MUNCIE, IND— Maiya Martin is a Purdue University student who has spent the majority of her college experience working a part-time job. Her experience is similar to many other college students who had to work to support themselves through school and their personal lives. It can be overwhelming to juggle work, school, and extracurriculars, but students like Martin find a way to make it work amidst the stigma that Generation Z has.
“We are not lazy at all and I am not lazy because I have had to work so hard to get to the point that I am at in my life,” Martin said.
Generation Z has also been known as the generation to grow up in the technology era. It is a time when various technologies have come to life to make life easier. Many have taken this idea and believe that these now young adults are using these resources as an excuse to be unwilling to work.
“However, the irony here is that the generation of ‘lazy’ digital natives – Generation (Lay)Z – will have to work extremely hard in the future. The challenges that my generation currently faces and will continue to face include increased education costs, rising housing costs, and devastating effects of climate change,” according to The Standard.
Inflation has affected people of all generations, but the only difference is that Generation Z is the only age group entering adulthood in a time like this, especially coming right out of a pandemic. Some people have picked up side hustles, part-time employment, or odd jobs to make ends meet because the cost of living is so high. For college students, this is a new world for them.
Martin graduated high school in 2020 during the beginning of the pandemic. She lost her freshman year of college due to social distancing and spent her time working part-time at Target. She was not able to invest her time in other social activities and decided to work more hours instead.
At Target, she was a sales associate mainly working in completing drive-up orders. The time she spent there allowed her to be financially comfortable but mentally exhausted. She was working 30-35 hours a week as well as being a full-time student. The money she had allowed her to put more money toward her student loans, but she “was not enjoying college for what it is.”
“I think that was one of the highest-paying jobs I had, but I had no time to myself to enjoy my college experience. It was like I was paying for school but not really going. I knew I needed to support myself, but don’t I also deserve to have fun sometimes too?” Martin said.
For other students, working is not a high priority, and it is something that allows them to have extra money in their pocket and keeps them on a routing. James Bogan is a junior at Ball State University studying exercise science. He works part-time at Menards, but is mainly supported by his family. He has also received multiple scholarships that aid in his university costs.
“I am blessed enough to have parents in a position to provide financial help, but this is a luxury that I know not many students have. I still wanted to have a sense of responsibility for myself though and not only rely on them,” Bogan said.
He came up with an agreement with his parents that they could pay for school and everything else he could provide on his own. Initially working was easy for him when he stayed in the dorms, but he quickly had to pick up more hours when he decided to live in off-campus housing. There were more bills, but he knew it was worth it in the end.
“This is my first taste of being on my own and it has definitely put me to the test sometimes. It is also freeing to be able to provide some things for myself,” Bogan said.
Although he does not pay for school, working to provide housing, utilities and groceries can get busy enough on its own. College students have multiple responsibilities to balance. This includes work, assignments, extracurriculars and everything else that comes with being young and in your early 20’s.
“I hate that we are known as lazy when in reality it is just the older generations jealous of the opportunities they provided us with. There are certain things that every generation changes from the previous, and ours is setting healthy boundaries and using what technologies are given to us,” Bogan said.
Both Martin and Bogan have their own personal struggles they have dealt with during their time as undergraduate students. Martin has little family support and works to keep pursuing her education and have a roof under her head. Bogan is a student that has his academic finances covered but is responsible for everything else he wants. Although their situations may be different, they still have certain traits in common. Perseverance and dedication.
“I wish that older generations would take the time to understand us for who we are and know that we are not kids just looking for handouts,” Martin said.
The stereotype that follows Generation Z may follow them forever. It could also be something that is negative or positive depending on the person and perspective. There are many college students all over the world who are in similar positions as both Martin and Bogan.
“It’s almost insulting to be thought of as lazy by people who don’t even know the half of the struggle that I and so many of my other peers have. When comparing us to other generations, our difficulties may be different but shouldn’t be invalidated,” Bogan said.
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