Growing up, this glorified idea of adulthood was ingrained in our heads and we couldn’t wait to grow up, because our parents and grandparents as we love to call “the boomers” loved entertaining us with tales of how things were “back in the day.” My dad, for instance, used to brag about how he’d walk to school uphill both ways in a desert, fend off wild animals with his bare hands, and still manage to make it home and do his homework. They will also casually mention how, during their workday, they would stroll back home for lunch. A precious, warm, home-cooked meal awaiting their return.

It always sounded like something straight out of a fairy tale. Imagine being able to leave an office cubicle mid-day, not to rush to the nearest fast-food joint within 30 minutes, but to sit down with your family and watch a quick episode of friends, take a short nap, and then return to work like it’s all normal. For us Gen Z folks? Well, we’re lucky if we can scarf down a falafel shawarma that we get for $15, between Teams calls. Not so beautiful now?

While, here I am trying to survive a 9-to-infinity, and having a full mental breakdown over a sandwich at my desk. They love to remind us about their struggles, parents randomly bring up things like, “Do you know how much 25 paise were worth back in the day? We struggled to have money at home!” Yet in the same breath, they ask why I can’t buy a packet of milk for 25 paise today. Um.. what? Make it make sense?

Their office lives consisted of 8 hours of work, a paid lunch break, and nap time, with a clear start and finish. For us? We’re just waiting for one Teams meeting to end so we can hop into another while walking around to supervise operations for 11 hours, all while our time, mental stability and emotional stability slowly melts away into oblivion like an ice cream in the summer sun.

And oh my god don’t even get me started on the cost of living. Our “boomers” bought their first home with some pocket change, a firm handshake, and maybe a cow thrown in probably for good measure. Fast forward to today, here I am, practically donating a kidney just to afford rent. They talk about their first homes like they were buying a pack of gum, while we’re just trying to figure out how to live somewhere that isn’t a cardboard box. Homeownership is about as real as a unicorn at this point.

They love to say, “Why don’t you just save up for a down payment?” as if we’re not already drowning in rent, student loans, phone/internet payments, and medical bills.

The price of food has skyrocketed to the point where buying avocados and milk might as well require a mortgage. And yet, we’re adviced to eat organic, non-GMO, free-range everything and must simply have 3 bottles of lavender scented essential oil “to relax after a long day” Sure Miss Influencer, we’d love to have a spa day, feast on kale and quinoa daily, but right now, a cup of instant noodles is all we can afford. Our elders talk about how they used to eat out with the whole family or have the entire family at home for dinner as a treat. we consider it a treat to not eat out because, well, it’s either rent or that Chipotle bowl.

I’m literally just trying to keep my two cats fed. They are definitely my emotional support system in this crumbling economy, but let’s be real, they’re also a luxury I’m lucky to afford.

They had job security from working in the same company for 5 decades, pensions, and benefits that would make today’s employers roll on the floor laughing. They had it all set up like some kind of golden retirement package. And now they look at us like we’re crazy for not wanting to buy into their system. “Just work hard, and you’ll get there,” But tell me, how exactly am I supposed to “get there” when entry-level jobs require 3-5 years of experience, a glowing LinkedIn, a portfolio that basically screams “overachiever,” and maybe throw in some fairy dust?

While they got hired because they could type, knew how to use oracle, and operate a fax machine. And here I am, trying to pry open doors to unpaid internships, side hustles, and job applications all while collecting skills like Pokémon just to get an entry-level position that requires us to gain experience from the womb itself. Thanks for the motivation, but we’re still struggling to get our pikachus here.

Speaking of which, shout out to those who love to talk about how hard they had it but still managed to build a stable life. Meanwhile, Gen Z is getting scammed left, right and center because we’re so desperate for any job that pays more than minimum wage. We’re left with an economy that’s basically a purgatory of bad decisions, and we’re just trying not to get bamboozled by every sketchy job posting out there. “Work from home, earn $20,000 a month!” Yeah, ok Sandeep from random call center. But really, think about it, maybe if our real job market wasn’t so cutthroat, we wouldn’t be falling for these scams in the first place.

Oh let’s not forget the classic “Plan B” they’ve got lined up, especially for us women. “You’re almost 25, you can always just get married! Here’s a rishta, have fun” Oh, great! So when the degrees, internships, and side hustles don’t pan out, the fallback plan is… marriage? Like that’s the ultimate grand solution to the job market’s failures. I’m really trying to secure a future, not a husband by 24. A world where a woman wants more than just to settle down and have kids is almost unimaginable. Marriage isn’t a career path, it’s a personal choice or at least it should be, and swiping left and right is getting onto everyone’s last nerve at this point. But somehow, every family gathering turns into a “So, when are you getting married?” interrogation. Sorry, but I’m still trying to figure out how to afford rent without having to donate an organ.

And don’t even get me started on the side hustle culture. Back in the day, one could work one job and call it a day. But for us, one job doesn’t cut it anymore. We’re all juggling two, three, sometimes even four gigs just to make ends meet. From freelancing, blogging, content creation, to selling feet pics. Side hustles are practically our middle names. It’s like a survival kit for Gen Z. One job is for the bills, the other for savings (if we’re lucky lol), and the rest? Just to feel like we’re keeping up with the grind. A nine-to-five is no longer the finish line; it’s just the beginning.

I remember being so happy when I’d come home from school every day at 3 PM. I’d plop down in front of the TV, ready to watch Winx Club, while my mom served me the food from my lunchbox that I didn’t eat. Those were the days when a break was just a break, and life seemed manageable. Now, those moments feel just like a sweet dream I have almost every night while having a full meltdown.

We’re all chasing after the next best opportunity while trying to crawl through a world that feels like it’s on fast-forward, leaving us to scramble for a better life, just to keep up. Our horsemen of “we had it tough” might have their nostalgic stories and their unsolicited wisdom, but they don’t have to deal with a world where one missed paycheck could basically put us on the street, where every little thing costs a fortune, and where even the simple act of adulting feels like climbing Mount Everest in flip-flops, unless you have a billion dollar trust fund carefully supporting your derrière.

We’re supposed to keep up appearances on social media, land our dream jobs, and have a perfectly curated life all by the age of 25. I’m just trying to make it through the week without a full mental breakdown, but sure, let’s throw in some unrealistic Instagram goals while we’re at it.

Gen Z has been handed the short end of the stick. And we’re just trying to make sense of the mess left behind, one unpaid bill at a time. So, maybe just cut us some slack. We’re not asking for a handout, just a little understanding that adulting in this economy is no small feat, saving is next to impossible, and no matter how much we try to “upskill”, companies still don’t hire. So, we’re not slacking off, we’re literally just trying to survive the game with rules that keep changing every day. I wish I could say, “Adulting? yeah, hard pass” but that isn’t an option now at 24 now is it?