Gen Z (and Parents) Need a New Playbook for Career Success

Gen Z (and Parents) Need a New Playbook for Career Success

The transition from college to work has always been challenging. However, The Broken Marketplace™ Study (brokenmarketplace.org), based on interviews with over 5,700 individuals—including young adults, parents, educators, and employers—is ringing an alarm that there’s a profound disconnect in how we prepare young professionals for today’s careers.

The Reality: Young Professionals Feel Stranded

• 45% of young adults say the job market and career resources are broken and lack effective guidance.(brokenmarketplace.org)

• 46% feel unprepared or unsure about being ready for future jobs.(brokenmarketplace.org)

• And 48% don’t know where to look for information about programs or career opportunities.(brokenmarketplace.org)

Parents Want to Help—But Our Info Is Outdated

• 86% of parents are confident they know the steps their child needs to take for success, yet just 34% of young adults feel their parents truly understand them.(brokenmarketplace.org)

• 79% of parents give advice based on their own experiences, not the current job market.(brokenmarketplace.org)

• Parents tend to overestimate how smoothly the path to internships or first jobs goes—while many young people experience significant struggles.(brokenmarketplace.org)

A Catch-22 from Employers

• A staggering 77% of employers require at least one year of experience for entry-level roles—and 50% require two years or more.(brokenmarketplace.org)

• Yet fewer than 40% of employers offer internships, and only 14% provide job-shadowing opportunities.(brokenmarketplace.org)

This leaves young professionals stuck in a classic Catch‑22: employers demand experience they’ve never had the chance to earn.

Take Ownership of Your Career

This misalignment underscores the importance of:

• Owning your career journey. Your college, your parents, and your friend can help. But old-school guidance may miss the mark.

• Defining success on your own terms. Whether it's impact, balance, income, or personal growth—don’t default to the expectations of others.

• Remembering there's no single “right” career path—only fits that match your values and personality as well as evolving market realities.

What You Can Do Now

Launch a “Mini-Career Experiment.” Whether you're a young professional or a parent supporting one, pick a short, hands-on project—like a micro-internship, freelance gig, or volunteer initiative—that aligns with values and curiosity. Here’s how to make it powerful:

• Pick something exploratory: something you’re curious about, aligned with your values.

• Set a small goal: e.g., learn a new skill, complete a short project, or speak with someone in the field.

• Reflect and adapt: What felt energizing? What felt limiting? Use those insights to inform your next step.

Doing this can turn aspirations into real-world learning—not just CV building—but direction building. It can help young professionals and parents see beyond outdated assumptions and shift toward curiosity- and values-based decisions. And most important, it builds momentum. You're doing something.

Sources:

• Frazier, Reid. Gen Z’s rocky path to the workplace. Axios, July 15, 2025.
  https://www.axios.com/2025/07/15/gen-z-job-market-ai-unemployment

• The Broken Marketplace: How the U.S. Education-to-Employment System Fails Young People and What We Can Do About It. The Burning Glass Institute, Strada Education Foundation, and the Harvard Project on Workforce, 2025.
  https://www.brokenmarketplace.org/