According to a 2024 study by Credit Karma, 60% of Gen Z say traditional 9 to 5 jobs are “soul-sucking.” Other purveyors of the corporate world, like LinkedIn founder Reid Hoffman, say the 9 to 5 is going extinct.
But who are the remaining 40% of Gen Z’s 9 to 5 workers? I talked to three Gen Z who chose a traditional career path. They say the post-grad transition period can be difficult, but it’s not all doom and gloom.
Zoe
Zoe, a 23-year-old accountant, says a nine-to-five job’s structure is a relief, not a hindrance, to her lifestyle. “Having a bit more free time is one of the positives,” Zoe says. “Yeah, going to work for eight hours straight can be draining. But once I get home, I have all this free time to do things that could actually benefit me, things that bring me fulfillment.”
In college, like most students, she balanced a full-time course load, marching band, Greek life and part-time work. Now in her early career, Zoe uses her nights and weekends to pick her instrument back up and rediscover her love of art.
While her work schedule supports her hobbies, Zoe says it can be difficult to socialize with her friends who are still in college, citing that they are on the clock non-stop. “You kind of feel like an outsider when your friends are all a little bit younger than you, but I wouldn’t trade them for the world,” Zoe says. “They really do make me feel like I have a place of belonging.”
Jen
Jen*, a 25-year-old speech-language pathologist, began working in the school system in January of this year. She typically works from around 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. but still comes into work Monday through Friday.
Jen says staying productive and meeting deadlines has been the most difficult adjustment in her first job after earning her master’s degree in December 2023. “I do have a boss, but I don’t have anybody really over me day to day,” she explains. “Certain evaluations have to be presented on certain days, and I have to send the reports to different professionals working on the evaluation as well. The most shocking thing for me was staying on top of those deadlines.”
Feeling exhausted after work also surprised her, and she has struggled to find the energy for self-care, fulfillment and maintaining friendships. “When I put into perspective, ‘I need to wake up at 5:45 the next morning for work,’ that really factors into if I’m going to make plans, and if I am going to make plans, how early into the evening am I going to make those plans so I can still get home, prepare for my next work day and not be exhausted the next day,” she says.
Jen says that work-life balance is something she’s working towards. But, she quickly discovered that there are times when bringing work home is the best way to stay ahead. “I tend to leave work at work, but there are times that I have brought work home,” she says. “But you know, you got to be responsible and understand that these deadlines are hard. You have to get the work done regardless of if it’s during work hours or if it’s outside of work hours. The deadlines don’t change.”
*Name changed for privacy
Katy
Katy, a 23-year-old assurance associate, was most shocked by the rigidity of her schedule when she started working a 9 to 5, having been accustomed to the flexibility of college classes. “You get to pick when your class is and where,” she says. “I can fit that in whenever and have mental breaks in between. I remember the first two weeks of my job; I just came home and slept.”
Despite starting her career on a rigid schedule, Katy has found some reprieve by switching from tax to assurance. Her experience shows that there can be more to a 9 to 5 job than sitting at a desk. “Assurance is more of a team approach, so you get to work with people,” she explains. “You also get to travel; I was in Florida all this week. I did an inventory count in a freezer, so I was in a negative 13-degree, huge warehouse counting inventory, which is kind of cool. Not everyone gets to do that. Your day really does look different depending on your clients, and I like that change.”
Maintaining a vibrant social life as an adult can be challenging, even when most of your circle work in the same field, says Katy. All but one of her friends are also accountants. The one who isn’t works from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m., meaning weekday hangouts are off the table. “By the time I get home around six, she’s already done eating dinner and having her wind-down time,” she says.
While most of her friends are also in accounting, not all accountants are created equal. Katy says that whether you work in private versus public accounting impacts how you’ll tackle tax season. “My dad is also an accountant, but he works in private,” she says. “So, he has similar hours, 9 to 5, but they have a busy season at the end of every month. Having people with all different schedules trying to coordinate can be tough.”
Katy has one piece of advice for any recent or soon-to-be college graduates heading into their first job: start with an internship. “They really ease you in, and then you get to see if you like the company,” she says. “So, if you want to switch gears, you can have that freedom without it looking bad on your resume that you only worked somewhere for five months at the beginning of your career.”
Takeaways
When deciding on a career, it’s important to prioritize your wants and needs over current trends and others’ opinions. While a traditional career path isn’t for everyone, the 9 to 5 lifestyle isn’t all bad.
