Gen Z globally rejects 9-to-5 jobs, follows trend set by millennials
NEW YORK, UNITED STATES — Gen Z isn’t the first generation to grow weary of the traditional nine-to-five grind. While headlines often highlight young professionals leaving corporate America, a number of millennials and Gen X founders have already followed suit, demonstrating that the desire for autonomy and job fulfillment transcends generational boundaries.
A 2024 Credit Karma report finds up to 60% of Gen Zers label nine-to-five jobs “soul-sucking.” With inflation outpacing entry-level white-collar salaries and AI edging out opportunities, the traditional route to financial security feels increasingly out of reach for young workers.
Yet they don’t have to look far for success stories: entrepreneurs like Loren Castle of Sweet Loren’s and Bryant Gingerich of Dunlap Hollow had similar experiences and left corporate life behind to build thriving businesses.
From corporate burnout to startup success
Castle’s story began after a cancer diagnosis pushed her to rethink her future. Working at a boutique PR firm felt hollow, prompting her to launch Sweet Loren’s, now a $120 million cookie dough empire found in Target and Whole Foods.
“Life is short. I don’t want regrets,” she told Fortune. “If I wasn’t in love with something, it was really hard to make myself do it.”
For Gingerich, it was the purchase of a wooded property and launching his short-term rental business that finally freed him from an unfulfilling engineering job.
“I don’t think I ever want a 9-to-5 again,” he said. In 2024, his three rental homes earned over $700,000, with Gingerich taking home half as net profit.
Other founders echo similar sentiments. Hella Cocktail Co.’s Jomaree Pinkard turned his hobby into a successful beverage brand, leaving his consulting days behind, while Cesar Carvalho of Wellhub walked away from Harvard Business School to create a $2.4 billion wellness platform.
Gen Z charts its own course
Like their entrepreneurial predecessors, young professionals cite lack of purpose, low pay, and a desire for control as key reasons to reject the corporate path.
According to Credit Karma, nearly half of Gen Z say corporate jobs negatively impact their mental health, and more than a third have struggled to find work despite hundreds of applications.
Social pressures also play a role: 47% say watching work-obsessed older generations has changed their outlook, and over a quarter have been motivated by peers on social media to quit corporate jobs.
