How Generation Z is Redefining Ambition
Tasha Norman
Multi-Industry Leadership Expertise | Driving Success in Current & Future Ventures
Defined as a strong desire to achieve success, many adults only reference ambition when speaking of professional success. As Generation Z enters the workforce, it is clear that their expectation is to have it all. Millennials paved the path for redefined quality of life, but Gen Z is taking things to the next level.
Millennial Ambition
Millennials were children of the Great Recession. They had a front-row seat to their parent’s financial strain and vivid memories of how their quality of life shifted. They struggled to find entry-level employment when they graduated from college. Many worked part-time jobs and low-wage employment they could have secured without a degree.
With mobile technologies booming, living constantly connected lifestyles became their norm. Drowning in student debt, they adopted minimalism and prioritized experiences more than a bigger house, newer car, and more things.
Millennials were the first generation to leverage technology to generate connections and launch side hustles. They became a generation of workaholics with an increased desire for flexible schedules and mobile employment. Due to their expectation for their employer to provide a healthy culture and to be good corporate citizens, Millennials were incorrectly labeled “job hoppers”.
Generation Z Ambition
The career strides Millennials made, positively influenced Generation Z. Unlike their predecessors, they didn’t grow up during a recession. They are entering the workforce in the midst of globalization and at a time when employees are more empowered than ever. Although still drowning in student debt, they have the luxury of being selective.
Generation Z expects a career they are truly passionate about, and their professional ambitions are equally as important as their personal ambitions. So, they wait to find a company that aligns with both their personal and professional values and priorities. They remain constantly connected, but because they are passionate about their work—it doesn’t feel like work.
Experiences are even more important to Generation Z than Millennials, so the expectation for full-time or part-time remote employment is high. They are willing to work hard but expect to have the freedom and flexibility to achieve a high quality of life.
Our recent ALM Young Professionals survey mirrors this evolving definition of ambition:
