Crying on the floor of my fiancé’s apartment wasn’t where I expected to find myself three weeks after college graduation. But there I was with tear-stained cheeks and shaky breath after receiving yet another “Thank you for your application. Unfortunately, we are unable to offer…” email in my inbox.
Among my peers, I was not the only one having breakdowns like this (although others may have done a better job hiding their tears). Many of my friends, particularly those who were writers, artists and other creatives, were experiencing the same persistent sense of letdown.
While the rejections initially pushed us to try harder, many of us had reached our limit. We were beginning to wonder whether the four years we had just dedicated to our chosen studies would amount to anything at all.
Most recent college graduates fall into one of two categories.
The first category is still pursuing the job they studied for and prepared for. Although the market is fiercely competitive, they are determined to find a position that allows them to grow and refine their skills and passions.
The second group had to take the first entry-level job they could get just to stay afloat, even if it had nothing to do with their interests. Friends of mine who study writing, political science, and art history took jobs in sales or marketing simply because they were losing hope, needed financial security, or it just felt like the next right step.
But this is old news. The current state of the job market and its effects, specifically on recent college graduates, have been widely covered in the media. What strikes me most is not just the difficulty of the job market but the response of older generations, specifically in the church.
Rather than meeting Gen-Z with compassion amid a discouraging economy, numerous hiring freezes, and a lingering sense of instability, many young adults receive shame and guilt instead. They are told to work harder, do more, and try again.
But many of us could show you physical proof of the hundreds of applications we have submitted, all the cold emails sent into the abyss, and the absurd amount of screen time we have accumulated scrolling through LinkedIn. We can tell you about the interviews that go nowhere and all the polite and disingenuous rejections we receive without explanation.
The message that if we only “work harder,” then we will find success is not just unhelpful, it’s untrue. In the midst of a collapsing job market, widespread hiring freezes, and fierce competition from far more experienced candidates, hard work does not necessarily guarantee success. You can take all the right steps and do everything that might have guaranteed you a job in another generation, but in today’s world, you’re just another fish in a very big pond.
So if the current response is failing, what is a more helpful one? How might generations of older Christians uplift and support recent college grads in this tumultuous time?
What would it look like if the church became a place where struggling graduates found not pressure, but partnership? Not guilt, but grace?
This could look like building professional networks within your church and creating avenues for struggling graduates to seek practical advice and mentorship from members of your congregation. It might mean taking time out of your busy schedule to meet a young person for coffee or connect them with someone who you know is hiring. It might involve addressing practical needs, such as inviting a recent college graduate to share a meal in your home, as many young adults face challenges securing financially stable employment.
In reality, it likely looks like being a soft place to land for Gen-Z graduates who are burnt out, tired, and discouraged beyond measure. Before offering them advice or telling them how to fix their problems (because trust me, they have likely already heard it and tried it), consider pausing to listen and validate what they are experiencing.
It is more than possible to have a faithful, compassionate response to the current employment crisis that centers on rebuilding young people both practically and spiritually. But this response will not be easy. It calls for deeper sacrifice, for listening with the intent to truly understand, and for the courage to think creatively when seeking solutions.
We, as people of faith, are one body and one family. We are called to support and uplift one another in difficult times, not to turn a blind eye to our neighbor in their moment of need.
Gen-Z is not unfamiliar with hard work and we know how to keep going when things get difficult. We are ready to take the next steps in our careers and lives.
But we need help through genuine partnership and mentorship. That can only happen when Christians across generations are willing to meet us where we are, see us as we are, and offer their support.
So ask us our stories. Let us share our dreams. Remind us to trust God in the midst of the chaos and don’t let us give up our passions when we face rejection.
- About the Author
- Latest Posts
Grace Pixton is a senior at Baylor University studying Religion, Professional Writing and Rhetoric, and History. Her writing has been featured at Redeeming Babel, The Center for Public Justice, and The Standard. Read more at https://gracepixton.substack.com/
