The nature of work is changing rapidly and dramatically. Advances in technology are eliminating some jobs, transforming others, and, in some cases, creating jobs we never even imagined. In WorkingNation’s weekly podcast Work in Progress, we speak with leaders in business, education, government, and nonprofits about what’s being done to train and reskill American men and women to ensure they can compete for, and qualify for, good-paying, in-demand jobs today and in the future. Work in Progress is hosted and executive produced by WorkingNation Editor-in-Chief Ramona Schindelheim. Produced by Larry Buhl.
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The nature of work is changing rapidly and dramatically. Advances in technology are eliminating some jobs, transforming others, and, in some cases, creating jobs we never even imagined. In WorkingNation’s weekly podcast Work in Progress, we speak with leaders in business, education, government, and nonprofits about what’s being done to train and reskill American men and women to ensure they can compete for, and qualify for, good-paying, in-demand jobs today and in the future. Work in Progress is hosted and executive produced by WorkingNation Editor-in-Chief Ramona Schindelheim. Produced by Larry Buhl.
Gen Z says the job market and the high coast of education are standing in the way of the American Dream
Work In Progress
19 minutes 18 seconds
8 months ago
Gen Z says the job market and the high coast of education are standing in the way of the American Dream
In this episode of Work in Progress, we're talking about the American Dream: What it means to young people and what they think is standing in the way of them achieving it. My guest is Dr. Yalda T. Uhls, founder and CEO of the Center for Scholars and Storytellers at UCLA, whose new study says the American Dream remains desirable but feels out of reach to most Gen Z Americans.
Young people born between the late 1990s and the early 2010s fall into the demographic commonly called Generation Z, or Gen Z. Like any generation, they are diverse, coming from different economic, social, geographical, and cultural backgrounds.
What they all have in common is that they spent their formative years growing up in the digital world of social media and smart phones. And this seems to have played a major role in how they view the American Dream. More about that in a moment.
The American Dream: We Want It, But Will We Ever Get it?
The study from the Center for Scholars and Storytellers at UCLA finds that young people say economic and financial challenges – including the high cost of education – are making achieving the American Dream feel increasingly unattainable to them, Dr. Uhls tells me.
According to the study, 60% of the young people surveyed say "the American Dream is realistic and achievable for most people in today's society, but 60% also say it would be difficult to achieve it themselves personally."
"We thought maybe they were redefining the American Dream and thinking perhaps the American Dream meant clean air or community stuff, but in fact they still believe in the American Dream. Maybe not believe in it, but they want the American Dream," Dr. Uhls tells me.
"Everybody wants to succeed in the way that their family did or even more than their family did, but they don't believe that they can achieve it. And that is based on the reality of their lives. There is such income and inequality; it is just increasing. They also don't believe that the system works. They don't believe that politics work, education is broken.
"The things that are meant to be able to lift us up and get you on a path of economic stability, unfortunately is not really prevalent in today's society, in particular from those from lower-income families," says Dr. Uhls.
I ask her what she believes is driving that idea that other people are achieving financial and career success, but it is going to pass me by.. That's where social media plays a big role.
How Social Media Is Shaping Gen Z's View of the American Dream
Among the study's finding, Gen Z are forming their perceptions about the American Dream from social media, with 50% saying Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube – and to some extent Facebook and X – are the biggest influences on how they view the American Dream
"There's so many get-rich-quick schemes on social media. Everybody is portraying themselves as having more than they really do. And when you're young and you don't have the life experience to think, 'Well, is that real, or maybe they are putting on a game face?,' you may believe it more.
"It's nothing new. It's just more accessible and it's all over and in many different domains because everyone can do this and they can look at it all the time on their phones anywhere. So it can really influence the way someone feels about themselves and the way that they feel about their ability to be like someone else.
"I'm a developmental psychologist. We have a term called social comparison. Not a very complicated term, but it is a theory that was developed 70 years ago about how we compare ourselves to others to understand how to be in the wor...
Work In Progress
The nature of work is changing rapidly and dramatically. Advances in technology are eliminating some jobs, transforming others, and, in some cases, creating jobs we never even imagined. In WorkingNation’s weekly podcast Work in Progress, we speak with leaders in business, education, government, and nonprofits about what’s being done to train and reskill American men and women to ensure they can compete for, and qualify for, good-paying, in-demand jobs today and in the future. Work in Progress is hosted and executive produced by WorkingNation Editor-in-Chief Ramona Schindelheim. Produced by Larry Buhl.
