out of them.
Respectfully, I submit that OP sounds a bit out of touch.
IntelligentNovel1967@reddit
Yes the younger section of large city subs discuss this openly, it’s awful.
BlahBlahILoveToast@reddit
Big companies like Amazon are talking about replacing half their workforce with AI.
That's not "replacing half our workforce with people who can write good AI prompts". That's sending half their human workforce to the unemployment office. Obviously this ripples through the tech sector and results in less job openings in other companies.
Teaching your kids to write good AI prompts does not solve the difficulty this creates. Unless they are the kind of software people who are *creating* AI itself, it's going to be significantly harder for them to get a job than it was 10 years ago. Pretending they just need to stop reading news headlines and keep a positive attitude is a disservice.
Fight_Tyrnny@reddit
Ive been using AI hard now for 6 months including building several of my own (I have na RTX5090 and 4090). AI right now is completely useless and mostly produces slop... period. I have wasted more time following AI instructions then it would take to do it on my own. For example, ChatGPT is ALWAYS working on old info.. so If I want instructions to install a complicated AI chain on my computer, It gives me instructions for a 2 year old install that doenst even match what Im seeing. No matter how many times I tell it to pull the latest info, it always forgets and Im sent in circles.
AI LLM will go the way of India datacenter call support. They will all move to it, find out its absolutely terrible and then come back to people.
I fear any corp that tries to incorporate the slop out there today, it'll be a disaster.
Google Gemini is such a JOKE that its impossible to use. I want it to create a video and Ill state 8 times in its chat box to "MAKE A VIDEO" and the thing will make an image every time.
diogenes-shadow@reddit
I get the feeling that all these people who think AI is going to replace everything have never tried to do anything professional with it.
ChaosRainbow23@reddit
Just look at how fast it's advancing, though. It's getting exponentially better by the day, so within a year or two we are gonna be in serious trouble in that regard. (We are already in serious trouble in lots of other ways right now, and AI is only a minor part of it)
diogenes-shadow@reddit
Unless we have a breakthrough of some sort the growth potential is limited. Our current LLMs only mimic the memory aspect of human intelligence. Unless it can gain executive function and real time learning among other things it will be severely limited.
ShutYourDumbUglyFace@reddit
I mean, I'm fucking disillusioned over this. I can't imagine how hard it is for our kids. And I'm just in awe that our government at all levels is like, "Yeah, let's further disrupt our work source because that's worked out so well for us in terms of globalization. More of that."
I guess I understand we don't want to be overtaken by other countries and become obsolete, but what the fuck are we supposed to do to earn money to continue being alive?
ancientastronaut2@reddit
And working there was already cutthroat to begin with.
lamomla@reddit
The existential dread is real and valid. Pretending our kids are overly anxious or shirking responsibility for recognizing the reality screaming at all of us in the face is not helpful. And, we all have to figure out a way to find joy and be productive in a very uncertain world. I think we all need to figure out how to support our kids (and ourselves) in processing how to approach that task without minimizing their very valid concerns.
WalleyeHunter1@reddit
Agreed it starts with being thankful for what you do have and not worry as much about what you might not get quickly. This is real for every generation. There is a housing crisis every 20 years, a financial crisis every 8 - 10. Everyone goes through it. Teach a young adult to be thankful and try hard every day. Having responsibilities is tough and scary. Meeting thoese responsibilities is one of the most satisfying joys in life.
ArmchairHedonist@reddit
"Everyone goes through it" and "try hard every day" fails to recognise that the challenges facing our kids today are far tougher than those facing boomers and gen X. We grew up seeing the world get better, expecting to do better than our parents and then seeing it happen.
What kids today are facing isn't a temporary recession or boom/bust cycle, it's structural inequality which has reached a point where governments are bankrupt, services declining and middle incomes no longer support a decent lifestyle.
Hope comes from supporting changes to the system including wealth taxes which address structural inequality.
There is nothing satisfying about working for a tech oligarch helping them get richer every day whilst you can't pay your rent, and that's what our kids are facing, if they can find a job at all.
ChaosRainbow23@reddit
That's true, but I believe we are really in SERIOUS trouble right now.
Like, literally on the brink of full-blown societal collapse and fascistic authoritarian takeover kinda bad.
ArmchairHedonist@reddit
Agree, and figuring that out includes how to address these problems structurally, like supporting movements to tax wealth not work, offering some hope and solutions to these massive issues, rather than 90% of the comments in this thread telling kids to bootstrap themselves.
Kennikend@reddit
Very thoughtful response. If people don’t feel heard and respected, then trying to open their mind to other perspectives is near impossible. Feeling dismissed is a one way ticket to defensiveness.
LuckyAd2714@reddit
My kid doesn’t say that (she’s 17) but I am a therapist for kids and a 12 year old told me this Monday. AI is taking the jobs. I asked what they wanted to be - a pro soccer player - guess robots aren’t gonna do that. 2nd choice fire fighter - I said well I guess you don’t have to worry about AI - so u better work hard.
I do hear this. And I tell them keep thinking that and you will live with your mom forever. Or the ones that are gonna go ‘no contact’ when they are 18.. sure. I have a budget I made of what it costs on average / basic rent etc … to live. And give it to them - hmmm guess your job at chik fil a won’t cover that will it ?? Go educate yourself.
Exponential-777@reddit
Art related careers are in trouble. How long would it take a human to make this image? It took Gemini about 90 seconds using a basic description from me.
monkey-kong666@reddit
Yeah because it’s fraud. It’s not art. What value does this AI garbage produce for the world? What is its purpose? You seem hopelessly lost
Exponential-777@reddit
Companies pay a lot of people to do artwork. Often very basic artwork. The purpose of AI is to replace humans in the workplace to benefit the company. It will replace artists, video game creators, animators and it already has. They don't care if it satisfies your definition of art and neither do I.
ChaosRainbow23@reddit
You were downvoted, but that's exactly what they want.
The elites want full automation. They don't give a shit about us.
Lumpy-Artist-6996@reddit
This reminds me of the prints done on black velvet they used to sell at the flea market. Or a riff on the dogs playing poker.
Jdevers77@reddit
Here is what I told mine in a similar situation.
Paraphrase: Rich people have owned almost everything since the day humanity stopped being hunter gatherers. Unless you want to go back to being a hunter gatherer, you should accept that. However you need to learn that you can both fight against it while also carving out a very decent living by doing what those same people pay you to do. Your mother and I are not rich, but we are easily better off than 95% of the world and if you play your cards right you will be too.
Puzzled_Living7919@reddit
Very sound advice. A lot of GenX don’t realize how tough it is out there and I’m speaking as GenX
Exponential-777@reddit
He is correct. AI is already taking jobs and that will accelerate. Getting a job that AI can do is going to be difficult.
https://www.nu.edu/blog/ai-job-statistics/
General AI Impact on the U.S. Job Market
AI is accelerating automation across sectors, with profound implications for employment in the United States. From job losses and workforce reductions to shifting career paths and retraining needs, these statistics outline the scale and speed of AI’s disruption.
sfdsquid@reddit
I have a friend who just got let go because of AI. He has been in the same position at the same company for 27 years. Now he's having a very rough time finding anything.
It's tough out there.
Honestly people would be better off learning a trade, joining a union, and getting a pension than owing student loans and finding out you're obsolete before you even get started.
Exponential-777@reddit
I've used Claude to hack the firmware of an audio device and customized it to my specs. I have no idea how to write code. The company that made the device offered advice that didn't work. Claude got it right. The usefulness of humans is declining rapidly.
GenX-ModTeam@reddit
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hkusp45css@reddit
I guess I feel like if after 27 years you can be replaced with a script, you probably should have put more effort into your skill building.
oh-pointy-bird@reddit
You should really find the sub for boomers and hang out there.
hkusp45css@reddit
Did I hurt your feelings or something?
oh-pointy-bird@reddit
This response tells me everything I need to know about you and your arguments.
GenX-ModTeam@reddit
{community rule 3}
hkusp45css@reddit
That I'm less susceptible to emotional arguments than your average redditor?
GenX-ModTeam@reddit
{community rule 2}
hkusp45css@reddit
If you read that as a skeptic, instead of an adherent, you'd see all the "could", "may", "projected", "decline", "rise" and other words they're using to make that list look authoritative when it's really just an opinion.
Exponential-777@reddit
It's clearly a prediction. Probably a pretty good one. AI is predicted to perform as good as a human at complex tasks by 2027. Then not long after that it will be better than a human.
hkusp45css@reddit
Sure, and new needs which require new skills will fill in the blanks, just like every other tech that cost a significant portion of global jobs.
It's doomerism bullshit.
The real problem is SO MANY of the world's people have decided to hang their future on tech, instead of the quiet (and lucrative) ways of making money without it, like trades, as an example. So, the only things they are capable of doing are the very same low imagination and repetitive tasks that are much better suited to being done by machines.
It's a shift of the Overton window, in the career sector. Not the end of the world.
oh-pointy-bird@reddit
Oh my sweet summer child, I invite you to be a laid off employee with >15 years in tech at well known companies and on the job market. Many of us nearing a year and thousands of applications with 10 or so interviews.
You are wildly out of touch.
GenX-ModTeam@reddit
{community_rule_2}
hkusp45css@reddit
You have zero understanding of my visibility into the current labor market. Your solution appears to be decrying reality. Good luck with that.
Exponential-777@reddit
AI is currently taking more jobs than it creates. A lot more.
MaximumJones@reddit
Source?
Exponential-777@reddit
The Sauce
https://fortune.com/2026/04/06/ai-tech-displacement-effect-gen-z-16000-jobs-per-month/
it also confirms Gen Z is getting hit the hardest
MaximumJones@reddit
The best part is, AI just told me you are right. 😁
Exponential-777@reddit
I didn't even use AI to get the link. Just an old fashioned Google search. So you know this is legit.
GenX-ModTeam@reddit
{community_rule_6}
GenX-ModTeam@reddit
{community_rule_6}
hkusp45css@reddit
The problem with that article (one of many) is it only compares AI and Augmentation. It's comparing two incredibly specific sector signals and extrapolating that across the global workforce in an effort to sell ads.
GenX-ModTeam@reddit
{community_rule_6}
hkusp45css@reddit
You say it with such conviction, I'm certain you're about to support that assertion.
GenX-ModTeam@reddit
{community_rule_6}
GenX-ModTeam@reddit
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Bowlinggreen1987@reddit
He’s right. Learn a trade.
Dismal_Estate9829@reddit
If “the trades” wasn’t a bad word to these kids they wouldn’t be struggling so bad.
denvergardener@reddit
It's incredibly naive to think trades won't be affected by automation.
Dismal_Estate9829@reddit
So just do nothing.
denvergardener@reddit
Lol where did I say that?
I just get tired of people thinking "the trades" are the answer because they're "safe". They absolutely aren't.
Less education has never been the answer, and that's true more now than it has ever been in the history of human civilization.
I'm telling people to get more education not less. But to be strategic about which field they choose.
PotentialIndustry176@reddit
Think robots
denvergardener@reddit
That's exactly what it's going to be.
At some point, probably sooner than anyone can imagine, robots will be doing ALL of the "trade" jobs.
MelpomeneAndCalliope@reddit
But if everyone went into the trades, the trades wouldn’t pay as well…
nhh@reddit
He is not wrong, you are out of touch with how things are changing.
LargeMarge-sentme@reddit
The world has always been hard. But by most objective standards, people are better off now at all levels than they have ever been. The world is safer than ever. What’s changed is that people spend most of their time staring into the abyss of their phones comparing their lives to the highest examples of everything so they feel woefully depressed and don’t appreciate what they have.
deleted_by_reddit@reddit
[removed]
GenX-ModTeam@reddit
{community rule 7}
caffeinebump@reddit
Respectfully, I think you may be a little out of touch with what the job market is like for Gen Alpha. This is a real problem, not a gut feeling.
https://www.cnn.com/2026/04/06/business/job-market-internships-squeeze
NotSure2505@reddit (OP)
I don't take anything from CNN, Fox, Sinclair or any established for-profit media seriously, and it's not for political reasons. All their content is engineered to evoke a negative emotional response to keep you scrolling and reading. 98% of it is not news. It's emotional manipulation.
Gloomy_Comfort_3770@reddit
I had the GenX version of this conversation in 1991 with my Boomer parents when I graduated into a recession. I was frustrated, and for good reason. The good news is that I have had a very successful career! The bad news is that they acted like I was being dramatic, when I had valid frustrations. Be empathetic. Tell them you are happy to brainstorm and problem solve anytime. They aren’t wrong, but they still need to figure out how to make a living and have a fulfilling life in a difficult time.
CoolCrypticCat@reddit
I suspect you’ve coddled them too much. Giving them an internship? That’s something they should have found on their own, at a company you have nothing to do with. My son graduated in ‘23 with a BS in aerospace engineering and has worked with the same defense company since. Earns 200k at 25. My daughter graduated in ‘24 and has worked with the same tech theater company since. She was just at the Winter Olympics in Milan doing the lights. Her internship, which she got in her own was doing the lighting for Starlight Express in London.
Don’t do anything else for your sons. They need to do the work themselves.
Mash_man710@reddit
Really the only response should be 'getting a job isn't optional' and leave them to it. Amongst my gen z kids one is a vet nurse, one a youth worker and one works as a barista and only saves money to travel. Each to their own.
johnonymous1973@reddit
Advice: Listen to them. They know what’s going on in a way that we don’t. GenX was rightly skeptical of the world we inherited, and we saw that in a way that our folks didn’t. GenZ has eyeballs too.
smallwonder25@reddit
100%
Individual_Set_4697@reddit
They aren’t wrong.
flyfishfem@reddit
Are career coaches still a thing?
blur410@reddit
Ask questions.
NOGOODGASHOLE@reddit
I told my kids that I saw computers takings jobs as far back as the 80s & keep that in mind as they chose their paths. Made them both take classes in HS in "blue collar" work. One is loving life as a welder and has zero plans for college, the other works in grounds maintenance, swears he hates it but has never signed up for a single class. I tell kids all the time there as less and less people out there with practical technical skills and to keep those careers in mind.
denvergardener@reddit
If you think those jobs are safe from AI, I have sad news for you.
1block@reddit
I think that's a great approach, and a young person entering the field will have opportunities to pivot and find a niche as AI's use becomes more clear.
What approach do you recommend, given that you don't think that was a good one?
denvergardener@reddit
Well for one don't be naive enough to think any job sector is "safe" from automation.
The bigger issue is the oligarchs are consolidating wealth and power and hoarding all the wealth.
So this is a lot bigger systemic issue than just the job market.
Worrying about "what is my kid going to do for a job" is pretty short sighted and ignores the bigger picture.
I personally have at least 6 different friends across different job sectors who have been laid off within the last 18 months, and 4 of them are still unemployed and 1 is technically employed in a short term contract but will be unemployed again after. The one with a job took a significant pay cut.
1block@reddit
So your approach is just, Yep you're screwed? I'm unclear how that's a more helpful approach.
What do you do to help a kid navigating the job market? Not what don't you do. It's very easy to come up with things not to do. You think this is a bad approach.
What approach do you recommend, given that you don't think that was a good one?
denvergardener@reddit
Did you not read my message?
We all need to go after the oligarchs and stop them from hoarding the wealth and destroying the middle class.
Otherwise we're just all fighting for scraps, which is actually what they want.
1block@reddit
So don't tell your kid to go to school or pursue a career. Got it. Tell them to go after oligarchs.
So then I guess the question is what is the "getting the oligarch" plan you're spearheading that your kid can do?
Rhiannon8404@reddit
My son was three semesters into community college and just had enough of going to school. He said he needed a break and that he would work full time. We said fine. He found a job at a hotel working night audit. Now he is a supervisor at a high end tribal casino hotel, making pretty good money (and no student loan debt as a bonus). The hospitality industry is also not going to go anywhere.
Grafakos@reddit
What's his proposed alternative? Sponging off his parents for the rest of his life?
BeerandGuns@reddit
New r/neet Redditor in the making.
arbogasts@reddit
I'll do it, if he doesn't want to
specific-eletrick@reddit
I have that same disillusionment at 52
Unique-Fan-3042@reddit
57 🙋♀️
SnooAdvice1361@reddit
Same.
Unique-Fan-3042@reddit
Also, sounds like they may have anxiety. Maybe they could benefit from some therapy or medication.
Unique-Fan-3042@reddit
They don’t have a choice. Let them bartend, join a fishing boat, teach English in Korea, or whatever…they’ll figure it out eventually. You have already removed a lot of hurdles for them. Sounds like they need to be supporting themselves in the real world for a while and find out what works for them. We aren’t all meant for 9-5 or typical business careers. Maybe a teaching certificate, the Peace Corps (not easy to be accepted, fyi), non-profit work? Something that feels more meaningful and less hopeless?
As Gen-Xer who traveled, waited tables, and had unconventional jobs, I’m still pretty cynical about the job market, AI, etc. so I don’t envy young people today.
nonotburton@reddit
It'll be okay.
My high school daughter went through some of this for basically the same reasons. We forced her to find a job outside her circle. The amount of hemming and hawing and "there's no jobs" we heard was ridiculous. We stuck to our guns, and she earned a job on her own, with only guidance from us. Your kid is having to go job hunting for the first time in his life and they are feeling anxious and grasping at all the anxiety laden news to confirm their anxiety.
You can't get them a job, but you can help them be marketable. Ask them to see their resume. Make sure they talk to their professors with their resume. You can maybe talk through interview skills with them, but only if you are in the same industry/profession. They should find whatever job placement exists in their school and talk to those folks. From there, it's all about whatever industry exists in your town and putting in applications. Going to job fairs. Exploiting personal connections (probably mostly classmates that have already graduated) and circulating their resume informally.
CubicleMan9000@reddit
I'm a late Gen-X who has worked in tech 25+ years specializing in software quality, reliability, safety, and security.
My career looks to be over now, as even without AI taking everything almost all software companies have declared that those things don't matter anymore. Five 9's? More like 5 outages and breaches a day and layoffs.
AI has accelerated that "who cares if it works well, or is reliable, or accurate, or secure, or safe - look how much we can spew out the door!".
Software a la the fast food method.
And tech customers seem fully on board. Sure they churn like crazy, but only because of price.
And tech CEOs and leaders are now just openly hostile to their employees, basically getting up on stage at company townhalls to say "you're lucky to even have a job, God I can't wait to get rid of you all".
What do I even do? There's no pivoting out of this. There is no re-training for a new career as all that will be left soon are physical jobs, which are not hiring a lot of 50+ people for obvious reasons. Also, most physical jobs pay peanuts.
And with empathy being a bad word now, people just kick you while you're down. I fully expect a bunch of replies to this along the lines of:
"you should have saved more" (thanks, I foolishly spent my money raising a family).
"should have picked a better career" (tech WAS the better career, don't act like you weren't telling people to 'learn to code' as recently as a couple years ago).]
I followed the goddam rules. I did everything I was "supposed" to do. I got nothing from my abusive boomer parents.
Then poof, one day I'm unexpectedly a wagon maker watching the Model T's drive by.
I love tech. AI has great potential. But we are rapidly accelerating towards a world where the majority will simply never be able to get a job, and those who do will make a pittance by destroying their bodies. Yay feudal serfdom!
My son is in his early 20s and finishing up his degree in computer science. There are almost no opportunities ahead for him.
PE has bought and gutted the last 2 tech companies I've worked at, and it's started getting my current one. I'm just waiting for the shoulder tap. Then I'm out there in the market of no jobs.
For the OP, you sound rich and connected enough that your kids will be fine no matter what, so I wouldn't worry in your shoes. Just tell them to get into finance, maybe work for a VC or a big investment firm. Heck, maybe PE - that's the current king of the hill.
Unknown_Geek027@reddit
"should have picked a better career"
Seriously???
notabadkid92@reddit
I was thinking the same about OP. They must have connections. It's going to take knowing someone to get a job now.
PapaTua@reddit
Agreed on all counts. OP sounds really insulated from realities on the ground. It actually is extremely irritating. The smug platitudes would only further demoralize me, it I were his kid
CubicleMan9000@reddit
I'd wager $50 that OP is VP or higher at the SaaS company. Completely different world from the average worker.
NotSure2505@reddit (OP)
You're partly right. I was a SVP and General Manager at large global VAR. Got laid off in 2014 at age 42. Was told I was done. Next became CTO at a slightly smaller MSP, got laid off from that at age 45. Today at 54 I run a much smaller AI/Morphic-Saas company I co-founded with some other "over the hill, unemployable bros". I have job security and work life balance.
Also, we serve smaller markets and public sector clients who genuinely need and appreciate our services. It's 1000x more fulfilling to help a K12 superintendent graduate 400 more kids than the year before and make a difference in people's lives. Much better compared to serving CEOs who would say things like "Our strategy is EBITDA" as if he'd just discovered fire.
You should never let the job market or corporations define your worth. Find your place of maximum impact and become indispensable.
PapaTua@reddit
I was VP at a fortune 500 company. Didn't help me.
I'd wager OP is the owner.
ancientastronaut2@reddit
I totally hear you dude. I've been on the SaaS roller coaster for the past ten years and can relate to everything you're saying. It's all profits over people now.
CEO's today make an average of 1000x more than their average employee, whereas in the 90's it was only 121% more.
thewatchwinder@reddit
you can agree with him. you can also advise since he has no choice but to accept it, start at an entry level job near his career if he cant get one in it. struggle. we all did. i had 5 roommates at one point in my 20's. thats what it taoes to support yourself, then thats what it takes. i personally think that taught me soooo much about life my friends too. its the lessons we learned from struggling and not being able to have lattes every day...ramen or pasta and soup mixes...for weeks....that made us able to be where we are today. just...sayin. if he doesnt want to get a job...he doesnt have to. the street is free to sleep in.
Rags2Riches420@reddit
I would say this is a good one. Just like, "I know it sucks man, but you have to do something." And, yeah. I don't trust anyone that never had to struggle with money issues.
AmericanAssKicker@reddit
I get your kid's take.
I'm a software engineering manager, AI has completely changed the landscape.
What used to take five days to write, takes half a day. Great but that only proves that demand is going to shrink.
My bosses can't say "AI" enough and have been asking talking metrics. We're hiring on one hand but looking to offload with the other and it all goes back to AI.
We don't work in the website space and over the last month I tasked two reports to independently from another create two different web based GUIs. They each created fully functioning, completely to spec webpages for us in half a day each using AI. I worked on a similar project about five years ago and it took almost two months with two computer science grads to do. When I asked for a few tweaks to reach, I wondered why I was going through them and not just asking Claude myself. (They are useful in other areas, but they are 100% replaceable here )
Both of my kids wanted to do computer science but they've stopped. One is doing construction and the other is studying Architecture. Architecture because "AI will never replace human art."
NotSure2505@reddit (OP)
Great to hear from you, I manage a dev team as well. I assume you've been doing it a while, so surely you can point back in your career to how the tech has progressed since you first started, how it made things easier. What makes now so different?
My devs are all super pumped and far more productive than they had ever been before. And I have non-devs taking on a portion of the website work because they can. We can go from customer request to mockup to prototype in under 2 days. Customers love it. What's all the complaining about? The AI tools (and that's what they are) are empowering people to do things they would never have been able to do before.
ideapit@reddit
I'm a screenwriter, took a few GenAI programs at MIT and JHU.
At the start of my course, I couldn't program python to print Hello, world.
A few months in I had programs running effectively and tested (I have incredible amounts of self-doubt).
I don't mean email filters. I mean parsing and synthesizing huge repsositories of knowledge. I designed a writing assistant to help you shape an idea into a tv series - all characters, settings, conflicts - defined by you, facilitated by AI. So many projects.
One of my profs said it and I believe it. Don't learn how to program. Learn what programming is.
I think people should learn what systems architecture is. What AI can and cannot do and how to use that to your advantage instead of having it replace you.
AI will never replace human art. It will proliferate human art and make it better - with humans at the wheel.
CodenameZoya@reddit
I remember frantic news stories as a really young child about how computers were going to take everybody’s job. They used an example of how computers were billing people for their electric bills, instead of human beings, figuring out people’s bills by hand and the computer was making mistakes and how it was awful and never going to be straightened out. But you know what it was all straightened out and they needed human beings to work those computers so they will probably need human beings to work that AI. But what we definitely need is people that can physically fix things. It’s kind of interesting that the path of upper middle class might eventually dwindle into nothing and blue-collar workers health care workers etc might come out on top.
NotSure2505@reddit (OP)
I'm glad you brought up that memory about the news, I remember the same bullshit.
"The news" has been fucking with us our entire lives. Negative news gets your attention and keeps you watching. It's a business model, not a public service.
I'm all for keeping abreast of what goes on in the world but the sentiments in this thread prove to me that people are brainwashed with this doomsaying, and they're lining up for more. There's no money in telling people the truth, that it's not really that bad, which is true 99% of the time. We're just inundated with threats and bad news, constantly.
The fact is there is always something slowly coming for your job, because a person's labor is a commodity and it will always be.
I love how the media feeds the assumption that we all deserve lifelong employment and fat pensions and low inflation and low interest rates and low gas prices and affordable housing and low taxes if anyone ever doesn't get any one of this things they fucking FIND them and stick a mic in their face so they can complain about it for about 5 seconds, then that gets edited and put on the schedule and before you know it, its' a NEWS REPORT, full of facts, new you can trust, this apparent crime against humanity.
Such-Jellyfish2024@reddit
My advice would be to get active politically and help make changes so y’all don’t have a generation of kid who are worse off than their parents. Your kid is valid in feeling disillusioned, a “good career job” nowadays basically lets you eek by and probably still need a roommate to rent (let alone buy a house), you’re always one medical or other emergency away from financial ruin, saddled with near lifelong college debt, while employers have become increasingly more profit driven/financialized (see Oracle as a great example) and see wealth be bestowed on people either the most willing to be sociopaths or so dumb their brain doesn’t register shame with the bonus that there are literally zero consequences for being evil if you’re rich (Epstein, 2008, war in Iraq, etc.) while the average American gets hit by the fall out.
So yeah the problem isnt your kids it’s the world you’re leaving them
Likinhikin-@reddit
Id say Gen X is already worse off than Boomers
BlackaddaIX@reddit
No advice but will be reading for same.. My 19 year old is more negative than the bottom side of a battery. Has an answer for every piece of encouragement or advice 🙄
StartKindly9881@reddit
Happily retired at 61. I saw a vast majority of Gen Z in workplace. The fatigue is real.
AnnieFlagstaff@reddit
I really do think social media is the biggest culprit regarding their pessimistic attitudes. My Gen Z is convinced she’s going to have to live in her car after college. I keep reminding her that nothing on social media goes viral if the creator is saying “I graduated and I’m doing ok, got a roommate and an inexpensive car and I’m making it work.”
seigezunt@reddit
My kids are pessimistic because they keep up on the news, not social media
AnnieFlagstaff@reddit
I’m impressed that you are able to keep them off of social media. My kid and her friends talk to each other a LOT through the various apps so it wasn’t realistic for us.
Schyznik@reddit
LOL. Very true. I remember that stage of life and it felt miraculous at the time because I’d lived at home all through college, like the dawn of a bright new day. But the thought of Instagramming my day-to-day back then is pretty funny. I don’t think anyone else would’ve been very impressed.
supershinythings@reddit
My boomer older brother quit college one semester shy of graduating, then bludgeoned everyone with the argument that getting the degree wouldn’t guarantee him more money so why bother?
I graduated, worked, had a career, and am retired. I agree there are no guarantees but for me anyway a whole bunch of doors opened up leading to interesting and occasionally even lucrative work, that remained firmly slammed shut for my brother.
But - he’s a musician so sure, he doesn’t need a degree to entertain drunks at a bar, if that’s what he wants to do, which apparently he still does - at 62. His back hurts, he has carpal tunnel, and various medical maladies, but he can’t stop working because he needs the money. But - better the sure path with no guarantees than the speculative higher educated path with no degree.
And oh, it wouldn’t have cost him anything but time to finish. Mom covered his college; she didn’t pay for mine but she paid for his, and he STILL passed on that free ride.
punkkat13@reddit
you complain about your older brothers choice of profession like it has an effect on your own choices. but does he complain about it to you? just wondering, honestly. i know a heck of lot of musicians, most of them are very close friends, a couple in very successful bands. and they wouldn’t want it any other way- even the lesser known ones. shoot, my ex husbands dad still plays in a band well into his 80s and it’s his life! most musicians agree the pay sucks, the hours run late and if you’re on ‘tour’ you’re lucky to break even for gas and couch surfing by the road home. but damn, you have some fun and you’re living the life you wanted. going to college equals money and the 9-5 same old boring life as everyone else. that’s not any kind of artists life, coming from one. i always think ‘what stories and life will you have to remember when those memories come flashing before your eyes those final moments?’ and i don’t want to have it just be all the same old hours at a job i did just for money. i’d rather live in a nicely kept tiny home and no bills than a colonial in a cookie cutter development with debt up to my eyeballs any day, much like i am now.
supershinythings@reddit
Hahahaha you don’t know my brother. He complains and whines all the time.
AlienRandom@reddit
I was a teenager back in the 80's and met one of my dad's friends (also a boomer) who was a musician. I thought he must have the coolest life, I said it must be so awesome getting to go all over the country and play in different towns and taverns.
He told me it was amazing when he dropped out of school in the 60's and was making $300 a week. He went on to say he's still making $300 a week. His retirement plan was waiting for his dad to die and leave him a condo.
supershinythings@reddit
Yeah my brother was shocked to start losing bookings to younger musicians. He never thought that would happen to him I guess.
I started having a hard time too when I got older, so I did some math and retired. How? Saving and investing.
But if my brother ever had a buck in his pocket he spent too, then borrowed. Our mother has funded all of his dry stretches for 40+ years. If she has an estate it will go to him.
liddybuckfan@reddit
These Gen Z kids have been through a lot in their life. I have a cousin who survived Sandy Hook. My kids went through multiple lock downs, hiding in a dark room due to a shooting threat. They were home during formative ages because of Covid. Now entry level jobs in many industries are basically non-existent. How can we blame them for being cynical and disillusioned? I don't buy this assertion that they were just too coddled and never told no. They mostly think the world they've been left sucks and they're not really wrong.
My kids are taking different routes. One decided college was not for her, and she's working in animal care and dog training. It's right now not particularly well paid but she's building skills, has no student loans and she's in a position that can't really be replaced by AI. My youngest is in college and wants to study science so she can get into environmental conservation. I frankly don't know what that is going to look like in a few years. Bottom line is, we can just teach them to be independent and they have to find their own path. The world is really different than it was when we were coming of age.
Sweet_Orange8081@reddit
Oh man. Covid set my kids and other kids years in their emotional and academic developments. We had to hustle for years afterwards to make up for that cluster. You can't just "pull up from the boot straps" as response to that and school shootings.
I'm still learning to be more empathetic with the generational differences, it's rough for the kids and us gen-x parents too. We're trying to keep the sandwich from falling to pieces.
But I gotta believe that we'll all figure it out. The alternative is too grim.
AnastasiaNo70@reddit
They grew up rehearsing their own deaths at school. I know, I was a teacher from 1993-2024. It was so depressing.
Fudloe@reddit
We had to hide under our desks in case the Russians were dropping nukes on us. Every generation has their version of terror that shapes them.
iftheygivinitaway@reddit
I mean, I grew up with "duck-and-cover", and being told we were almost surely going to die in a nuclear war. My formative years saw the the effects of two oil crises, and the economic malaise of the 1970s, the dismantling of blue-collar jobs at factories and mills, etc. I was raised by people born around the start of WW II and its rationing, whose parents raised them based on the tail end of the Depression, etc. All of this is what made us the "slacker generation," the "whatever" generation people here always brag about.
And for what it's worth, kids saw plenty of shootings both in school and out in the '70s and '80s, but people only seem to pay attention when it's white kids dying. I remember the horror of suburban people in the 1980s when they saw metal detectors going in in "urban" schools. I happened ti be white at an "inner-city" school with metal detectors, but I wasn't who they were talking about.
AnastasiaNo70@reddit
I grew up like that, too. But a distant bomb is very different from a man with an automatic weapon picking you off like fish in a barrel.
iftheygivinitaway@reddit
As I said, we had plenty of school shootings, they just didn't "count" because it was brown kids getting shot. For a GenX connection, see Boyz n the Hood, or Jim Belushi in The Principal, or The Wire, which while filmed in the early 2000s, was based on his book about Baltimore in the late '80s and early '90s.
arlyte@reddit
You paid probably 100K a year for their school, direct access to employers, and they don’t see the privilege they already got. Most do not get this. Time to cut them off and let them struggle for a bit.
punkkat13@reddit
most sage advice here. absolutely SPOT ON
punkkat13@reddit
kids bored. scare them straight
punkkat13@reddit
at this point, OP has Given them every single thing they have. as good as it is, it hinders their ability to mess up. and making mistakes is how you learn… by failing and dusting yourself off and living through that to figure out how to make it work. a lot of things in life, as much as you can be handed them, you actually don’t fully understand until you live through it, and with that comes failure. without mistakes to grow through, do you even ever truly ‘grow up’ at all?
More_Programmer5053@reddit
Having space to make mistakes and figure things out yourself is so important; it builds self esteem and helps kids see they are not fragile. They are lucky kids to have so much privilege and support maybe volunteering with people who have less privilege could be a good skill builder and eye-opener for them?
b_newman@reddit
If there’s one thing I learned in my career, being human will always win. Connect with people. Using tech to get ahead without any true career connections is a bottomless pit of career despair. Get out there and meet people.
notabadkid92@reddit
This isn't mentioned enough
mhoepfin@reddit
Make sure they are networking with friends that have landed jobs. From my experience with my kids, they were very very hesitant to lean on others or reach out to people they knew, but once they did they ended up in great places.
msacks1998@reddit
Replaced by AI anytime soon.... Probably. However, you will be replaced by someone who knows how to use AI better than you do.
TreaclePerfect4328@reddit
Electrician or Plumber $$$ and security
Charliecovid@reddit
To a point.
Not sure if you're in the trades?
Both my husband and I are blue collar. He's a union electrician. Right now work for a union electrician in New England is actually really slow, lots of guys out of work. My guy has been out of work for over 3 months now, and unemployment barely pays the mortgage.
While he does make decent money (when working) and the benefits are really good, he's also been in for over 25 years. I'm pretty sure they don't offer pensions for the new guys. They keep taking away.
I also can easily compare to his father who was also a union electrician. Wages have not kept up with inflation, even union wages. And they keep going down.
It's true the world will always need highly skilled labor, but it's not like it used to be. 1st year electrician apprentice's usually are making minimum wage. Which is a shock to most of them.
TreaclePerfect4328@reddit
Im in CT I'm a mechanical technician for medical manufacturing company. We are dying for E techs and electrical engineers. Tell him look into it.
Charliecovid@reddit
I mentioned it to him just now, he said techs make less than a journeyman?
Work should pick back up in the next month or so. He's been following a couple projects that are supposed to start soon.
TreaclePerfect4328@reddit
Im a mechanical tech. I made over 100k last year. Idk what he's looking for but I'm inside warm dry same place daily. Good benefits 6% 401k match its not terrible E techs make more than i do obviously
Charliecovid@reddit
That's honestly better than what I would have expected. How's the insurance benefits?
He says he not interested, but now I'm curious.
TreaclePerfect4328@reddit
Its BD Medical look em up. I pay like maybe 300 a month for everything insurance wise
user0987234@reddit
Depends. Know the local market. New build Industrial and commercial is mind-numbing. Residential means variety, good and very bad. Over-supply is a problem too.
AnastasiaNo70@reddit
Look at job postings on Indeed and other sites. It’s depressing and infuriating. Asking for advanced degrees and 10 years of experience for an entry level job paying $32,000 a year. Seriously. And worse.
My daughter decided not to go to college. We were aghast at first. We were both raised that you GO TO COLLEGE.
However, now with how incredibly high tuition is, even for in state schools, I can see why a lot of kids are taking a hard pass on graduating with $100K in student debt. It would’ve given me pause, too, but tuition when I was in college (88-92) was absurdly cheap, so my dad happily paid it (and I helped) and I graduated with zero debt and started teaching.
Now I don’t even recommend college unless what you REALLLLLLLY want to do requires a degree.
I have friends who are Gen X with three grown kids. Between them they owe nearly a million dollars in student debt. They’re so broke (they took out loans as parents to help out so they owe that money). Neither of them can even think about retirement any time soon. Of course all three of them went to grad school, too.
I know I’ve drifted a bit from your points.
Our daughter (31) is trained as a farrier. She’s one of the last remaining fully trained farriers in our COUNTY. The older guy who WAS the last one trained her and then immediately retired. His kids didn’t want to be farriers, so he found our daughter working as a ranch hand and asked her if she wanted specific training that would make her a lot more money.
So she found a niche and is making bank. Shoeing horses! We would have never imagined it as a career for her, but she’s outdoors (she loves being outdoors), working with animals (ditto times a thousand), and making quite a bit.
There are loads of huge ranches in our county, so she happily drives her old Jeep all over, doing her job, which she adores.
Me and her dad imagined her as a white collar professional, but who are we to say? She’s happy, she fully supports herself, and has a very healthy savings account. (She’s also had a couple of marriage proposals from older widowed ranchers, LOL. She’s not interested.)
My long-winded way of saying your kids aren’t totally wrong.
notabadkid92@reddit
Great outside of the box thinking!
ancientastronaut2@reddit
Also half the posts are ghost jobs. I just went through it last year and my oldest os going through it now.
Coco_Snowdrop@reddit
We need a positive vision of the future for the next generation to be a part of.
I would encourage entrepreneurship. Also following their passions. Perhaps look at doing local projects - with a social purpose. What do they want to fix. Focus on positive change in their community.
Not sure what it looks like or who pays - but better than i moaning no opportunities when everything is broken.
Would love to see this generation become modern day radicals looking at living more locally with simpler needs.
But have kids and realise they don’t want that. They just want the same deal we had - plus all the modern tech.
The education system also follows a tired playbook that will take your money but might not get you a job.
Kids need to be ‘fluid thinkers’ if they are going to succeed. And be able to handle rejection.
IntelligentNovel1967@reddit
This is an underrated comment.
BrettNoe@reddit
There are plenty of places one can go, but a degree is just a foot in the door.
Using myself as an example, I used to work in IT, then moved into video production at a company, and worked a total of 11 years. I got laid off in 2008, lived off unemployment for a year, then changed states. I continued doing the video production for three years as an independent producer. Due to a couple of bad business decisions, the work dried up.
I started at HomeDepot in the Flooring department thinking it would be part time, and a way to have some income while I got the video production going again. On my first day of training, the store manager asked me if I could move to a full part-time position as a flooring specialist. I was in that position for six years, and then had a chance to move into the Pro department. Three years later I filled out an ad internal for basically the same position but at the corporate level. I’ve now been here for 2 1/2 years and I’m back in corporate work, working from home.
Always move forward and learn new things. You never know where the information that you have a land you. You could see my path, IT to video production to corporate pro sales. Too many kids today get hung up on finding their dream job that they could do for their entire lives. That’s not how things work, nor should it be. One’s obsolescence in a single place doesn’t mean you won’t find something else.
The point, and joy of life is in the stories one has of overcoming adversity. Saying “I’m done what’s the point.?” before you’ve even gotten started means that somewhere along the way, a character building exercise was missed. Why else would people do crazy things like skydiving, or building an airplane, or climbing Mt. Everest? It’s the thrill of completing a difficult task, and overcoming the challenges that are thrown before us. When you can’t find the enjoyment in those sorts of things, you’re already dead.
This is the chance to tell your kids your story, and maybe set them on that path. It’s very possible that you made things too easy for them, and now they don’t know how to face adversity without buckling. Aim them in the right direction and they might thrive!
CaroCogitatus@reddit
I'm kind of on your kids' side, sadly enough.
ideapit@reddit
Ask him how he's feeling.
I will bet you my pony tail from the 90's that it isn't the logistics of the world that he's struggling the most with right now (he's a smart kid, like you said, right?)
I think the issue is that it's pretty tough being a human for a lot of people at the moment.
Whatever your thoughts, feelings and resilience levels are aside, we are all shouldering a collective burden of chaos and fear.
I'm not a dad. My dad was an awful person. I don't know a thing about a thing.
But I feel like, if it was me at that age, what I'd want is for my dad to show up, connect, acknowledge that life is a weird thing to navigate and the core thing, no matter what, is we get through things together always.
Crafty-Bass-3434@reddit
Solid advice
SanityLooms@reddit
I'd suggest marines or peace corps. It sounds like he needs some long walks. :P (I'm only half joking.)
BTS_ARMYMOM@reddit
Just say you've done your job as a parent and kick them out. Sometimes they just need extra motivation.
Finding_Way_@reddit
Gen X Mom here with a couple of young millennials and a few Zoomer kids.
Our Zoomers are making my husband bang his head against the wall!! They were provided many of the opportunities you speak of and like yours are intelligent, really good good kids. I constantly remind my husband of this because the flip side of the coin is this:
They don't trust the system / the man / the 'hard work gets you places' mentality...AT ALL. They also are primarily concerned with personal fulfillment and personal mental health and growth well beyond traditional concerns of financial security.
End result? They are VERY cynical and one in particular has left two very promising comfortable jobs. Another is pursuing his desire to be an artist and meanwhile totally content working low-wage minimum wage jobs. A third is actively trying to find themselves. And on and on...
NONE of this is bad or wrong, but my husband is fearing that they are not gaining the grit to 'do what you have to do and make the best of it'.
(Interestingly enough, our young millennials have careers that provide fairly well and are not nearly as deep and introspective as the Zoomers. It is wild to watch!)
notabadkid92@reddit
We Xers developed grit because our childhood s afforded us the opportunity to learn skills & problem solve in the real world. There is no way I can teach these things to my Gen Alpha. He will simply enter the world a lot differently than I did. Now that the old formula (school, job, house, marriage, kids, retire) doesn't work anymore, I honestly don't know what to think about his future except it will be very different than my experience.
AromaticGas5552@reddit
Teach them history. Somebody or something has ALWAYS been coming for your job - immigrants, industrialization, automation. computers and now AI. College taught then a lot. Nothing you learn in the past is useless, but you learn what is valuable and what is not.
College is not the end of learning. When you stop learning, you are dead in the water.
Fearless_Cucumber404@reddit
This is the time we let our kids struggle and watch them figure it out on their own. There is no more to do unless/until they ask for help or guidance.
GasmaskTed@reddit
Or we could do our best to unfuck the world instead of just saying it’s a them problem
Fearless_Cucumber404@reddit
We can't do that overnight. It took years to get where we are now, it will take years to undo it. OP has given their children many tools, many opportunities. At some point (OP is talking post college degree here), we have to be able to say we have given them the skills and now they have to use them. Otherwise we keep fixing/giving/etc. until we die. We are not the giving tree.
DisastrousMechanic36@reddit
Unfortunately, your kid is not wrong. The future looks very bleak for people his age. I’m glad I’m on the tail end of my career that is absolutely being consumed by ai.
My only saving grace is that I am so good at what I do that my clients can’t replace me.
That being said, they will age out as well and the kids coming up will just use ai.
painterlyjeans@reddit
You need to let them find their own path.
rahah2023@reddit
By giving your kids everything you failed to teach them what it is to “need” vs “want”… it sounds like they lack drive & sense of urgency
notabadkid92@reddit
Not true for me. My parents had a great work ethic. I saw this & assumed it was the way & went to work with a great attitude. Parents need only to model the life lessons they want to teach.
MelpomeneAndCalliope@reddit
Good point. Lots of us who graduated with student loans (rather than having parents who were able to pay for everything) had to take whatever job we could because we had to pay those loans back.
rahah2023@reddit
I didn’t want my kids to work as hard as I had to but I knew to develop drive they needed a push.
At 16 if they wanted to drive the car(s) we provided & insured they had to have some sort of part time job. Where I had to save, buy a car & insure it.
We paid for college except made them take the guaranteed loan amount from FAFSA, we made too much for grants or student aid but wanted them to have some skin in the game. I think those were 4-5k per year of school so they graduated with loans but not too much
phenolate@reddit
Ask "What are you passionate about", "Who are your heroes?", "Where do you want to be in 10 years?". If they cannot answer these questions, maybe they have not lived enough real life. You gave them a very comfy life so far. Not much of any hardship, so they do not appreciate the little things in life.
mpls_big_daddy@reddit
I was talking to a buddy the other day and he said that we made our kids soft because we struggled so much, didn't want it to happen to our kids... Makes a lot of sense to me.
So I do agree with you up to a point. I had hoped that I had exposed my kids to enough growing up, that they would have more conviction about things... and yet it seems to ebb and flow. It's there, I can see it, but they choose to engage with life on their terms, which we did as well, except we dealt with issues regardless of whether it was easy or not, because how life was, being raised by our own parents, who had it even rougher.
grin_ferno@reddit
We've spent the last 40+ absolutely destroying the people who do actual work, and the kids coming up now know that they're suckers trying to fit themselves into this 100% rigged system that they have no collective bargaining power to change, and that doesn't give a shit about them.
SnooChocolates2923@reddit
Nevermind that we're importing entry level workers because local entry level workers won't do the job for that little. (And exporting the next step up)
So now we have well educated people in their 20s who have never had an actual job of any sort.
grin_ferno@reddit
Yes "entry level workers" refuse to work for a wage they can't live on. Why would they?
Frankly if your business can't afford to pay people enough to live, then you should be OUT OF BUSINESS. Nobody should waste their short time on this earth working for some exploitive ass.
SnooChocolates2923@reddit
Entry level wages would go up if there weren't enough people to fill the jobs.
And then the highschool kids could get jobs, and build experience working before they start post secondary.
But we allow temporary foreign workers into those positions.
Which keeps wages down.
AnastasiaNo70@reddit
THIS
Dismal-Sail1027@reddit
I have a roommate who was a software engineer when he got fired two years ago. He hasn’t been able to find steady work ever since, and it is quite depressing. Ai can do so many average things that office workers used to do. Sure, it isn’t super skilled… yet… but a lot of work that companies seemed to have needed didn’t require a whole lot of brilliance. I’m deeply concerned that the “robot revolution” wasn’t anything that most of us expected. Instead it is that a ton of people are impoverished because there are no jobs and there are too many cruel and unempathetic people in charge to vote in socialism as a solution.
RepliesOnlyToIdiots@reddit
Except it is super skilled in many areas already and only getting better.
I resolved a difficult bug in 4 minutes yesterday, passing control back and forth between myself and Claude a few times. Better than any pair programming I have ever done and I’ve been at this since the early 80s on a C64.
I have a 10 year old, and I’m not suggesting to get into computer science. I have no idea what to suggest other than things like performing arts where you always want an explicitly human performance. Any jobs “on the computer” can be done now or imminently. The hard part of robotics is the intelligence and battery life; the intelligence is now handled. So if it’s not in the field, where battery is an issue, then embodied AI and robotics will be handled within a few years at this point.
So, yeah, while the first concentration of AI is on code so that it can self-improve, an AI that can write a spreadsheet program sure as hell can use a spreadsheet program.
Dismal-Sail1027@reddit
This is very depressing. I fear for the future. I really do. And the mental abuse from people who have no empathy or who already have good jobs is just going to get worse. “Pull yourself up by your bootstraps! Why are you so lazy?! Retrain!” And the answer is going to be: “retrain into what exactly?” But by that time they have put you on block. In truth, they don’t have any answers either. The United States needs Universal Basic Income and it should be paid for by the billionaires and soon-to-be trillionaires.
Admirable-Currency89@reddit
Yup. The leap it has made in the last say 5 months is staggering. We have a Kanban board with Claude as an Agent you can assign bugs and features to and it will take it all the way to Dev for you to check before promoting it later. Yeah, I've been coding since the early 80s and this is absolutely life altering for the entire industry. My kid was getting into coding in high school last year. The writing was on the wall then, but now I'm like, hold up...it's good for you to learn some skills, but you are in no way going to be able to have the career I have had, and that's probably a great thing. It's been ephemeral and did I really help anyone?
wolpertingersunite@reddit
Is this ragebait? Or an ad? Probably both.
trashk@reddit
Oh its an ad.
monkey-kong666@reddit
Yeah something doesn’t smell right here - but then again this is an AI person speaking, so they may well just be completely unaware
wolpertingersunite@reddit
It's so depressing watching reddit disappear under the tide of AI... Even the real people are wearing AI masks because they're ashamed of their actual writing voice, it's so creepy.
notarobot1020@reddit
Problem is the job market right now is truely terrible so they are right. The economy is bad and getting worse tech has high layoffs and no one is hiring because of unstable government decisions
rawsouthpaw1@reddit
Consider the essential careers that were viable during the pandemic for a sense of what may endure as corporate AI rips the workforce apart.
sedona71717@reddit
You talk about how smart and well-educated your kids are, but then you dismiss their concerns about the job market. They are right about the job market and they’re in the thick of it. This situation is really not comparable to anything that’s come before except perhaps the Industrial Revolution. Listen to them.
1block@reddit
I think we have empathy and validate their concerns.
But at the end of the day, a doomer mentality (no matter how rooted in reality) is going to make it even harder to succeed. Lay out the negatives, sure, but I guarantee that kid is also blind to any positives or advantages he has in his particular situation.
If he's really worried about AI, then start by listing out careers that require human interaction or other aspects that would be less AI-sensitive. Or dive in deep and become an expert in AI in your field.
AI is far more dangerous in the long term to people already established in careers than it is for someone entering the market. They have flexibility to get in as the transition takes place. That's an advantage. How do you leverage that flexibility? What other advantages does he have he can leverage? What contacts does he have? Can his university help him? I got a call from one of my old professors in February about a kid she thinks is great, so I took a look. She starts in May.
Or find place you want to work and see if there are opportunities to get in at a different area, even if it's not related. I just talked with a woman last week in her late 20s who is a plant manager. She knew she wanted that job, so she applied was hired as a custodian when she was 22, then she took every opportunity to take leadership that she could.
IDK OP's kid's situation, but there is a path forward no matter what. Help them plan that out so they can see the way forward. He's focused on the problem, which is rooted in reality. Help him focus on the solution. TEACH him how to plan a solution.
Stock_Conclusion_203@reddit
Exactly. And the administration has put zero restrictions on AI. There is no oversight. No regulation. We will have 3 more years of them getting ready to destroy everything. No one in power cares if AI causes massive unemployment.
jgovy@reddit
Well said
A lot of people are acting like they know how this transition is going to play out, but this really will be a disruption on the same scale as the Industrial Revolution. If you can accurately predict how the market will react to a paradigm shift of that scale, you should share tomorrow's lottery numbers while you are at it.
NevenderThready@reddit
Entry-level jobs in my field want a master's degree for 25/hr, low to no benefits.
redraidr@reddit
If your kids, with private schools, paid-for college, Roth’s and nepo-internships are worried, how do you think the rest of that generation feels?
oh-pointy-bird@reddit
Right. The nepo-internships fried me, on multiple levels.
CubicleMan9000@reddit
I noticed it's a SaaS company... one of the tech fields that will get most demolished by AI.
AnastasiaNo70@reddit
What is SaaS?
oh-pointy-bird@reddit
Software as a service.
archbid@reddit
Your point is well-made, but doesn’t negate the stress. Use it as a point of collective strength, not resentment.
If the upper middle class is collapsing, then there actually might be hope for change.
AnastasiaNo70@reddit
Because no one cares when it’s anyone below the upper middle class.
archbid@reddit
Exactly. Honestly nobody with the ability to organize cares unless it hits their portfolio.
AnastasiaNo70@reddit
THANK YOU. 🤘🏼👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼
H-is-for-Hopeless@reddit
Exactly.
knitonehurltwo@reddit
LOL I just peed a little bit.
helpitgrow@reddit
Omg, I laughed so hard!
SnooAdvice1361@reddit
This.
Every-Cook5084@reddit
But your kids are right I hate to say. Ai and automation coupled with Private equity and greed of constant growth quarters has every industry and just about ever career doomed.
El_Peregrine@reddit
I don't see the hands-on jobs in healthcare being replaced any time soon (HUGE economic sector), and the trades jobs (electric, plumbing, carpentry) pay well and don't look to be disrupted soon either. Those might not be everyone's cup of tea, but those look to be pretty solid if that's what people are looking for.
oh-pointy-bird@reddit
You realize even nursing jobs are becoming hard to find because, shocker, private equity owned hospitals, med practices, and facilities have patient ratios so low they are often breaking state law and just choosing to pay the fine?
Actual radiologists are, in many cases, just checking the work of AI?
ICUs in smaller markets have turned into telemetry (virtual) ICUs?
The “learn and trade or go into healthcare!” solution is not a solution.
El_Peregrine@reddit
The “learn and trade or go into healthcare!” solution is not a solution
fair enough. But this:
Actual radiologists are, in many cases, just checking the work of AI?
is bullshit. If you talk to any working radiologists, they'll tell you. Everyone outside medicine is predicting the end of radiology. Trust me, professionals in that field are much less concerned.
oh-pointy-bird@reddit
You may wish to go on over to r/medicine or take 10 seconds googling and check on that. AI is interpreting imaging and being checked by radiologists, and it’s just beginning.
Ok_Emergency7145@reddit
Hiring in Healthcare has slowed down. It has been harder this year for nursing new grads to get jobs, especially in specific areas, because of the One Big Beautiful Bill.
One hospital system I work for in the Midwest is consistently short staffed and just reduced their system float pool staff. The remaining staff is getting their pay cut by ranging from $7 to $10 less an hour. One hospital in the system is struggling so much they have closed two floors because they already lack the staff to support having them open. It makes it much harder to work with the staffing stretched so thin.
Big-Sheepherder-6134@reddit
And yet how long is the wait to see a dermatologist or endocrinologist? How hard is it to find a general contractor to work on your bathroom?
The industrial revolution caught that generation and now AI is affecting Gen Z. They will live. They just need to handle adversity and helicopter parenting is not helping!
Health_Wellness9227@reddit
Frankly I think the Gen Z kids have a point. The future isn’t bright for many college grads. The nihilism is real.
Big-Sheepherder-6134@reddit
Tell him to use AI to help him find a career that AI won’t affect.
oh-pointy-bird@reddit
That’s… delusion. I don’t know if your comment is satirical but if not the level to which it is out of sync with reality is…impressive.
Big-Sheepherder-6134@reddit
My wife is in legal tech and uses AI for work. She also has a background in computer forensics. Don’t jump to conclusions about what AI can and can’t do.
TrafficFrosty3011@reddit
So my question would be what is the plan. I mean ok AI is taking over. Does that mean humans no longer will need food and shelter? We still have to find ways to provide for ourselves. The smartest way would be to become an expert in developing the AI or at least using it. I mean the alternative is to just say the robots win and live in the woods.
haz_waste@reddit
Gen Z staff have blamed me and Gen X for how expensive college and housing is. I told them its Boomers fault as to why those things are so expensive.
dab70@reddit
I tell my son to focus only on what he can control. Skill up as best as you can and soak up all the knowledge you can.
You can't be worried about what might happen, especially if you have no control over it.
twick2010@reddit
One of my sons just graduated top of his class with a degree in mechanical engineering. Can’t find work. He’s hustling every day but unless you want to work in the defense industry, no one seems to be hiring.
jgovy@reddit
Many design-build companies are always hiring. Many construction sectors are always hiring.
Food/Bev, Oil and Gas, Telecom. Definitely not immune to contraction, but industrial construction always has rooom.
Feel free to DM me if you want more info about my firm or firms in the industry. If your kid has a decent resume and can carry himself well, that's often enough. Happy to give more info.
twick2010@reddit
Thank you!!
nte52@reddit
Maybe not as an engineer, but industrial construction with a mechanical engineering degree will certainly get him in the door as a field engineer.
Starting pay for non traveling will be in the area of $60k, $75k for traveling.
Larger industrial general contractors are absolutely hiring for mechanical engineers. My employer has several dozen positions open for various folks with the ME degree.
twick2010@reddit
What does that job entail?
nte52@reddit
It may involve commissioning (starting up a building’s systems so that would be mechanical, electrical, controls), supervising the installation of mechanical systems and how they interact with electrical, controls, fire suppression), design, procurement (working with architects to design/buy the right equipment)
Industrial construction is begging for help right now.
Feel free to DM if you need more. I’m at work now, but can talk tonight.
twick2010@reddit
Thanks!!
IntelligentAge211@reddit
Those that can use AI will thrive, those who can't will perish is my new outlook. I am a CPA and CVA and I am old 54....I use Claude exclusively, it makes tons of mistakes. But can help save time on grunt work. It is not replacing me.
chrisk9@reddit
Correct that those who have ability to use AI as tool to solve real world problems will have a leg up in the workforce
tonna33@reddit
As a fellow accountant who has only work in industry, I get so frustrated at the "AI is going to replace accountants" that I hear SOO often.
No it's not. It'll help with some things, and create problems that need to be solved with other things. All the software we use now was going to replace accountants. The issue? We still need to make sure what the systems are doing is correct. We need to correct what goes wrong. The same applies to AI.
GasmaskTed@reddit
I’m sure it won’t impact you when no one can pay for your services…
Angelworks42@reddit
Yeah ai is more of a force multiplier than it is a force replacement. I find it useful at times at writing simple routines - they often don't work but if you know how to program are easy to fix.
Unknown_Geek027@reddit
I think GenX (in the US) became defined by what they do for a living, and many had very successful careers, especially in Tech fields. Things are different now. You don't graduate college and immediately get a great white collar job. Between AI and now political/economic unpredictability, the job market is tough.
The most we can do for our kids is help them navigate the current job market and let them live under our roof. My youngest graduated SWE and spent 2+ years working on contract projects for free when funding dried up. I advised him that the tools and environment were changing, and he needed to learn how to work with AI and stay current. I also suggested he needed to get any job to pay for his personal expenses and get outside and see other people. ANY work experience was still valuable and good for his mental health. I could house him and feed him. It took 2 years, but he just landed a FTE position in SWE. He said he could have never nailed the interview without the experience gained working for nothing, including having regular meetings with colleagues and clients.
Yeah, it sucks that entry level positions now expect 2 years of experience, but we can't change the world. Make them get started on that experience ASAP. I always had a deal with my kids that they could live under my roof as long as they were making progress in some way. Doomscrolling and staying static will not get anyone anywhere.
aspiegrrrl@reddit
Scammers love to target new grads and others looking for work; check out /r/Scams to find out which ones are making the rounds these days.
SnooPeanuts9509@reddit
This feels like my life.
ChiefinLasVegas@reddit
One such and such date, your mother and I demand you pay xxx amount of dollars to stay in this house. The lease will be on a monthly basis. At some point if you are unable to pay on time, your lease will be canceled and you will need to vacate the premises within the next 30 days. failure to adhere to these terms will cause additional fees to be levied against you leading up to and including a visit to small claims court.
NotLucasDavenport@reddit
Yo, the man is having dinner with his kids, let’s not fire up the eviction catapult just yet.
SubieGal9@reddit
They have to start somewhere. Try local or county government. AI isn't replacing anything here soon, and a union with benefits outweighs the low pay.
RogerClyneIsAGod2@reddit
This is good advice right here. You can't count on a Fed job like you used to, at least not in this administration, but city, county or state government is a good place to get a foot in the door. Maybe not the greatest pay but you'll get good benefits & maybe a union (depends on the city, state & county).
chicagoliz@reddit
A lot of places are not hiring entry level people now -- this seems like it will be disastrous when they eventually do need to replace the C-suite people who will retire someday.
I was visiting my parents recently and I was out on a walk with my mom. We passed a young man walking his dog - he was probably about 23 years old or so. My mom said he is back home, living with his parents because he could not find a job after graduating college. So now he is learning to be a plumber.
I suspect there will be a lot of young people doing something like this.
KDPer3@reddit
The trades aren't a guarantee. Entry level in those (apprentice) draws a wage but needs supervision just like entry level white collar. Electrical is flooded here.
Magerimoje@reddit
I've talked to my kids a lot about choosing a career path that can't be outsourced, is recession proof as possible, and can't be replaced by AI.
Healthcare. The trades. The in-person service industry. Things like that.
chicagoliz@reddit
We had such demonization of the trades for so many years that we really have a lot of damage to undo. Somehow a 9-5 office job was seen as better than being a plumber or an electrician. (When so many 9-5 office jobs are not especially useful to society.).
I do think college is a wonderful experience that anyone who wishes to engage in it should be able to. It's huge for personal growth and development. What I hate is that somehow it is seen as a job factory, and one metric by which they are measured is as a dollars-based 'return on investment.'
A plumber or an electrician could benefit immensely from going to college. You can gain leadership and organizational skills. Make great friends. And yes, learn a few things. One thing you could learn, for example, is how to run a business. Because if you're a plumber or an electrician - if you go out on your own at some point, you're not just plumbing and electrifying, but you're running a business where you need to deal with finances, marketing, hiring, etc.
Conversely, there are kids who are plenty smart, but don't engage with everything college has to offer, and don't gain that much from it. In those cases, college is just a huge waste of time and money, and there is no reason why, if, for example they would be interested in being an electrician, they couldn't just start doing that right after high school. (And there are plenty of office jobs where that would be true, as well.).
Sluttyvelociraptor@reddit
This is so true. My company stopped hiring entry level over the last five years and reduced middle management jobs. I finally got laid off last year. Entering the job market looking to transition careers has been eye opening. I have a college degree and over a decade of management experience in a high pressure high stakes environment. I’m competing with people with masters degrees or 25 years of experience for jobs where the minimum qualification is a high school diploma. I was able to get a job making a third of my former salary and I feel fortunate. I’m scared for my kids who will be starting college soon. I hope there are decent jobs that will be reachable for them. They need to start working in college so they have a resume/experience as soon as they graduate.
Top-Obligation7500@reddit
Cool, time to go to trade school. Learn a skill.
tobashadow@reddit
I've been preaching that for years, go-to trade school and make more than college grads, far less debt and more jobs than workers available.
MelpomeneAndCalliope@reddit
But if they all go into the trades, the trades won’t pay as well.
Also, trades require physicality that some people with disabilities don’t have. It also can wreak hell on your body. My grandfather was in the trades and told us all to go to college because his body was so broken by 55. My cousin didn’t listen - he’s a HVAC guy who makes bank but he’s also 60 and his body is BUSTED. He says he’d trade the money for a functional body again.
What I’m saying is trades need to be seen as a valid option, but we need to be real that they’re not for everyone.
tobashadow@reddit
He did the wrong type of HVAC work. He probably did installs etc. I got a friend who just retired ten years early, made bank like stupid money doing HVAC diagnostics and repairs and maintenance for restaurants. All he did was go around once a month to each one and check it over and clean etc. Maybe repaired one a year.
innernerdgirl@reddit
I can't believe I made it down this far before working a trade was mentioned.
Top-Obligation7500@reddit
lol I’m getting downvoted for it already
innernerdgirl@reddit
Not a lick of sense.
Sweet_Orange8081@reddit
Are you me OP? I struggle with this right now with my kids in college. I don't know the answer. Some of it is blue collar work, some is continuing to build good habits (be on time, be proactive, be open to different opportunities etc), some of the answer may be to become a creator and founder.
Dunno the answer but I believe every generation will have some kind of game changer(s). For us, it was the digital age and the internet. That disrupted a ton of sectors. Yet, we still made it and remember how Y2k was supposed to be the end of the world?!
AI is gonna change the game for our kids. But I've gotta believe that they'll figure it out. I'll advise as best that I can, but the torch is being passed to them just around the corner.
Thanks for opening this conversation. I'll keep reading and learning from other peers' comments.
RudyRusso@reddit
60% of jobs that people work today didn't exist in 1965. You dont have typist anymore but you still have lots of people in front of keyboards everyday.
NotSure2505@reddit (OP)
Exactly, long-term it's always been about adaptation. Change is natural.
In 1994 Kmart employed 400,000 people and Amazon employed zero.
Today Amazon employs 1.5 million and Kmart employs zero.
The jobs didn't disappear, they moved.
nrith@reddit
“I raised my children with unbelievable privileges, and they’re still disillusioned?!”
MelpomeneAndCalliope@reddit
Yeah. Sounds like OP’s kids need some friends who have poor parents. Or hell, even middle class parents who couldn’t save for college because middle class ain’t what it used to be.
I had to take whatever jobs after college cause I had to pay back student loans. Lots of us did. Lots of us ended up in jobs not related to our degrees. We had to.
Infamous-Yak2864@reddit
Contact/call centers, especially in the medical field, are great examples of how AI and humans will continue to work together in the future, instead of AI eliminating all 'human jobs'....may not be everyone's passion, but often overlooked...
Evening_Ad_1099@reddit
I tell mine to focus on being punctual, responsible and communicate with supervisors and other colleagues on s timely manner and ve willing to take on any job that remotely resembles a career choice he wants. If he can do that as a recent graduate, he's already ahead of the pack by a wide margin. After that i tell him to sharpen his critical thinking skills and develop a healthy amount of skepticism. Question everything, find patterns and errors in reporting and bring them up to your supervisor in an appropriate manner (ie one on ones). This shows initiative. And always be willing to learn; read about gow your field is changing, talk to older people in your field about how they started, how the job has changed and where they see their field is going.
I worked with a lot of recent college grads from great schools who couldn't be bothered to show up on time, attend meetings , or communicate on a timely basis and had to be reminded constantly to follow up. They did not make ut long. Those that did the opposite, were successful.
hiro111@reddit
I have one daughter that's a professional recruiter/sales rep for engineering jobs and another daughter that's working in high-end apparel buying. Both have degrees from a top ten undergraduate business program. Both had to fight hard to get those positions and both have had setbacks and layoffs along the way. It's really, really rough or there for young employees. Even these positions have exposure to AI automation... but at least they exist as careers.
I think AI will radically change the work people do. I think AI will eliminate lots of jobs, at least in the short term. However, there are lots of jobs that will exist and lots of jobs that may even be created. I'm old enough to remember when the internet was going to put everyone out of business... which kinda happened... but somehow people still have jobs today. I think AI will be even more disruptive but ultimately lead to the same conclusion.
Tboo-tedmarshall@reddit
He’s right
Keldrabitches@reddit
Not too be overly simplistic—but sounds like a result of social media/too much doom scrolling. Not diminishing the reality of the job market or how fucked things are. I just see how entrenched my negative thoughts are now that I’m part of an echo chamber
smythe70@reddit
Shit remember I remember 1992, when I graduated, couldn't find a job in my field, a war and Bush causing a job recession. 7.8 unemployment rate, I just looked. Is it the same as it ever was?
No_Button_1750@reddit
Agreed. Anyone dealing with AI can see it isn’t the answer to everything we’ve been told it is. Human contact and customer service is now more important and sought after than ever (not that I’m saying that is what OP’s kids will go into).
Maybe consider showing them a couple of Steven Bartlett’s very recent podcasts on AI and how it’s not all it’s cracked up to be and there very definitely is a narrative being pushed by the tech owners who need to have us all believe it is what they’ve been saying it is and that it is as advanced as they tell us.
If they have good critical thinking as OP says, then they should be open to arguments that calmly explain why the AI hype isn’t everything it seems.
No-Box-1362@reddit
It doesn’t matter if the kids buy into the hype of AI, it matters if the decision makers at potential employers buy into the hype. I work in procurement/inventory, there’s a ton of companies who are my suppliers cutting workforce and replacing them with mlm modeling.
monkey-kong666@reddit
Well, they’re correct? Sorry what question are you asking - you’ve just listed a bunch of valid complains?
You haven’t refuted their claims, you’re just assuming they’re wrong and asking us to validate your arguments for you?
How about you make your case first?
alchebyte@reddit
yep. as far as I'm concerned capitalism can go fuck itself.
AnastasiaNo70@reddit
Amen
PapaTua@reddit
Preach.
Ambitious_Lead693@reddit
The market is fucked. My engineering grad is currently doordashing and baby sitting to make ends meet while spending 2 hours per day job hunting. It's real bad out there.
thatpunkyrat@reddit
Coming from a Gen Z, the job market is so so bad. I'm grateful I have my husband to support me, I plan to go back to school for medical coding so I can work from home. I really hope that works out because I'm just giving up after that.
Upper_Guava5067@reddit
Quite frankly, medical coding is over saturated and will be the first to go with AI.
thatpunkyrat@reddit
Well shit I didn't know that. I genuinely don't know what's out there for me, my only real job experience is working at grocery stores. I can't work in public anymore because of severe mental illness/neurodivergent (Bipolar, ADHD, Autism) and I'm my husband's full time caregiver (he's disabled/retired) which is why WFH is important.
Vegetable-Orchid1789@reddit
Nice! You started your kids out on third base, now if they easily do the bare minimum they will feel successful. Hope they appreciate how much you've paved the way for them and they remember to help others along the way. They will be fine, no worries.
AnastasiaNo70@reddit
Yeah no one should worry about OP’s kids. They’ll be fine.
Upper_Guava5067@reddit
I have a daughter finishing up her cyber security associates. Personally, I don't see her finding a cyber security job with this job market. And a remote job at that. I tried to talk to her about going into my field so that she had a foot up at landing a solid job. No go with that idea. I have pretty much given up on her landing a decent paying job since she is a single mom to a toddler and wouldn't be able to afford childcare. Currently, she works 12hrs and a local community center, and the remainder time being a mom. So, I am accepting this route.
lazygerm@reddit
Your children aren't wrong and that's the problem.
AI will take directly over for many, many jobs. You can see it in the video game industry right now. Hundred and thousands of artists and programmers are being laid off. Any position that uses data analysis, data projection and prediction will be affected.
I am not going to assassinate people's careers. But how many of us really have a unique skill set skill that can't be replaced. This is not even considering how AI will indirectly affect employment.
We're a service society. So, unless you're brilliant, creative or work with your hands; what's left for you to do?
not-a-regular-mom@reddit
Christ Almighty, I swear I accidentally stumbled upon the boomers sub. The bootstrappers are out in force, ignoring reality and thinking what worked for them is applicable in today’s job market/economy.
tonna33@reddit
They just need the explanation that "AI isn't going to eliminate all jobs. They're just going to change them."
Then they should use their examples.
Use the critical thinking skills that they taught. Talk through how it will change and reasons why AI is a tool, and people still need to be around to use that tool. Then also talk about timelines. AI isn't new. It's evolved over many many years. How long will it take before it's completely proficient to be able to take all those jobs?
qpv@reddit
Ok then what should thus guy say to his kid? You're right...give up?
Capitalism and Ai isn't going away.
not-a-regular-mom@reddit
I don’t have a crystal ball. I don’t even pretend to.
There’s a whole lot of overconfidence and ignorance in these comments acting like they do. What worked for our generation is no longer applicable, pretending it will isn’t the answer.
qpv@reddit
Nothing is ever the same process with each generation. Change is constant and guaranteed.
Another constant though human history is that giving up is a disadvantage. Not giving up is an advantage.
not-a-regular-mom@reddit
Aaah, platitudes are so helpful 🙏
qpv@reddit
How does pandering to someone's perspective that all is hopeless help them exactly?
alchebyte@reddit
🎯
lemoneegees@reddit
As a Xennial/elder millennial (not sure which term I hate more) going through a career change, I relate to your kid more right now. Nothing has made me feel more useless than the current job market, and I have 20 years of professional experience, which is apparently worth jackshit.
oracleofnonsense@reddit
AI….Build me a billion dollar generating application…use an idea thats never been used before….make the application unbreakable….make the application entirely scalable…..publish and direct the funds directly to my bank account.
tultamunille@reddit
What are you worried about you are living the dream!
Parents who provided everything for their kids, wow!
Talk about privilege holy shit.
papakersh@reddit
Exactly my thoughts…we’ve given them everything their entire lives and now it’s time for them to take care of themselves and we don’t understand why the don’t want to…SMH
likeittight_@reddit
likeittight_@reddit
Yeah what this post about? It’s annoying
tultamunille@reddit
No shit eh?
Like join the Peace Corps or WWOOF or something. Obviously too hi up the ladder for other “service.”
thatgirl46and2@reddit
Lot of giving and gaving in there. Might be part of the problem.
CustomCarNerd@reddit
Tell him AI stands for Any Idiot. Then say the sentence back to him. Any Idiot can take your job.
MrBleah@reddit
Point out that AI is far from being able to reliably do most anything without a dozen different contextual prompts to point it in the right direction. Also point out that it is sycophantic in agreeing to do any stupid task you ask it to do even if that leads to a complete failure of a system. Essentially without someone that knows how the thing should be done AI is a clusterfuck.
That said, shit is not good for workers and wealth inequality is at an all time high while most politicians seem more interested in enriching themselves and their monied donors than ever before.
Labor power is weak due to the gutting of unions. Corporations are focused only on short term gains and unregulated financial speculation causes crazy economic swings. It’s depressing.
R67H@reddit
Five kids between my brother and I: oldest daughter is beginning teacher special needs kids, middle daughter is cosmetologist, youngest son graduates HS this year and is on tack to join CalFire, nephew is training with United to be a pilot and already has offers when he's complete, niece graduates SDSU next year and going in media. My immediate GenZ kids are doing just fine and I could NOT be more proud of each of them. They have little family equity to fall back on, thanks to our parents pissing everything away by the 90s, so they're forging their own paths, just as my brother and I did, and continue to do.
Negative_Solution680@reddit
Change is inevitable. In all my years of working, I've had to continually learn new skills. That's ok and it's a good thing. Be excited for the chance to learn and adapt. All we can do is find what and where makes us happy in our work with balance in our life.
CubicleMan9000@reddit
For non-physical jobs, how does one adapt to AI?
I keep hearing "learn how to use AI and you'll be fine!" but why would a company pay for a person to just write prompts?
Becoming a prompt writer and results reviewer may become a job, sure. But it will pay peanuts and there will be 10000 applicants to every opening.
Last-Relationship166@reddit
Yep...but...who could have seen this coming?!!?
Last-Relationship166@reddit
Yeah...no. I've been in software development for decades. I've learned to program in BASIC, Pascal, C, FORTRAN, 68K Assembler, Java, C#, python... I've taught myself to work with frameworks such as Jsp, Silverlight, MAUI, and Springboot. I've been proficient in Unix/Linux for decades. I've worked with different enterprise content management systems. I've taught myself OOP fundamentals and design patterns...and now some stupid billionaires want to make bank by changing the skills we acquire to the "skill" of prompting a mfing LLM or agent to do the work I honed all these skills for...and I get to see the bullshit corporate platitude that "change is inevitable" bandied about in defense of the state of affairs. No...I'm pissed.
Negative_Solution680@reddit
I'm no corporate shill, so FU for thinking you know me. The question is how to help this guy's kid stay grounded in the ways change is happening. For an old fart like you, it's gonna pass by. For this kid coming out of college, it's gonna be his future. He needs to see it's potential for ways to gain skills that will provide a career.
Last-Relationship166@reddit
I'm not calling you a corporate shill. I've just followed the mantra of continuous learning to stay relevant and then got slapped by this generative AI bullshit. I'm talking about all the people carrying on about how "change is inevitable". Yeah, this kid is going to need to adapt, but isn't that fact pretty self evident? People have been throwing that mfing phrase around for decades. I feel like everyone has been given a raw deal with the advent of this gen AI bullshit and was voicing as much. I may be old...but I still have 17 years before I hit the age where I could collect Social Security (as if that will even be a possibility), so this also impacts me. LinkedIn is a cesspool of people carrying on about how great agentic AI is. The discussion is omnipresent...and I'm not very pleased with the timeline, as such.
yyythoo@reddit
Son sounds like a punk. He’s in a for a rude awakening if he thinks he can just not get a job
yyythoo@reddit
Gen-z will be our downfall.
seanisdown@reddit
Way to miss the point boomer
Minimum_Rub_7316@reddit
Wow. What a completely dick headed thing to say. The Dad clearly stated many things that the son is good at. You take one part of that and make a shitty comment? I think we know who the punk is. You.
aztochicagogirl@reddit
Unfortunately, right now your son is correct. The job market is completely obliterated Gen Z and any other person trying to get hired is not able to get a job within at least a year of applying in hundreds of applications. As Gen Xers, we can’t relate to this because we’ve always had the choice of jobs whenever we wanted to make a change. Anyone who gets a job in this climate is lucky but specifically GenZ are struggling and it’s no fault of their own. They may have to stay at home longer. They may need support from their parents longer. It’s really rough out there. I think you need to do your best to understand that your son is actually telling the truth.
snuffy_smith_@reddit
Dealing with all of this with my oldest offspring.
He recently landed an entry level fast food job and we nearly jumped up and down. It’s a shit job but it’s a damn job. It took him over a year and hundreds of applications to get four interviews and land one fast food job.
He knows how to WELD!
Had to accept what he could get for now.
blueskiesbluewaters@reddit
Yes, so many Gen Z’s I’m related to unable to find a job. They are depressed, not optimistic about futures.
Business_Coyote_5496@reddit
Are you talking to my son about to graduate next month? It's like word for word, our experience and yours.
Zipper-is-awesome@reddit
I do understand his malaise, honestly. The job market for recent college graduates is BLEAK. An “entry level” position requires 3-5 years of experience now, and as they say, in the interviews, they aren’t looking for someone to hire, they’re looking for reasons not to hire you. Having a real people network and not relying on the internet full of ghost jobs just data harvesting, and applying for a $15/hr job that already has 150 applicants is a real plus though. It is an advantage most people do not have. You have given them advantages most people will never have. So, while I see them absorbing the kind of hopelessness many college graduates have right now, they are not in the position many of their peers are currently in, with regards to knowing an actual person at a company to give them a shot at a skill building job that would have normally gone to the “3-5 years of experience” person. Having to please the AI scanner to even get to a person is cut out.
Facing adulthood and launching your life into decades of work/career, in, honestly, uncertain times probably sucks and they need to process it a little. And no, private equity did not always control everything, and vulture capitalists have ruined millions of peoples’ lives. PE sucks and is a scourge on society. The only thing that matters is profit at any cost, and apparently every company they get their hands on is meant to only profit into perpetuity, if not, big changes need to be made that don’t involve CEO bonuses and pay. What about all of those expensive pensions? And that healthcare plan? Can we just fire 30 people and make the other 30 do twice as much work? Yeahhhhh….
SoCalDogBeachGuy@reddit
same conversation, but my kids finishing his masters and my son added isn't the point to find contentment. I'm content here (my house)
innernerdgirl@reddit
I'd be content not working at living at your house for free too.
charliefoxtrot9@reddit
Try finding a new job, I guess. See what it's like
Prairie_walker@reddit
Listen to him. Use your time to help him on his path. Don’t try to force him into something that may crush his soul.
qpv@reddit
Or cut them loose and let them figure it out.
Due_Ad_6522@reddit
To the mods - I'd really like to know why my comment was taken down. Rule 2 was cited but I didn't say anything less judgy than dozens of others... and i think it's an important perspective for our generation. What gives?
GenX-ModTeam@reddit
If you have a question or concern, contact the mod team directly and do not post in the sub.
glennis_pnkrck@reddit
I taught my kids that a job is the thing you do to survive under capitalism, and that fulfillment is the things that make your soul happy, and they are rarely the same. You can always trade a bit more money for less soul, the trick is to find a balance that is sustainable for you.
qpv@reddit
Well put. Still trying to figure out that balance
Prior_Wind_1526@reddit
We totally and completely screwed over this generation. If he wants to make money, tell him to sell his marginal skills to an za I. Then have him bet that 95% of jobs will be taken by ai and robots. We. Failed. them. I speak as a retired prof who saw students follow ourvfucknf rulz only to be tossed aside.
Angelworks42@reddit
I don't blame myself though I was in no way able to help for the most part - for the few times I was I think I made a major difference.
I work at a university as a sysadmin and for a little while I was able to hire student employees and about half of them are doing a career in what I taught them in that short period of time (the rest are doing computer science stuff for actual software engineering firms) and they were all skills I think that gave them a serious leg up when it came to job applications.
paintingdusk13@reddit
Your son sounds like a genX and you sound like a boomer.
Prior_Wind_1526@reddit
Oh—forgot to say it: only thing a bootstrap good for is autoerotic self strangulation.
Crafty-Farm-8470@reddit
I don't blame them for being disillusioned, especially about private equity, shit sucks, especially compared to even the relatively recent past. I don't even blame you for assisting them with internships etc, it wound be hard for many parents to not do that.
That said, AI is not going to take over a lot of health care (especially primary care, nursing therapy etc, surgery will eventually all be robotic) or trades (manufacturing with be done by robots, but not general plumbing, auto repair, electrical etc). They have to decide if they prioritize money or a real life. They could become dog trainers and have a business that is fulfilling and pays the bills, but is not the country club life, for example.
KnoWanUKnow2@reddit
I am a systems analyst for a hospital and I just implemented AI.
AI is really good at pattern recognition. So things like reading x-rays is what it excels at.
It's not going to replace surgeons or anyone that physically interacts with a patient, but it's already being used in diagnosis, report writing, etc.
Crafty-Farm-8470@reddit
15% of surgeries are robot assisted now and it will be 1/3 within the next 5 years and only grow from there. It's definitely going to replace surgeons, but they don't really interact with patients even now.
Gooncookies@reddit
I don’t know. My husband spent a decade getting his PhD in psychology and we’re living paycheck to paycheck. The disillusionment is real.
Crafty-Farm-8470@reddit
Yeah, it's relatively easy to make 6 figures as a psychologist, but you'll never build tons of true wealth unless you own a big practice. If you're a researcher it's probably more variable. With any grad degree, you'd better have a very specific use planned for the degree.
dr_snakeblade@reddit
Learning how to transition out of academia and leverage those skills in project management or research. There are opportunities for psychology specialists at multiple junctures in the private sector. Learning how to discuss academic work in terms of private enterprise is crucial.
chrispd01@reddit
I thought most treating psychologist had PhD‘s? As for leveraging those skills in “research” isn’t that exactly what academics do?
Haisha4sale@reddit
It’s way easier now to get a job paying $100 - $200k that it was to make that equivalent in the early 2000s. If your son is disillusioned because he doesn’t see an obvious path to being super wealthy, well, there isn’t usually a straightforward set and obvious path for that kind of thing.
Caunuckles@reddit
I'm not but this job market is the worst for recent college grads in the last 30 years. I graduated with a masters in economics and it took me two years after that to land on my feet. I volunteered at a local non profit and that lead to a small contract and went on an overseas internship to build skills. I also remember the constant rejection not only of entry level jobs but retail and barista jobs. They might need a little space for now.
Mallthus2@reddit
The disillusion is based in reality.
My Silent Generation parents, along with the Boomers, gutted the American Dream while enjoying almost every aspect of it.
What’s left for our kids is an environment where wealthy people control almost every aspect of society with an iron grip. What’s left over is a world where no level of hard work can guarantee safety or comfort, long term and where even with a modicum of success still leaves these kids facing a future where a single medical crisis can wipe out their future. And that future itself is uncertain, with environmental collapse a real possibility we refuse to address and the threat of nuclear war higher than its ever been in our lives (and I say that as a GenXer that lived through the Cold War).
I tell my kids and their friends this. Find something that makes you happy and then find something, work wise, that lets you do the thing that makes you happy. The notion that work should be your focus is a fable sold by the people who benefit from everyone being quietly accepting worker bees.
AnastasiaNo70@reddit
And that notion, that work is your life, that your value and worth is based on your work, is based on very old Puritan beliefs. The Puritans were HUGE ASSHOLES.
AnastasiaNo70@reddit
I tell people the Boomers rode that gravy train so hard it derailed and exploded. Thanks, mom and dad.
Artios-Claw@reddit
Gen X did their fair amount of gutting as well.
Mallthus2@reddit
We didn’t help for sure.
SpezJailbaitMod@reddit
Unfortunately he's not wrong. We have no idea what the near future of employment will look like.
And no, private equity has not always owned everything to the extent that they do now.
PapaTua@reddit
Yeah. OP is out to lunch.
Maximum-Still-2484@reddit
Son just got a job in the Smokies doing trail maintenance. Graduated with an environmental management type degree. Wanted the physical outdoor type job. Downside is it’s only seasonal but I hope he makes connections and finds something afterwards. He has no loans so at least there’s that.
Daughter is a pharmacist and has no shortage of job opportunities. Her loans worry me a bit, I wasn’t able to swing the full tuition for the 6 years in school but her earnings potential is at least pretty good.
Got lucky, both my kids are making their way.
Fight_Tyrnny@reddit
My son graduated with a Nurse RN degree 2 months ago and strait out of college got a job paying $65 an hour. He's gonna do great and I am VERY happy I convinced him not to go into computer scienes when he was in high school... not even thinking of AI back then but just how terrible the work environments were.
My daughter just finished up her education part in a masters program for material science (masters in chemistry) and has been back home for a week. She has to find an internship for 6 months and then she gets her masters. Shes been looking for months and theres nothing out there, even a FREE internship. AI has been on all of our minds for some time and she is VERY down on it. Ive tried to encurage her to learn AI so that she can use it for a future job like she wil probably need to. Im really not sure how this is going to go....
Cat2370@reddit
College prof here: this is the age group I work with. He's not wrong--for reasons that have already been stated. But also, I didn't graduate into a great job market either--in fact, I was looking for academic jobs in 2009 (after the market crashed), compounded by the fact that there have been no jobs in my humanities-based field literally for decades--which I knew going in. And all of that was well before gen AI was threatening to replace me, which I'm sure is eminent within the next 5 years or so 😂 🤦♀️
This situation is different and unprecedented, but I was also prepared to struggle. I expected it in a way that I don't see anymore from my students. I, too, had financial help from my parents to finish undergrad, and good mentoring and caught some breaks along the way. But to be clear, I worked my a** off to get to where I am today. I earned this. Hard. I don't know that a lot of my younger students have that same work ethic. So, what do I do? What do I say when I hear the complaints and the negativity? I'm pretty close to a lot of my students so I don't tell them to buck up--that wouldn't be useful. Rather I listen and try to help them problem solve. Explore options with them. Talk about gen AI honestly. I'm now using it/teaching it for many assignments in my classes. And when students ask about using it, we talk about it. I need to know how its going to affect my field (and life) or my job is for sure going to be replaced by it. I do the same thing I've always done. Learn and adapt and power forward. I'm gen X--that's what we do.
StudyObjective4286@reddit
Maybe your children would be interested in the Peace Corps or Teach for America. I’m not joking actually. It sounds like they will have guaranteed jobs in your corporation. If they are feeling this way now, it shows that they have a heart. I think that’s tremendous. Working alongside people who have little to nothing can change their perspective and make them feel empowered to help.
Their concerns are valid. I’m impressed considering they’ve had so many opportunities and they still see a void. That tells me you have great children. ♥️
Oldschoolgroovinchic@reddit
What might be really helpful is asking Millennials. Many of them were coming into the workforce during the great recession, with minimal job prospects, loads of college debt and every reason to give up. Yet they persevered. Perhaps someone in that age range can offer good insight on what helped them.
RangerRick4971@reddit
Not that I’ve heard them say but I definitely am concerned for them. Both of mine are graduating this year (one with a masters in English and one with an associates in Culinary arts). The one in culinary arts will likely never be rich but should always be able to find a decent job. The one with a masters in English though…
AnastasiaNo70@reddit
That one is going to have to teach.
Iwentforalongwalk@reddit
I went through the same thing in the late 80s and early 90s. It's crazy what needing a place to live and money for food will motivate you to do. Which was get a job and start working. You've dove a lot for your kids but maybe too much. It sounds like they've not had to struggle and figure things out.
dcodeman@reddit
I didn’t get any of that from the post. That’s a lot of inferring and assuming.
CubicleMan9000@reddit
Yeah, a lot of "the world is great, kids these days are just lazy".
Iwentforalongwalk@reddit
He paid for private school, got them jobs, paid for college, fostered networking. It's great that they had that support but yes, he did everything for them. But whatever.
lady-kdub@reddit
Definitely agree with you. There is no hardship even a controlled hardship. What got me is the kid said that Private Equity owns everything. OP doesn't even recognize that he is the Private Equity. They have had amazing opportunities and it sounds like the skills to do great things but are so used to being told how to do everything. It's a hard lesson to learn for parents and kids alike.
My1point5cents@reddit
Same. After college I took a sales job knocking on doors. You do what you gotta do.
ShutYourDumbUglyFace@reddit
I don't have any advice because I'm super worried for my kids in regards to every negative thing your son said. How do you plan for a future in turmoil? I mean, I think my kids are smart and will thrive no matter what, but it's really hard to help give them direction when I have no idea what the world will be in five years, let alone 20.
Error262_USRnotfound@reddit
we have provided similar lives for our kids...the deal is what has America done that gives these kids any hope? the job market is crap, pay is crap, economy is crap, the housing market is crap, health care is crap, war is on the horizon.
What do these kids have to look forward to? a lifetime of tuition debt and no chance at home ownership.
Fluid_Anywhere_7015@reddit
Yes. My daughter got her Psych degree and worked in counseling for a couple of years at a youth home before she became completely disillusioned. She got a job at Walmart, and a side gig with her partner raising chickens, and she's happier than she's ever been.
StudyObjective4286@reddit
If she’s happy then that’s a success.
gods_Lazy_Eye@reddit
I know people in their mid 40s that can’t find an admin position for two years now. There was a 42% decline in administrative positions due to AI in 2025, never mind the flood of admin workers that entered the private sector due to mass govt layoffs. It’s not just disillusioned young kids.
This isn’t a “learn excel” moment, this is a “train your permanent replacement” moment.
curiousme123456@reddit
My guidance with anybody who is younger is always getting them to particularly what they do and don’t like not industry just the type of work.
I then you see analogy of food saying something like do you like pizza? Do you like authentic Uruguay food? If they say no to the second, I then say have you had it most likely they haven’t some response is always done. How do you know you don’t like it.
Careers, life, etc. is mostly based on your experience what you don’t like and you stay away from that type of work. Then that can be applied to industry specific fields. I’ve been in five different industries and I know I don’t wanna go back to banking or financial services.
So again, I always encourage younger people to try new things and I also say there’s always gonna be a market disruptor. The key is being able to adapt to those disruptors. Shit 10-15 years from now there will be another market disruptor.
Bloody_Mabel@reddit
Very creative advertisement.
BraveG365@reddit
How so?
ancient-military@reddit
Do you think this is just marketing for Lovables, what ever the hell that is. Just a sign of internet death?
Aldy_Wan@reddit
He has no skills. He is right. But have to get get them.
salazka@reddit
"Then he started trashing on how AI is going to take jobs and I pointed out that we've been teaching him how to use AI for the last 2 years. He used to be in charge of building our website using traditional tools and he just learned how to use Lovable to create it from prompts. He says that's evidence that he won't be needed."
I am a production consultant and executive level digital production specialist. He is right.
You should not convince him to see the world with your eyes. The way you perceive career choices is based on traditional practices and data and as such, despite being based on your experienced analysis. But as you know the world is drastically changing. A different approach is needed. A different way of seeing and doing things. Sadly, this is a nasty transitional period both for employees, but also companies. Things could swing anyway. The repercussions of these changes will be more clearly visible in, say, 5 years from now.
You should help and support him to navigate this transition.
Working-Active@reddit
Look at all of the benefits that they have now. If I wanted to know something, I would ask my parents. I'd they didn't know then I would need to check our aged Funk & Wagnells Encyclopedias. If the answer wasn't there, I'd have to wait for the school library or ask my mom to drive me to the public library and then search all over again using a microfiche. When I found what I needed it was 10 cents a page to get it printed out. It's a completely different world now but at least they live in the age of instant information.
salazka@reddit
True. But we all have this. Not just them. So, in the office space, the competition is not so much into what you know and what you can remember, but how you can combine this in a way that adds value. More and more offices expect you to take advantage of AI. Even as an experienced contributor, without AI you are seen as underperforming.
Some of the few areas where knowledge still counts, is practical professions that are unlikely to be replaced anytime soon. Electricians, plumbers, etc. but also care takers. They are needed more and more especially in regions that populations age rapidly.
navitimer806@reddit
Gen X'er observing kids today, the helicopter parenting has really not done them any favors.
NeoAnderson47@reddit
Gen X was helicopter parented? Where....
Mockingbird_1234@reddit
No, what Navitimer was saying is that Gen X were the helicopter parents. We were so left on our own, feral, and alone that we overcorrected to taking care of our children’s every need for them.
emavalexis@reddit
Agreed. Too many Gen X and Millennial parents have gone way overboard course-correcting from the throw-‘em-to-the-wolves style of raising kids our parents used on us.
As a result? Many young folks entering into adulthood nowadays are unfathomably ill-prepared to face even life’s simplest challenges. Their parents have done them zero favours raising them the way they did/are doing. It makes me both sad and angry, even knowing when the intent has been well-meant (from my perspective; I’m not a parent, but have much respect for the good ones, and how hard it must be.)
Big-Sheepherder-6134@reddit
Absolutely correct. These kids have no idea how to deal with adversity. Helicopter parents have no idea how to say no to their kids. Now they have to deal with the whining.
KrofftSurvivor@reddit
You're in a very specific career field - you can expose your kids to that as much as you want, but it doesn't mean that's the right path for them.
Ask them what careers they do see as being around for the long term - and if they can't come up with any, list a few for them. Specifically, mentioned career fields that are as far from your particular field of expertise as possible.
Then, ask if they can see themselves in any of those careers, and if not - why not?
Is this about putting them on the path you think they should be on, or have you given them too much?
pilfro@reddit
Its not the kids so much as the way we consume news/media. If he clicks on a link to AI taking jobs he will see that more and more. I've noticed this, I spent a few hours researching plane crash statistics and now I'm bombarded with negative aviation news. We see our feeds as local/global news but in reality it's pretty niche.
HZLeyedValkyrie@reddit
Have your kid go volunteer at a nursing home. It will humble him very quickly. Our kid just completed CPR training. He said AI would never be able to provide patient care the way a human does.
First responder jobs such as firefighters / EMT/ paramedics benefit from AI and its assistance, but it could never do what we do fully. Life is too unpredictable and humans are far more capable at adapting to an ever changing critical event.
krneki534@reddit
we don't have enough humans to provide patient care, maybe with the help of AI one day we might be able to do it
oh-pointy-bird@reddit
We have plenty of humans to provide patient care but for-profit and private equity owned healthcare systems will not hire more of them.
krneki534@reddit
then create the care facilities the old people crave for
be the change you wish to see
WellWellWellthennow@reddit
It's the same game as always, and what we faced – find a need and meet it, build yourself up in your niche and become indispensable. With or without AI that's still true.
I understand the current generation must feel depressed and deflated. Let them know that's not an option.
Tiny-Albatross518@reddit
My situation is almost parallel to yours. Two boys getting through university, bright kids, hard workers, very promising.
But these guys are smart. Smart enough to size up the situation their generation is staring down. They’re not disheartened but we all agree they’ve done their part but its going to be much harder for them than it was for generations who came before.
Like just getting into a used car is a real challenge. An old civic with 310,000km and a few hits and it’s $10k?
What about a house? Ridiculous.
We haven’t left them much to work with have we? For how much they’ve put in on their end they certainly deserve a better shot.
Zealousideal_Way_788@reddit
They have reasons to be pessimistic. Especially with housing affordability
Cautious_Buffalo6563@reddit
I just asked them what they thought their life wanted to look like when they were in their 30’s and 40’s and then start figuring out what kind of careers would provide the resources required to achieve that.
Specialist-Pen-6441@reddit
Tell him to join a trade. Be an electrician for example. That’s where jobs are trending towards
Connect-Account-2855@reddit
Except private equity is buying these businesses up too.
Specialist-Pen-6441@reddit
He can be his own boss as an electrician. I know several blue collar entrepreneurs.
caffeinebump@reddit
You don’t understand how private equity works. When they decide they want to own the electricians, they will do the same thing there that have done to all the other industries they now more or less own.
Connect-Account-2855@reddit
Yes. But when private equity makes him/her an offer they can’t refuse it will be VERY hard not to take it. In my midsize city several family trade businesses have been bought out. Quality and customer service have declined while prices have increased. Private equity doesn’t care about your experience like a family owned business.
I guess I’m looking at this from a consumer point of view and not as a parent. It’s a good situation for your kid but not for the world.
SnooSketches8363@reddit
My son is struggling with finding an internship. As far as jobs go I have been hands off. He is a learn the hard way kid anyway. 🤣. He seems to have this idea that tech jobs with tech companies are the only place to work but I keep telling him the smaller businesses aren’t going to be able to afford AI right away so there’s that. But of course he wants the high salary straight out of school. Sigh. He has a job at the grocery store so he can figure it out from there. I created and found opportunities in what I majored in for the places I worked and got experience that way. I didn’t make as much as others but I got there in the end.
BringBackHUAC@reddit
School districts and hospital systems need IT people too, and are generally more stable.
r33c3d@reddit
Yeah. My son absorbs every negative headline and seems obsessed with watching influencers tell him he has no future. I try to tell him that this was my experience growing up, too — except we weren’t being firehosed with “on-purpose” negativity. I’ve tried everything I can to reframe things for him and he just says I’m old or whatever.
Eventually I just said, “Fine. I guess you have to figure it out. Or just work as a barista for the rest of your life. No hope, right?” For some reason, this little comment shook him. Since then he’s decided to start over and did the most Boomer thing imaginable: He walked into a physical therapist’s office that had an assistant opening and asked to talk to the hiring manger. He got an interview on the spot and was offered a job. Luckily, he was smart enough to know that it wasn’t a good position once he got the details and declined the offer. But he’s been invigorated since then and is applying to jobs with an upbeat attitude. He’s even started researching the local community college programs.
I don’t know if it took me to feign “Whatever, I don’t care about your future anymore either” and get him off my “stay positive” psychological crutch or what. But I’m excited for him. Or maybe just tell your kids that they’re being brainwashed and maybe they’ll eventually see it.
Mossy_Rock315@reddit
you gave your kids a lot of advantages, but it sounds like they’ve been trained to work for someone else. Maybe help them start their own businesses.
oh-pointy-bird@reddit
He is not entirely wrong.
The private equity landscape has changed considerably in past years let alone since our post-college era! The “squeeze” is unprecedented.
And AI will be changing the landscape in ways we can’t even (fully) anticipate just yet. Its impact on entry level jobs is well known, though.
I’m not saying they should throw their hands up in the air and resign themselves to life in your basement, but they’re not wrong, either.
BrooksRoss@reddit
Yeah, 2 things can be true. OP is spot on and the kid isn't too far off either.
The challenge is that gen z face can be overcome just like the ones Gen x overcame, but being frustrated and having a bit of angst are part of that stage of life.
3rdWaveHarmonic@reddit
My kids are listening to social media Gloom and Doom far too much. Sometimes I make that mistake too. I try to talk to them about options and opportunities for jobs, there are a decent number out there, nursing and medical imaging for example. Our kids will have it tougher than we did….i’ve watched the labor market change over the last 30 years…and not for the better.
JJQuantum@reddit
My son is studying Computer Science at a well respected university, paid for by us, and is pretty down as well. He called me a few weeks ago stressing that he was going to end up in the street. It was all I could do to not laugh but I just asked him if he really though my wife (his mom) and I would let him end up in the street and he said “I guess not”. I told him just to keep on moving forward and doing what he’s doing - getting good grades and networking with professors and others on campus. I did tell him that it would likely be a better idea to stay in school and get the masters degree he wants instead of working first and then going back, with the state of the economy.
I honestly think that with the way GenX was brought up we are the last really mentally tough generation, at least so far. There are exceptions of course but the younger generations just haven’t built it up for some reason.
ComprehensiveShip720@reddit
Agree it seems our generation is the last one reasonably positioned to face these headwinds (speaking in generalities and it is not to say individuals from other generations lack fortitude).
caffeinebump@reddit
People haven’t fundamentally changed. The economy, on the other hand, is very different from when we were kids.
supenguin@reddit
Computer science major here with 26 years as a developer after graduating... The software engineering industry is certainly in a weird spot. Some people are of the opinion that AI is creating code at about the same quality as a junior software developer. This is leading industry to slow down or stop hiring junior developers but that is going to lead to a long-term problem of not having experienced developers.
If someone knows what they are doing with software development and can steer AI to help build quality software to solve problems, that is going to be a super valuable skillset.
I'm not saying finding a job is going to be easy, especially with many companies doing mass layoffs. But it tends to be a kind of pendulum effect: companies over hire, realize they have too many people, do mass layoffs, realize they don't have enough people to accomplish their goals, and then start hiring again.
The best thing he could do is grab a laptop and come up with an idea for an app that he can build. Sign up for some AI coding tool (something like Claude Code for $20/month) and just start learning by building software. Who knows? Maybe he'll build something that he can turn into a business but if nothing else the best way to really learn what he's being taught in his computer science classes is to put it to good use building something.
Most people hiring in the software industry just want to know the answer to two questions: can you write software? And can you work as part of a team? The whole interview process is built around making sure the answer to both those questions is 100% positively YES before they extend a job offer to someone.
7_62mm_FMJ@reddit
I am you. 3 kids in college. Came from literally nothing to be white collar and successful. My wife and I broke the mold our families had made for us. If there is one thing our generation had to learn, its adaptability. You’re a pro at being adaptable- think about it and what our generation has had to learn.
This is what I’m teaching my kids. I’m imparting upon them the skills to be adaptable and flexible.
HenryLoggins@reddit
Bring a dad who did the same for my kid, I fear we nave given them too much, and not let them struggle the way we did growing up (assuming we grew up similarly). They don’t necessarily seem to know what it’s like to go without, and sadly they are listening to whatever is being pumped in to their social media algorithms.
For tens of thousands of years societies, people, and technologies have changed and it will continue to do so. Remind your kids of that, they have to keep their chin up, head held high, and keep moving forward. Learn to grow with technologies (AI) Adams and overcome.
They will figure this out eventually on their own, but I dont think they will learn that from you, but more so in their own experiences.
dembonezz@reddit
I can relate. I'm 50, and while private equity doesn't own the company I work for as a tech writer, my BU was bought and sold by one previously, and there's nothing guaranteeing it won't happen again.
Take what you can from it, but make sure you have a live you enjoy outside of that work.
I started taking improv and voice acting classes a dozen years ago, and now I do both on the side and it's wonderful. My business skills help with both, and I'm able to feed my soul by making art.
I'm feeling more and more the urge to take some time this summer to learn some bushcraft skills and build shit with my hands.
Whatever you do, just don't let your career be your whole world. Then you can shake off the uncertainties of corporate raiding a little better. Moreso if you are diligent enough to build a comfy savings.
Firstamongmonkeys@reddit
Tell us more about this improv and voice acting. Sounds interesting.
dembonezz@reddit
Sure!
I acted in plays as a kid, and put it aside to work and make a living. I've always enjoyed making friends laugh, and I've consumed comedy and funny tv since I was a baby.
All of that to say, fifteen years into a career in tech support for big corporations, I realized that I needed some sort of creative outlet. Something with no monetary value that encourages my sense of play.
I was self conscious about my appearance, so I focused on voice acting. The first few classes were fun, but I was physically shaking i was so nervous. I was battling stage fright, and my teachers recommended I dive into improv classes.
I did, and not only did I drop my stage fright, but I found a world of super supportive adults just wanting to expand what they thought was possible. No room for who or competition, and that was all a breath of fresh air.
It's now been just over a dozen years since my first improv class, and I perform monthly with a troupe for good crowds. I also do our marketing, so the tech writer skills come into play regularly.
Somewhere in there, I went back to my voiceover pursuits, and landed a paid gig with a friend who was solo-dev'ing a game (MiLE HiGH TAXi). In fact, he wrote the role for me. I played that and several ancillary characters, and I've been working at it ever since. I've booked five roles since, and I'm feeling more and more connected to that world. I'm in a year-long training course as a student and a TA.
So now, I have three careers, all doing pretty well. If the day job were to collapse tomorrow, it would be a relief - they'd give me severance for 18 years, and I could focus on performing and doing something with all that I've learned in both disciplines.
Hope someone that helps. Cheers!
Perfect-Cycle@reddit
Wow all this text just to try and plug a website creator 😂
DasArtmab@reddit
When one door closes, another door opens. The rules have changed but the players are the same. They’re stupid cliches, however they are relevant in these times. AI is just a tool. I’m pretty sure the wheel put a lot of people out of work. Hell, growing up they told me ‘computers’ will replace everyone. You can worry about that hammer hitting you in the head or wield it, and create something beautiful
chrispd01@reddit
Oh Jesus Christ. Way too much “ back in my day we had to walk through the snow to school - kids these days have a too soft” boomer bullshit..
It’s a very rough market. Especially for entry-level. Just tell them you recognize its tough. They should keep trying and in the interim take what jobs they can find… even if its barbacking or in a coffee shop
But employment is gonna look very different starting about now going forward. You unfortunately will not really be in that great a position to offer much practical advice.
mhoner@reddit
lol I point out I actually did have to walk uphill both ways in a blizzard as a kid. It was sorta a valley so it actually was true. And it was the 80’s so I did walk in blizzards.
chrispd01@reddit
There’s ways someone 🙃
Wait … both ways ? Isn’t there something about the law of conservation of energy ?????
mhoner@reddit
There was the valley inbetween. I had started downhill and then finished uphill. It wasn’t a huge incline but it still counted. It just makes a fun take on an old saying.
BreakfastAcceptable8@reddit
So you walked DOWNHILL both ways! 😂
mhoner@reddit
And uphill. Funny how it worked.
Gloomy_Plastic572@reddit
tell me about it there are far too meny genx's that have drunk the boomer cool-aid if you ask me, and this is as 55yo genx'er myself
fecking depressing if you ask me, sheesh
chrispd01@reddit
Yep. I always hoped this generation would end up doing better, but it doesn’t necessarily seem that way….
1wrx2subarus@reddit
Exactly that, nobody has a crystal ball.
Go with the flow, be happy with what you’ve got.
Prepare for a storm but be happy if it doesn’t.
There doesn’t have to be an answer or solution to every one of life’s problems.
How many times do we see the best plans go awry? All the time.
Marigold1976@reddit
This is coming from my perspective as the Gen X aunt/mom’s best friend that the kids let it fly with because they feel safe with me, so I hear a lot. I’m hearing much the same from my 3 about to graduate from a prestige colleges kiddos. The kids are not all right. They are picking up on all of the negative headlines about the job market, AI, the ever increasing wealth divide, war, climate change, you name it. I pretty much just say, well, we’re here in this timeline so we have to deal with all of it. And guess what, money does not buy happiness but being poor doesn’t either, by a much bigger long shot. So get out there, say yes to everything, stretch your networking muscles out big time and get out there and meet people. Be curious, kind and positive despite all of the negativity around you and good things will come. Some parts will suck, but getting a job and paying your own way for the first time is intoxicating! I mean, yeah, it’s a pep talk, but they leave feeling better. Hard and fast advice? Sit down with them and talk finances. Do they understand that they are responsible for paying their own way through life, or do they think they are going to inherit everything?
H-is-for-Hopeless@reddit
I'm 41 and never had kids but I deal with many younger coworkers. I have a master's degree and I need a second job to cover my bills. I recently started doing Doordash between for a little extra spending money in case of emergency expenses.
The young people I work with at my primary job are struggling worse than me because I have my student loans paid off while they are buried in hundreds of thousands of dollars of debt. The young people I work with at my second job regularly pick up temporary side gigs and handy work and still partially depend on their parents to get by.
I bought my house in 2008 and I can manage the mortgage on my income, but people are paying much more for houses now. I couldn't afford a decent house if I was at the bottom of the pay scale. As my income has risen, so has the cost of everything else so even though my mortgage is the same, I couldn't afford my own house if I was making what a 25 year old makes where I work. Many of the young people I work with are still living with their parents because they can't afford to move out.
Unless they're going into a guaranteed high income profession right out of college, there's a very real chance that the next generation will not be as successful as the last. Hard work and dedication are required just to get by but are no longer a guarantee of getting ahead.
Hehateme123@reddit
Don’t take this the wrong way. But this is 100% your fault.
Since you created these children, they are under no obligation to have careers. They never asked to be born and become capitalist slaves. It was your actions. I think it your duty to provide for them for their entire lives. Why should they even have to work?
MaximumJones@reddit
MostlyBrine@reddit
I heard a lot the same things from twenty something kids. Mine included.
Dr_Drax@reddit
You must be really fun at parties.
turkeycurry@reddit
Perhaps he’s just having stress over a life transition? The world seems a little crazy at the moment so that maybe adds to the stress. Perhaps acknowledge how hard and scary life changes can be and point out times he’s done hard things before. Also, the world has always been a little crazy but keeps rolling on. He probably just needs some support and encouragement that he will find his place in the world.
National-Net-6831@reddit
Good grief I’m putting no pressure on my kiddos to do anything. I make good money they can live at home as long as they want and they can feel free to pursue whatever their endeavor. What I’m not going to do is shell over bunches of “college” money for them to fly the coop and party for 4 years to turn around with a shit job. I think colleges are turning into dinosaurs and with AI education will no longer exist.
TheNainRouge@reddit
Then we as a people are doomed. Without an education people are going to get dumber than we already are. Part of critical thinking is understanding how important competency is and how to measure it. Using AI is like asking your friends for a solution to the problem. Without base knowledge to realize it/they are bullshitting you, you will take it/their word for granted. Never mind if it’s false, or propaganda, or actively harmful; because my trusted source is an idiot we will take it for gospel.
National-Net-6831@reddit
People’s brains will be hooked into it. So the knowledge of the collective will be accessed.
Mysterious_Winter164@reddit
I was just thinking something along these lines the other day -- in the years to come, there will for sure be a decline in education quality as a rising percentage of students learn to sidestep scanners and use shortcuts to have AI generate their term papers and such.
And yes, there have always been exam archives and term paper bank (Now searchable online - when I was in college, it was a file cabinet at the frat house) but access to such things keeps getting easier.
Bubbafett33@reddit
“No one is expecting you to know exactly what you want to do for the rest of your life, or to predict the long term implications of AI. You are, however, expected to work a job—any job—and contribute while you ponder these outcomes.”
Due_Ad_6522@reddit
Lol, wow... i know we're the "do it yourself" generation and all that jazz, but the kid's not wrong. A lot of the folks in here saying they're too coddled are clearly sitting from their own perch of privilege and sound like out of touch boomers.
The world has changed and is changing more rapidly every day. What our kids are facing is NOTHING like what we faced. Yes, computers became a thing and there were those that cried wolf - but they were tools - they couldn't do your job for you. Oracle wasn't laying off 30,000 employees to be replaced by AI and H1B hires. A PERSON had to hire us, not a "smart" algorithm. Benefits and decent pay were a thing - now, McDonald's is literally paying more than entry level engineering positions and benefits are a larger % of paychecks. The average wage to home ratio in the 90s and early 2000s was 3-4x, now it's over 7 - and that's if you live in an affordable state. We might have even hired in at a time when there were still pensions - our kids will never see that, let alone social security. Health care was 5.5% of household income, today it's over 12%. I paid $3500/yr for my UC education - my daughter's tuition is nearly $30k/yr - and no, that's not just keeping up with the rate of inflation. The cost of raising children has nearly doubled but wages have stagnated. So, no - they aren't playing the same game we did and to gas light them into thinking so is entirely out of touch with reality.
All that said, and here's the proper genx take, lol - on some level, it doesn't matter... this is the world they have to navigate and unless the answer is to lay down and give up, they've got to get creative. Or move abroad. Or go into a trade. The days of go to school, get a degree, get a cooshy desk job, buy a house, raise kids, and afford a life are pretty much done. The assignment now is to look around and figure out how to make something work while standing in the ashes of the American dream. It can be done - but not the way we did it.
GenX-ModTeam@reddit
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Leading-Summer-4724@reddit
Great write up. My eldest bonus son is facing this now, right down to all his applications being reviewed and tossed by AI algorithms. Gone are the days when you can go into a business and look the manager in the eye and offer your services, which is how I landed the majority of my jobs throughout life. No one wants you to follow up by phone anymore unless they’ve already had the algorithm pick you out of the pile of digital apps that are all the same from every place you’ve applied.
Fortunately he’s gotten on his feet by learning a trade in car repair for the moment and kinda running his own thing, otherwise he fell into a pretty bad hole of depression regarding not being able to find a job.
bron-y-aur-stimpy@reddit
When I imagine the careers that my very young grandkids might pursue I can’t help thinking of the song What a Wonderful World….”they’ll learn much more than I’ll ever know”.
ComprehensiveShip720@reddit
Yep. Hard agree. Things are definitely more difficult for the younglings now, but only recourse is to suck it up, dig in, and start grinding and find your path through it. Imagine if Gen X was coming of age now through all this and what we would be the result?
Ok-Finger-1811@reddit
Excellent response, imo.
Anonphilosophia@reddit
I have the opposite problem. Nephew.
Thinks he ready to be part of a strategic team, with a strategic team salary, when most of his "ideas" are AI generated and lack any actual strategy, or basic business acumen.
As an actual exec, I keep telling him to take SEVERAL steps back. My knowledge is based on EXPERIENCE, not AI. You can work your way up to my level and you will probably surpass it. But you aren't even close to being there yet. 🙄
BmanGorilla@reddit
Private equity has caused a lot of damage, but it doesn't own everything, and it won't. PE owned businesses general lack the passion to actually succeed in the long term, so there's always a real opportunity for those out there who want to make awesome products.
Historical_Project86@reddit
It is very tough for any grads today. They're working in retail, hospitality, warehouses. If they do get a desk job, companies in London are expecting them to live on £35k.
With AI, it's no good being an end-user. The jobs which are around are all in AI. Models and agents need to be trained, dimensioned, inter-connected. That's where the jobs are.
seigezunt@reddit
I mean, the kids are correct.
And if there’s any generation who can empathize about being sold a lie, it’s Generation X.
I think any specific career advice that we could offer them is outdated. All the rules have been thrown out because [redacted for politics]. I do think the AI thing will blow over for many industries, but it will also leave them changed in ways that everybody will have to rethink what a job is.
I personally was downsized because of Covid and have only been able to provide some income through work from home as I am too old to interest any employers, and what I do has been thoroughly replaced by AI for now.
But I have confidence in smart kids, like my kids, figuring something out. One of them is already making more money than I ever did at their age through investment.
I hope to see the whole standard LinkedIn/HR model of job seeking die in my lifetime. I think Gen Z has the potential to kill it.
Big-Sheepherder-6134@reddit
There are still countless fields that need more workers. They will to adjust their career plan. My wife has a music degree and ended up in legal tech.
FruitOfTheVineFruit@reddit
My daughter sounded a bit like this and after a while it became clear that she didn't want to work in the field she had studied. We told her that was fine. She's on her way to graduate school to do something she is passionate about. (Fortunately her college degree was great prep for her new career although not quite the same field.)
LONGVolSilver@reddit
Yeah-- make it clear that after he graduates, he will need to find a way to support himself and pay is own living expenses in life. Period. How he goes about accomplishing that can be his choice to make, and you can offer to continue to provide some types of 'light assistance ' ( examples: paying for an unexpected car repair; keeping him on your insurance and cell phone plans, etc) but all of the other living expenses ( rent, groceries, transportation) will be his to cover.
It sounds harsh and it's not in line with how most 22 year olds embark on "adulting" but it's sure as hell how my generation did it and it's amazing what a young, intelligent person can accomplish when they are unburdened by over-involved parents.
pittburgh_zero@reddit
I’m a young gent. My kids are Alpha; I’m teaching them two things:
1 ) relationships are king. No machine can create and maintain a human relationship.
2 ) specialized knowledge. Machines needs to overseen, reviewed, and checked. Anything that is specialized will continue to be valuable.
ionlyeatdips@reddit
My answer would be, "Yes, and?" The world is not over yet. You still have to do something. You have been given all of the advantages. Figure it out.
Elses_pels@reddit
I had that conversation with my kid in college. Explained to her that when we were kids and learned from books we had to read a lot of “wrong” answers before arriving to the correct one. If you will, you were building a “body of wrong answers”. Nowadays you click a button and get the right one. But here is the problem; you have no way of knowing if is right or a hallucination because you have no knowledge of the wrong answers.
In short. Those skills will always be needed. And whoever has the skills is into a winner.
Furthermore. These GPT models are just chatbots (clever ones). AI is a much wider field and one that they should really try to manage and understand :) I hope it helps
secrerofficeninja@reddit
Kid is correct. It’s a tough world now for 20-something college graduates. All the rules have changed. Even if someone is lucky to get a good job, the cost of life is much higher now compared to their income. Student loans are dragging them down. My oldest said many friends don’t even imagine they can buy a house so they don’t even try to save.
Anyway, Boomers had it better than us and now we have it better than our kids. AI threatens to take so many good jobs and our government is inept and run by billionaires so we can’t rely on them.
Help your kids stay positive and fighting to make their way. They’ll get there but accept that their path is harder than yours was.
Xx_SwordWords_xX@reddit
I think parents are going to need to help their children learn to create a new expectation of life, and help guide them to succeed at that.
The pressure to recreate the life Boomers set as the standard is what causes the existential dread.
FETTACH@reddit
There are not many industries that are hiring entry level jobs, so going that route and learning to work on the job isn't really a thing. You need experience to get any job these days. It's tough out there to even find something that isn't manual labor. Or the industries that do hiring young folks don't pay a livable wage. I feel bad for college age kids.
IT_learning_only@reddit
A BIG skill I see missing is the ability to critically troubleshoot when one doesn't receive a perfect answer from AI.
I recently watched a new coder input a request to AI for code, use the code exactly, and when it failed, he declared the action they wanted couldn't be done and put significant time into convincing management to scrap the feature. I wanted to troubleshoot but I didn't have access, so I wrote up a 2 page guide of how to troubleshoot and a few additional things to try. He refused and accused me of thinking I was smarter than AI. I have 25 years experience.
Someone who can fix stuff without AI or some other hand-holding source will be the top jobs eventually...at least for any company with half a brain. Eventually too much reliance on AI will kill some companies, and those that retained solid talent will thrive with their AI. There will always be some barely hobbling along companies, and those are great places still to get experience if needed.
Sintered_Monkey@reddit
I undoubtedly was saying the same sort of thing at that age. Yes, the job market is awful. Yes, private equity does control everything. And yes, the cost of living is much worse than when I was starting out. But I was a "permatemp" in the 90s before the reform came about so that it was harder for companies to exploit people. I spent so many years making starvation wages with no health insurance (ACA didn't exist yet,) no vacation pay, no paid holidays, and no sick pay. I quite literally could not afford to get sick. And of course, no retirement of any sort offered.
So while things are rough now, I'll admit, I didn't think working in the 90s was a picnic either.
Mysterious_Winter164@reddit
Was on that same track for about 6 years. It was pretty awful.
Sintered_Monkey@reddit
Did everything change for you after the Vizcaino V Microsoft case? That was the only reason I ever got benefits. She really sued the shit out of Microsoft, and it was the only thing that scared the legal department. All of a sudden, I mean days after that case, I had full benefits and a raise. Then I got laid off 3 years anyway, but at least I had a few years with benefits.
Mysterious_Winter164@reddit
Not at all -- my run was in the early 2000's and it was exactly as you describe. Well, that's not entirely true. Health insurance WAS available, but it was incredibly expensive and "catastrophic" level. No vacation time, but we did get paid holidays if you worked full 40-hour weeks for the previous 10 weeks. However, that was impossible to do because the previous holiday was always within 10 weeks, and you didn't/couldn't work that day.
At some point it was determined (wasn't sure if it was company policy or law) that if you were in a temp/contract position for a certain amount of time, maybe two years, then they had to hire you on as a full time employee. This led to everyone suddenly earning Promotions in Place, and "Asset Coordinators" were now "Senior Asset Coordinator" or "Asset Coordination & Tracking Team Leads" with a new item added to their job description making it technically a totally different job.
Sintered_Monkey@reddit
I guess the case was first filed in 1992 but sat in limbo for years. But for me, the reaction from Legal was immediate. One day I was an abused and exploited contractor, the next I was an employee with full benefits and a raise. I've never seen a corporate legal team move so quickly.
RowEast2316@reddit
Same
drifter3026@reddit
I have no advice for my GenZ kids. I haven't even been able to forge a career myself, so I don't feel qualified to offer any guidance to them. I did the "right" thing, went to college, etc. etc. But all I have to show for it is a series of jobs, but no career. Right now I'm 11 years into a dead-end job. No advancement, no retirement.
I'll support them in whatever they're doing as best I can, but as far as advising, I got nothing.
73DodgeDart@reddit
If you are willing, I think you should share your experience with your kids. They can learn from our mistakes and regrets the same as from our successes. While you can’t point them towards a career, you can illustrate the consequences of not having one. I understand that might be a difficult and uncomfortable conversation that you don’t want to have but your experience is valuable and important for them to understand.
drifter3026@reddit
Oh, I've always been very open with them about everything. They know the entire path I took to get where I am. The kicker is, every decision and turn I made seemed like the correct one in the moment, with the information I had at the time. Only with the benefit of hindsight do they seem wrong. And, if I were to go back and have to make those decisions again with what I knew at the time, I'd probably make the same ones. There is an element of randomness to life after all.
knitonehurltwo@reddit
I hear this all the time from my kids in their early 20s. Has it occurred to you that they might just be right? They sound pretty astute to me. And if they’re astute, they’ll figure it out in their own way and on their own time. There’s nothing for you to handle other than your your own uncomfortable feelings.
RaleighBahn@reddit
Just being a good listener is usually all that is needed.
New-Cobbler6168@reddit
Suck it up baby boy
brandson__@reddit
Getting a job now is like winning the lottery. Odds very much stacked against you.
Things a young person could do to help is to have a portfolio of things they've built. That means taking time after graduation to learn more skills on their own and make something creative and useful.
Ultimately, unless they're training to be doctors or nurses, I think a lot more young people will have to start their own businesses in order to get work, which is scary and risky. I don't see any other way forward right now.
obxtalldude@reddit
Yes, everything is changing.
All I tell my kid is plan to work for yourself, one way or another.
Most jobs are not worth it, unless you can network your way to something better. Any sort of production work is simply extracting wealth from labor - it's no longer a shared economy. Capital has won.
Sounds like your kids have never really struggled, or had to plan for themselves.
I got kicked out of the nest - best thing to ever happen to me. My Dad didn't try to talk me into anything - I simply had to be working at something. I choose to move away and start in real estate sales.
Making your own way feels great. Being under Dad's shadow does not. I don't think your kids think the same opportunities will be there for them - and they are right.
Connect-Account-2855@reddit
When we were starting out we could expect to work hard and know that we’d most likely out earn our parents, be able to buy a house, save and enjoy life. Everything is so expensive now and earnings has not kept up with the cost of living. Affording a house gets harder and harder and yes-many of Gen Z think why even try.
seigezunt@reddit
I mean, we were really the first generation to figure out that this boomer model of employment was a lie.
shawncollins512@reddit
I was disillusioned then, too. I couldn’t find a job after I got my degree and had to live with my dad for about 9 months.
I didn’t have money for a car (hadn’t driven to that point because of lack of funds - paying my way for college) and my first job was at a hotel front desk for $5.50/hr and later an assistant manager at Blockbuster for $7/hr.
I just worked hard, had side hustles, sacrificed, and kept applying for jobs. I was underemployed and I insured for a couple of years until I finally hit stride.
mobilene@reddit
I've told one of my sons to stop complaining and go make the best life you can under these circumstances. I don't normally bottom-line people like that but after several years of him behaving like he was helpless against the world, I'd finally had enough.
2000TWLV@reddit
I'm afraid I'm a little bit too busy dealing with my own career (or lack thereof) BS.
...Oops, gotta run to make my next layoff!
SuddenShine99@reddit
I remember feeling like I had no skills after college and was barely fit to be a secretary. After graduating into a recession and working in a retail job I liked ok but was boring and underpaid for a year and living on my own (I had two jobs for a while because I refused to move back home) and barely paying my own way I was able to focus on moving on in my life and went to grad school. Life is different now but I remember show shitty it felt. And we didn’t have social media. He will figure it out. I personally think it was better when we just figured it out on our own and didn’t talk to our parents. But I get it: my Gen Z kid calls me all the time and it’s a bit of whining. I just say “I know you will figure it out you are very capable!”. And they are!
opaville@reddit
Your kids aren't wrong. The work place is going to crap by all the greed of the people in charge.
RazzleThemAll@reddit
Your kids are most likely correct. We won’t until it all shakes out, but yes, private equity has reduced workers to a number and ai has cut thousands and thousands of jobs. Climbing a corporate ladder might not be an option any longer. It’s not the same career landscape that it was 30 years ago or even 10 years ago. I wish these kids all the luck in the world, but I fear for them.
ActPlayful@reddit
This
Business_Plenty_2189@reddit
If he’s tech oriented and understands how to use AI, there are huge opportunities to help companies automate with AI. Every company wants to save money by using AI, but they don’t know how. That’s what I’d do if I were his age. Become an AI automation consultant.
lay-z-1@reddit
Well kudos to you for getting them that far. I cant even get my kids to discuss the possibility of going to college because they are terrified that it will saddle them with debt and will not lead them to a career that will pay for them to live.
Happy-Bluejay-3849@reddit
Can you blame them? How did you feel at the same age? It’s completely normal to be nervous and disillusioned at the transition between college and career.
Ai really is taking jobs. The world isn’t as bright and sunny as it looked when they started out. It never was though. We’ve all been at this boundary and been scared at what we see.
shoelessjoseph@reddit
My son is 15 and we're going through the same thing. He's not interested in school work or any work really as he firmly believes in AGI and that there won't be any jobs by the time he leaves college. He thinks there will be apocalypse or Universal Basic Income, so he's preparing for both by playing Xbox and lying in bed with his Chromebook 24/7.
Foxingmatch@reddit
This isn't far off from Gen X attitudes. With nuclear war threats looming, Gen X thought they'd be dead before thirty. A lot of us didn't plan for careers. Those who did were often blocked out by Boomers and the Silent Gen who kept telling us to wait our turn but never planned on giving us a turn. If there is anything to teach your kid in this... it’s that he should be planning for a future where neither the apocalypse nor universal basic income happen.
Mental-Artist-6157@reddit
This is how my 21 & 19 year old stepsons are feeling too. 21 yr old moved back in with his bio dad (my hubs is his stepfather) & the middle child now lives with the in laws. Both could easily do well in the trades but weren't engaging, just "bed rotting." No job? Not even Walmart? Nope. Oh, and you want to pick a fight with hubs? The USMC? Nope. Here's a scholarship offer to check out. I know you're not trying to get drafted in these wild times because, apparently, up to 42 year olds are eligible. (Maybe I'm online too much. If so, forgive me. Because literally nothing surprises me at this point.)
I have an 18 year old in his final year of high school. He's a martial artist and is going to be a student instructor after graduating in June, attending community college in September.
We heavily monitor tech usage, and we'll take it if they go off the rails with overuse. Solidarity, fellow momma. Hugs.
Lazy_Point_284@reddit
I told my kid that when I was 21 in 1994, I received a ton of well-intentioned, experience-based, worthless advice from parents, teachers, bosses, older colleagues. None of them knew what the first quarter of the 21st century would bring. None of us know what the second quarter might bring, either.
I told him to learn some sort of fast-cash skill....a trade or bartending or something that will put cash in your pocket within a week or two of landing broke in a new place. I told him to stay flexible and hustle and stay away from corporate....his temperament is less suited for that than even mine.
He's 22 now and works at a new age bookstore part time. He also made $35K last month from forex trading, so we'll see how long he keeps punching clock.
Gave him just enough Marxism to keep him skeptical about working for others, but not so much that he doesn't want to be rich.
largos7289@reddit
I have to say it's a tough go out there now. MY oldest who has always been passionate and knew what she wanted and worked hard for her goals is getting real frustrated out there. She took physical therapy i forget the name of the actual major at our state school. She wanted to do sports medicine but now she's not sure if that's what she wants, I was shocked that it's almost pre-med type stuff. Anyway she's been having a rough go because anyone that says they are hiring isn't calling back, she stuck in a crappy job right now not her major and she wants to go on to grad school. It just sucks to see her struggle and get burnt out. My other two.... my middle has dreams of grandeur of making it big in the makeup world it's cut throat, it's competitive all the things she is not. My youngest... she's not a book learning type she's creative and i don't know what she is going to do she flip flops. So i get where you're coming from in a way. Luckily thou none have to do with AI taking a job away. I just always say Ai can do alot, it's not going to fix the laptop, it's not going to fix the desktop, it's not going to run cable. yea it's considered low level stuff but man after seeing what guys get for running cables... I would have never gotten out of that gig.
RoyalPuzzleheaded259@reddit
Tell him to go be a plumber. Trees pay well and they’re needed. AI can’t plumb a house.
rico277@reddit
I kind of chuckle at this advice only that there are a lot of people out there for whom trades are terrible job fits. I have managed to destroy lots of things in my home because I thought I could do it myself and realized that I am sorely lacking in the skills necessary to do these jobs no matter how many YouTube videos I watch. It’s a little unfortunate that my kid inherited my lack of skills. My father on the other hand was very good at that kind of stuff and though he tried to teach me many many times how to do things I somehow always managed to do it poorly.
hkusp45css@reddit
Or run conduit, or weld stuff, or fix your car, and on and on.
People lamenting the world, post AI, sound a lot like Luddites, to me.
Substantial_Way296@reddit
Too coddled. We are to blame unfortunately.
Pleasant-Minute-1793@reddit
I think you are right. I tried being better to my kids than my parents were to me and i would have started them doing things much much earlier.
I also never would have given them a screen. I was hoping it would spark interest in technology but it is a huge crutch / distraction / escape from focusing on the things they should be doing.
rico277@reddit
I am dealing with the brutal job market my kid is navigating. It’s real. And your kids aren’t totally wrong about AI taking jobs that or once considered good in the same way that robots took a lot of those good manufacturing jobs away from people. And they are right the private equity has a much bigger share and they used to, and that makes job security, a source of anxiety. However, my daughter found a remote job she likes and is honestly a lot more balanced than I was at her age. It comes off as a lack of hustle to me sometimes but unlike me at her age, she doesn’t have any student debt and she saved a bunch of money from her paid internship. She doesn’t live at home so she’s making it. So who am I to complain about that? Let them think however they want, it’s what they do that matters in the end.
i_love_lima_beans@reddit
No, private equity has royally fucked up jobs in the last 10 years.
Foxingmatch@reddit
He isn't wrong about Ai taking jobs in the arts, coding, tech, office work, and many other sectors.
Instead of pushing against this like a seawall, have honest discussions with him about his interests, talents, skills, and how to enhance his worth in the workforce. He can still have a great career in areas where Ai is affecting careers, but he needs to be at the top of his game. Help him build his strengths.
If he wants a well-paying job that transfers to any location and helps him keep his independence and consistent wages, he should consider learning a trade.
FAx32@reddit
Yes/no. My eldest has a business degree and works in construction management. Middle is a kid who school simply isn’t his thing, barely finished HS and is pretty unwilling to try things, will be living with us for who knows how long. Youngest is a Jr in college and pretty passionate about her major, motivated to make things happen.
All very much constantly and non-sarcastically talk about how everything is shit. Personally I think this comes from them being on social media constantly and this is the message (life is too hard, complain and complain some more).
I paid for my own undergrad and graduate school, and then 2 bachelors degrees for 2/3, will make it “even” for the middle one. It amazes me every day that they don’t see that as a positive and that everything is still “too hard” and stacked against them. Life has always been hard for the young. It is part of growing up, figuring out how much you can push yourself.
I decided when I was their age that it was pretty unlikely I was going to starve to death. If life went off the rails, I could probably still find ways to eat. Turned out better than that, and in a place to pay off my home and pay for 3 kids college fully. But it allowed me to take chances. They are convinced there is a max amount they should be paying for basics (food, shelter, clothing, transportation to and from job), but are also not willing to make “less than good/average” choices, expect quality and to be able to have extra money for fun. I had none of that until well into my 40s, but somehow they think because of my life now, it has always been this way and that their parents never struggled, didn’t pay 50+% of their income on housing for years, didn’t make 1/3rd of median income for 10-20 years to start out. It is a weird, distorted view of the world that they are the first generation to struggle.
SlyFrog@reddit
Yes, and it is nearly impossible to break, because social media has also taught them that the answer to anyone pointing out that they're being doom forecasting excessive pessimists is to just babble "Boomer" or talk about how it's different now than it was when everyone just handed you money 30 years ago.
Their ears are deliberately closed to anything that might challenge their shit worldview, and the internet echo chamber has taught them to do that as well.
CrispyDave@reddit
If your kids feel like that imagine how all the kids without those advantages feel.
ABSOFRKINLUTELY@reddit
Damn.
Worth-Magazine348@reddit
Yep. 100% similar experience. I'm having to accept that their career path may look very different than mine based on both the different economy as well as the generational identify that I find frankly frustrating. But every generation figures their shit out and this one will too.
This is a quote I keep close these days - from Richard Bode's First You Have to Row a Little Boat:
“If the condition of fatherhood has taught me one thing, it is the difficulty, if not utter impossibility, of passing on to my offspring the lessons of my separate life. I found out, almost after it was too late, that my children weren’t born to learn from my experiences; they were born to learn from their own, and any attempt on my part to substitute my perceptions for theirs was doomed to fail.”
HereToCalmYouDown@reddit
This is so true and so maddening.
Pleasant-Minute-1793@reddit
Let them know the military is always an option and ask them which of the branches they are interested in. That can give them a helpful perspective.
But yes... my oldest is having the same sort of 'failure to launch'
Ray_The_Engineer@reddit
My kids had a strong foundation; well-motivated, good grades, 2 very smart girls. One has her MSW and is in her 4th year as a social worker for a school system, the other is finishing her doctor of physical therapy degree with a job waiting. BUT...both are far more cynical and negative about their prospects than I EVER was. I firmly believe that they've been taught to think this way. "Our generation has everything working against it! We're the first generation to really have it hard!", etc. I've tried to teach them perspective and positive thinking, but it's an uphill battle against culture.
Jesus, their great grandfather grew up in POVERTY in a textile mill town in NC, wound up in the Pacific during WWII, survived that, finished his GED, took some other classes and worked his way up to being a plant superintendent. They know the story, but can't relate it to how great their lives are.
ClayMitchellCapital@reddit
I think it is a generally pessimistic outlook on their part. Yes, AI will take a lot of jobs IMO but being able to adapt to the world we live in is more beneficial than sitting on the sidelines with gloom and doom in your mind. I use AI on a daily basis and it blows my mind how so many things can be spit balled, built and launched very quickly and accurately for zero money.
There have always been people who dig in their feet and try to fight the current but they eventually get swept. I do hope he got a degree that is useful on some level. I don't believe college is for everyone and I definitely don't think all education paths are viable. I have met too many people working in fast food with a bachelor's degree in xyz.
Anyway, I hope you son figures out something that leaves him fulfilled in his life. Mine is over half way done and it went by fast. Cheers.
1wrx2subarus@reddit
Dealing with it?! Nah, there does not have to be any dealing with it. He has his viewpoint and he’s entitled to it. There does not have to be an answer or solution to all things in life.
Mostly, I’d say just go with the flow. Why? Every single time I hear about somebody’s life plan, I find out that they had to change course with the winds frequently. In essence, there is no life plan.
There’s the world we live in. We can point in a general direction and say I’d like to get there. From there, we have all seen people who took the short path, the scenic path and also inevitably wound up somewhere better (or worse!). Bottom line, he may be right and he may be wrong. Nobody has a crystal ball.
Everyone is dealing with the same situation. How many times do we see someone saying, “back in 20xx, we had xyz recession & my investments struggled!” Yeah, you and everybody else.
We’re all living in the same world. There’s no crystal ball. Gather up your nuts like a squirrel. Lose all your nuts to bad luck, natural disasters or evil leaders. Do the best you can with what you’ve got.
hkusp45css@reddit
If I had stuck with my life plan, I'd be a Navy Seal CEO of Microsoft and be married to Cyndi Lauper.
I don't think the way it turned out was better than what I had planned ... probably.
CompanyOther2608@reddit
Smart and pragmatic comment. 👍
BerryLanky@reddit
I’ve worked at my company for almost 40 years. I have a large pension. Went through many transitions where the complete planned impacted workers in other areas. In the past decade I’ve watched the company lower salaries for new employees. Eliminate benefits for new employees. It’s basically a low paying call center environment. I was able to move from department to department and land in great high paying jobs. I was given opportunities to job shadow for months in other areas to see if it works be a good fit. The playing field has changed so much. I don’t know if I could survive here if I started now. Companies have put more focus on share holders at the expense of the employee. I feel bad for young workers now.
KDPer3@reddit
He's scared and graduating into a terrible job market that's expected to get worse. You let him talk and really listen to what he's saying. You'll get to the point where he's ready for advice. Right now he probably wants to hear Dad loves him and is proud of him for all he's done to prepare himself for an uncertain world.
And refocus your approach. Stop talking about you teaching him AI and focus on the fact that he's gained skills to deal with AI. This moment is about his feelings, his life, and his future. As a fellow parent I get that you've given a lot and applaud you for it. He'll understand what you've given later. Right now it is healthy and normal for him to feel the weight of his responsibility for himself and be a bit pressed by it. Let him learn to carry it.
Beth_Pleasant@reddit
I was job searching in 2025 and even for someone like me, with experience, and good rep, and lots of contacts, it was awful. He's worried he is set up for failure before he even starts, and the sad thing is, he's not wrong.
He needs support in his feelings, and gentle guidance to get over the hump.
hattenwheeza@reddit
Great response
discospageddyoh@reddit
Absolutely this. Shit is scary out there for even seasoned professionals. I'm watching the younger gens I work with struggle way harder than I had to just to achieve the most basic of life's milestones. Stop trying to convince your kid that he's wrong and has so much going for him. Just...listen. Because he's not wrong. It is already tougher for him because of the things he states. Does it mean he'll give up? I doubt it. But it's ok to be scared. Sit with that with him.
Sufficient_Stop8381@reddit
I don’t know, I’ve been asking what’s the point my whole life.
1wrx2subarus@reddit
And that, is perfectly ok. Nobody has a crystal ball. All of us are here a finite amount of time.
Thereafter, we leave the world like we came into it — screaming & bloody. Hey, nobody said nursing homes coupled with dementia would be a cake walk.
PinkyLeopard2922@reddit
I only have had that for like the last 16 months but sheesh, the struggle is real. I'm just trying to heed the advice of Dory and "Keep swimming."
Recordeal7@reddit
Speaking from experience, finding a job won’t be an issue. The issue will be whether or not the job is something he wants to do AND pays well. My 2 adult kids became a nurse, and a logistics/supply chain manager. They both make over 6 figures. Took me until my mid 40’s before I did.
If he earned some flavor of art, fine arts, design, film degree, it’s going to be very hard for him to find a job that will provide everything you provided him. Your lifestyle is what he expects to find.
If he earned a BBA of some sort it should be a little easier. But again, he may just need to take what he can get. If he’s not ready to enter the job market, tell him to earn his MBA. Even if that means taking pre-reqs to qualify. Or…go to nursing school, get a medical certificate of some kind.
Best of luck.
Burnviktm@reddit
I have an 18-year-old graduating in a little over a month. Since he was 4 years old. He has wanted to join the military and has lived his life with that Northstar. He earned his Eagle scout rank, is Red Cross lifeguard certified, has CPR and AED certifications, and a host of other things.
However, with the extreme volatility and questionable judgment of the current US administration, he is decided that that is pretty much squashed. His backup plan was to go into firefighting because he wants to be in service and he wants to avoid being locked in an office.
Unfortunately, he is red green color blind and some of those positions are more restrictive with that condition. So now after traveling in One direction for so long he is kind of in the wind. He's going to start school in the fall but doesn't really have any solid direction yet. His next tier is to explore education and being a teacher with Middle School being the target.
I have another kid 18 months behind him who is pretty sure what he wants to do, but being in technology, I am also pretty certain that his career path will be one of the first ones consumed by AI.
The whole career landscape for this generation is pretty much shit.
Girl77879@reddit
Yes. And the kids realize it because they are smarter than they are given credit for. My kid is only 14, but very world aware and has been having existential crash outs about his future job market since he was 10. Like, full on tears and logical arguments that make it really hard to say to him that he's wrong and it will be OK. Luckily his dad works in a pretty secure industry and can probably get him a job in his company once he's out of college.... But yeah. The kids are not wrong.
HZLeyedValkyrie@reddit
I wish your kiddo the best. He will find his path.
AdmiralJaneway8@reddit
This is exactly my son who is 3 years ahead of yours but politics instead of service. He wanted to be a career non partisan governmental staffer in DC. But all the positions he wanted are now eliminated, Loyalty appointments, or just plain volatile. Literally, his entire future he'd planned his entire life is basically untenable. He could teach? He's not sure where things will now go. It feels pointless and hopeless. I understand. It's a terrible place to be when you realize what you want to do is literally unavailable to you. And everything else is not in your wheelhouse and jow you have to adapt to something you won't succeed in. This generation really is fucked.
acoffeefiend@reddit
Plenty of jobs in the military where you don't have to worry much about deploying. Also, by the time your kid will be through training, we'll have a new president.
LonesomeBulldog@reddit
I’m 53 and will retire in ‘29. For several years, I’ve told my kids to focus on careers that have either robust accreditation and licensing (professional organizations will most likely protect their industry), requires field observation, or works directly with humans. My oldest is a freshman civil engineering student. My 7th grader probably still wants to be a Disney princess.
Naughty_Teacher@reddit
Im this new world Disney Princess may be the most stable option!
FI_321@reddit
I don’t worry too much about my kid’s future. I only have one kid, no wife, and I’m financially well off. He can have some of his future inheritance early to get a leg up.
krneki534@reddit
50% chance he fucks up the whole inheritance, ~77% chance of inheritance disappearing by the 2nd generation.
bigvicproton@reddit
Get rid of your entitled kids and get new kids who already work in HVAC.
tacosandtheology@reddit
"God, what a mess. On the ladder of success, Where you take the first step And miss the whole first rung..."
"...dreams unfulfilled. Graduate unskilled..."
The Replacements way back in 1985.
closetomynuts@reddit
Did you ask them which skills they believe are needed right now and they don't have?
Massive_Low6000@reddit
No. I just walk around saying, life isn’t hard enough for you. I’ve done too good of a job.
Kids need discipline and need to work for their “stuff”. Sometimes drive has to be activated. I’m still trying what is the best way to do it
trUth_b0mbs@reddit
this right here.
the moment my kids were old enough to understand basic instructions, they had their chores. Chores increased with each year they got older to a point that now, at 18, they are totally self sufficient. if we left the house for 2wks, they'd be ok. Expectations were clearly set re: chores and school work all their life. Didn't do them? cant go out or do whatever fun thing you want.
the moment they were old enough to work, they got part time jobs (15/16). I stopped paying for all the fun stuff (fashion clothes, video games, whenever they wanted to go out with friends etc). They pay for their cell phone bill, gas, half the car insurance etc. Kids realize how hard things are when they have to work and pay for their own personal expenses.
RemarkableAd3371@reddit
I have a kid graduating next month and a first job lined up. It's in their field but it isn't a stellar first job. I tell them that a first job is a first job and that's it. Gain some experience and build up from there.
Hotsaucejimmy@reddit
Coddling children into adulthood creates adult toddlers who require hand holding.
Life has always been a puzzle. Tell them to figure it out.
INTJ_life@reddit
YESSSSS
trUth_b0mbs@reddit
this is where I'm at too. I have never coddled my kids and let them figure stuff out.
At the end of the day time will pass, they will grow up/older.....but the question is what are they going to do with that time? complain about how hard it is and do nothing about it/wait until it gets better (newsflash - it doesn't) or actually try and do things/try and make something of their life?
I straight up told my kids that life is hard - no matter the generation. It's up to them to figure it out and how to make it better for themselves because the world sure as shit wont nor will it give a crap about whether they do something or nothing.
angerintensifies@reddit
I am actually curious the distinction of advice from older Gen X vs younger Gen X. Yes we both experiences SIMILAR things, but I find older Gen X are much more established and more likely to give you a “I pulled myself up by my bootstraps” speech. I am younger Gen X and I very much see the issues with the economy. I bought my first house right before the crash in the early 2000s and I never fully recovered when we had to sell it at a loss. Whereas my sister had kids BEFORE all that, I had kids squarely in the middle of a financial crisis and i wholly relate to what millennials say about lack of opportunity.
I get it about kids not having any direction. It seems this next generation is rudderless and hopeless. The solution is definitely not “maybe you should have beat your kids more.” It is an institutional issue that continues to grow worse. I personally am hoping a large swath of boomers die off to make this a better world.
myleftone@reddit
My kids are dealing with the same issues. I call it privilege blindness. You have given them the best chance to thrive in a difficult world, but they have no perspective to remind them how lucky they are. They get the struggle vibes from friends and people online, and they’re internalizing it. I don’t think it’s anything to be angry about, but something they don’t understand yet.
Idinyphe@reddit
It is the same pattern. From „no computers“ to a working environment „with computers“
From „no Internet“ to a working environment “with internet”
Tell your child this is the biggest chance young people will get, this is a jackpot. If you are young then you will learn fast, adapt fast, be good at this fast.
We GenX adapted to 2 major shifts, computers and the internet. We learned how to use it. This romantic fairy tail if out of university you are done with learning… it wasn’t even true for us.
Why do young people think they would have it easier? Show some respect younglings we made this 2 times in our lifetime and the “computer” change hit us very young.
The jackpot about is that a lot of people will struggle, old people like we GenX. We adapt slower and I am really into this topic. I hate it that I am so slow and old for this.
I can hear the answer already “This time it is different, cause of blooooooop bla bla”
No it is not. This is the core thing about understanding this pattern. You have to change, you have to put a lot of work and new understanding into it, it’s up to you and nobody else. No one can help you, no verification… no school no university. Young people are so comfortable with their situation they do not even get that they are (don’t say this sentence… not helpful, only for your information!)
In a few years there will be 2 kind of people: People in control of this new technology and people who are not in control.
The decision is now what path to chose. And yes one path will need hard work and sweat.
Business as usual. Always has been.
The good news is being young gives young people a huge advantage.
AbsolutesDealer@reddit
Nihilism is very stylish.
Facebook-virus@reddit
And evergreen
SnooEagles6930@reddit
I would say they understand the world pretty well
Clear-Tradition-3607@reddit
Think outside the box would be my suggestion. You don't need to be a tech wizard to succeed. Arbitrage can provide regardless of where you live and your skill set.
X costs less here (buy) and more there (sell).
This city doesn't seem to have a solution for xxxxx.
Guess I'm saying work for yourself rather than try to fit in.
ThePantsWearer@reddit
Maybe it’s just my field (software development), but companies have hired for skills for as long as I’ve been working. The first company I worked for hired me because I knew a (now dead) programming language. They were the only company I’ve ever worked at that actually was willing to do training in-house. Every other company after that? If you didn’t know it, you have to teach yourself on your own time.
Companies are no longer willing to hire someone they have to train. There’s no mailroom to executive suite path. You’re hired ready to do a job or not hired at all. I suspect the automated filters are kicking out a ton of great candidates because they don’t have X years in some technology.
VincentVan_Dough@reddit
GenX mum (husband is also GenX) with Boomer parents. We have 2 millennials, 1 GenZ and 1 Alpha. Both our parents were entrepreneurs and we grew up working in their businesses starting as teens. Husband has a side business along with a FT job and I’ve always been an employee. What all our kids have in common is a fiery desire for independence, which means financial independence. Older kids worked part time jobs as teens, all the way up to graduation and slid easily into careers. The Alpha set up her own Etsy store at 12 and makes about £200-300 per month. She’s already grasped the fundamentals of business and is quite savvy and resourceful. Not sure what she will eventually end up doing but working is already second nature to her. I think it’s important that kids have independence and start some kind of work early. If they’re coddled all their lives, the transition from college to working life will be pretty rough.
acreekofsoap@reddit
Now’s a good time for your son to sit down and watch “Office Space”with his old man.
sterling3274@reddit
Just adding to the echo of several other comments. It sounds like you had it pretty easy and you coddled your kids. If you truly made it on your own, without any help from your own parents or others, in the shape of college tuition, contacts to get started, etc. then maybe you don't realize you are truly a unicorn and got extremely lucky. The vast majority of your Gen-X peers did not have your experience.
Your choices are either to make it clear to your kids that you are the exception, not the rule, and they will likely not be as lucky as you, or continue to open doors for your kids so they can start life on third base.
krneki534@reddit
You cannot make him understand.
But be ready to help him IF he does
SapienWoman_@reddit
Yes, send him abroad and put him in a volunteer position in a very underprivileged country. Have him build Wells or teach the alphabet in school. He needs to see the world for what it is. And see his privilege for what it is.
ONROSREPUS@reddit
If it were my child I would try and help him find a career that is much more difficult to be replaced by AI.
ToxicAdamm@reddit
Isn't this just the same thing that every generation faces as they come into the workplace?
You look at the mountain you need to climb and feel the anxiety and dread of having to do it, so you look at the reasons why not to try at all.
Boomers had their summer of love/hippie phase, Gen X were there supposed "slacker generation", then the millennials went through their existential crisis in the 2008 recession, etc etc.
Same as it ever was.
MegLizVO@reddit
Stop making their lives so cushy. I see a lot of kids fresh out of college expecting it all to just fall into place for them. They are already fortunate not to have any students loans and have investment accounts. In my opinion kids are not hungry enough for life, not self motivated and not exercising their own creative journey. We can lead them but in the end they have to see the way that works for them. There is no hand book. Let them learn and that may mean suffer a bit. No more help or hand outs. No rent free! I am a firm believer that kids that work for what they have value it much more than anything we can give them. Life isn’t like the world you created for them. It’s really not! Unless you give them a CFO position in a company you own they will hopefully learn to work for what they are to become.
dabirds1994@reddit
This is my big takeaway with Gen Z. They think they’ll be set six months after graduating. I grinded in my industry for years and then paid for my own graduate degree. The biggest vacations I took in my 20s were road trips or to the beach. I lived in shitty apartments, etc. I sound like an old man but this is how my friend group from college all did it. Now we’re all successful.
Grouchy-Vanilla-5511@reddit
To be honest I feel like you did too much. There is no motivation if everything has been handed to them.
Techchick_Somewhere@reddit
That doesn’t change the fact that they are graduating in what is essentially the worst job market/economy we’ve ever seen, not to mention a lunatic US President just running rampant causing world havoc. These kids have been lucky to have the opportunities they’ve been provided - they seem to still realize things are absolute shit out there.
Grouchy-Vanilla-5511@reddit
Yes but having a life of ease where you know you always have your parents success to fall back on for sure makes you less motivated. I’m not destitute but I’m not passing on any wealth to my kids and their attitude is certainly more motivated than OP’s kids. There is disillusionment but they aren’t throwing up their hands and saying they might as well live in a van down by the river lol.
chartreuse_avocado@reddit
Right- provided internships at his company? What have they had to actually try to get for themselves? Why would they be motivated. Mom/Dad is going to continue to provide.
lassita_48det@reddit
🎯
X2946@reddit
These issues begin with the parents. My parents didn’t prepare me will for this time. I learned a lot from my friends parents
Retro_Relics@reddit
i mean no, private equity hasnt always controlled everything private equity was only just starting to take over everything when we were entering the workforce, and it hadnt yet completely gutted everything resulting in a lack of loyalty to anything but short term gains, long term company healthy be damned.
TheEvilOfTwoLessers@reddit
Were you a nepo baby? Or did you work to get where you are? Because it kinda sounds like you made it so easy for them that they don’t have any life experience. They don’t know what it’s actually like to be poor and have to struggle. And now it’s a bit too late. Cautionary tale for anyone else with kids reading this. For the OP it’s a bit too late, his grown kids will have to figure it out on their own.
Grouchy-Vanilla-5511@reddit
Yeah I was trying to not sound like a bitter asshole but OP really lost me with giving them internships and business networking opportunities. He says they’re not lazy but they’ve never had to actually work for anything so they are in fact, spoiled lazy.
QuoteHaunting@reddit
He will find his way. My daughter quit college after 1 semester because she couldn't see the point with AI and all the doom sayers in her generation saying they will never get a job, blah, blah, blah. She has a job now that pays 90k a year and is doing great. Much better than most of her friends and a lot of college grads. She is also discovering where a degree and differentiated skill sets might be good and is talking about going back to college. Sometimes finding one's way clears a path that provides focus.
Vital_Statistix@reddit
Gen X mum here, and yes. The problem is that since I’m Gen X, I don’t disagree with really anything my kids have to say about the state of the job market and the state of the world in general, which can get tricky. I don’t want to lie but I also don’t want to disillusion them any further. I’m doing what another poster said already - focusing on how I can give them any advantage whatsoever and try to set them up for success and a leg up in any way I can.
Sweaty-Seat-8878@reddit
ironically we may be at the beginning of a return to an era when college existed primarily to socialize and certify access to the upper middle/upper class (“well well well college boy! welcome to the real world”)
AI can undermine the trade school aspects of higher ed but access to the jobs that pull the LLM levers? that’s something else.
I’m not saying that’s a positive for the country, but i think i’d take your son’s starting point over a lot of others
Rhusty_Dodes@reddit
The workforce is brutal right now. Honestly I don't blame them for their pessimistic attitude about it. Companies have unreal expectations and offer low pay for them. Plus, points at everything look around. It's extremely hard to look towards the future with an optimistic attitude.
I'd acknowledge their concerns as valid and real. But also point out that they can either give up, or they can fight to carve out a slice of pie for themselves. The sooner the better because it's not getting better any time soon.
Unlucky_Shame6503@reddit
My kids don’t think much about their futures but I sure do. Both of my kids have about $160k to help pay for college (I have one starting in August) but my goal is to cash flow most of their education so that they can take that remaining money (hopefully $100k) and use it for a down payment or something tangible that will really help them get started in life.
mden1974@reddit
When I had my existential crisis many many years ago the answer was grad school. Seems like you could afford it.
My kids are still in grade school but I’m already all over them about getting some sort of advanced degree because just college isn’t cutting it imo. I even tell the ten year old to just go to law school if you don’t have any idea of what you want to do. I say to him you don’t even have to become a lawyer just get the degree bc it will open doors. Or he will meet someone to start a business with
Witty-Reason-2102@reddit
Private equity can fuck up a wet dream.
ApatheistHeretic@reddit
I mean, it's not entirely wrong.. The working world is utter shit. It requires the motivation of poverty to go every day.
TheChewyWaffles@reddit
I’m in the same boat. Subscribing to see what others say
Edard_Flanders@reddit
Yes absolutely, I deal with it by working towards early retirement and by trying to focus on my kids. I compartmentalize career stuff so it doesn't get me down.
Massive-Insect-sting@reddit
What's his degree? He may be right. I'm in tech and my son who's 11 wants to be an engineer like me and I'm struggling with it because I'm not so sure that jobs will be the same by the time he's ready to join the workforce.