I recently watched a Simon Sinek clip on TikTok where he discussed how Gen Z is a different generation in the workforce.

The sentence “I now expect my company to be the place where I get my purpose” really stuck with me.

The Housing Crisis Changed Everything

Simon also mentioned that the generations before us went to work and could expect the “golden watch” at the end of their career.

This means buying a house or a car and having their yearly vacations locked in.

Let’s not romanticize the past because people were still struggling back in the day.

But first-time home buyers in the early 1980s were in their late 20s, while repeat buyers were typically in their mid-30s. Nowadays, first-time buyers are in their mid-30s, and repeat buyers are in their late 50s.

The Boomer generation dominates the housing market, while first-time home buyers only made up 26% in 2022 in the US. It’s near a record low.

When talking with my friends about the concept of work having to have a purpose, everybody said yes because they need a reason to get up in the morning.

If they know they will not have a home, a new family car, or even a bougie vacation as a reward for staying over time and achieving the sometimes ridiculous goals of their company… their work must make them happy and fulfilled at least.

The Problem with Work Being Your Purpose

I’m a person with a resume of working overtime and sacrificing weekends and family for my work.

I always truly believed that if I spent at least 40 hours a week working, it would mean something. It should be important.

I’m sure you know the feeling when you pour your soul into something. It can be the most rewarding achievement in your lifetime.

• Working as a makeup artist meant the world for brides who felt the most beautiful on their wedding day.

• Working as a freelancer has allowed me to help build small businesses from the ground up.

• Leading the social media at marketing agencies and as an online educator made me a role model. It helped leave an impact on the most brilliant people of the next generation of marketing experts.

On paper, my work, being my purpose, should have made me happy.

Instead, I was having frequent panic attacks.

One of the most influential conversations I had was with my former boss:

This interaction still keeps me up at night.

Was there a way to keep my job without it taking over my life? Could my work output be as professional if I don’t take it as seriously?

Just Clock-In and Clock-Out

The most frequent recommendation you can get when you struggle with burnout is to just go into the office, do the bare minimum, and leave at 5:01 PM.

This works for some people, but if you are reading this article, I can tell you they are different. Nobody reads about these topics if their goal is slacking off.

Spending 8 hours ( but mostly 9 with lunch breaks that most people don’t take out + transit ) a day while doing the bare minimum seems like hell.

It is the corporate world’s way of breaking your soul and mind.

In between worlds

I’m in between generations ( born in 1995 ) and struggle with knowing that owning a home is off the table ( Millennials ) while also seeing freedom and self-expression as more valuable than my stellar CV ( Gen Z ).

My brain is full of the stories my teachers and family said to me: If you are good at school and work hard, you will be set for life.

I also did the freelancing dance, which made me a lot of money. I embraced the Gen Z hustle culture.

Since I’m working as an employee again, I really struggle with how to approach work.

I’m experienced enough to know that making work my whole purpose is doing anything good for me. But I’m still naive enough to want to make a difference in the world with those 40-50 hours every week.

I mean, we only have a fixed amount of time on Earth.

So, in the end, yes, work should be your purpose in a way. But all of us have to find that balance between caring about it and making our whole lives revolve around it.I’m not there yet, but hopefully on the way.

Cheers,Fanni Sophia

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