Gen Z wonders how millennials 'survived' graduating during the Great Recession—the responses are eye-opening

The current economy has made it difficult for younger people to acquire jobs. It has caused them to be discouraged or fear the job market and their careers. The tough times also remind them a little of the Great Recession, around the mid-2000s. Back then, the millennials were fresh graduates and getting started in their careers. It must have been a struggle for many to find jobs as per their specialty and skill sets. A Gen Z student–who goes by u/Waste-Cantaloupe-270 on Reddit–asked millennials to share how they made it through the global financial crisis. With over 2,400 responses, many had surprising advice.

The student shared that they would soon be a graduate and they were “struggling with finding a job in this market.” They added that they didn’t have anyone from the millennial generation to seek guidance from. Hence, they requested millennials online to share how they got through the Great Recession. “Millennials who graduated in/after 2008, how did you survive? Did you end up eventually getting a job in the field you originally wanted?” Many noted that they took whatever jobs they got in their field at the time and eventually worked their way through. 

u/ecafdriew said, “I basically just took whatever job I could get when I graduated in finance during the Great Recession, then proceeded to do a 2-year job hop until I hopped around enough to see different organizations and the different types of finance work.” u/Own-Emergency2166 added, “Took whatever job I could get, the closest to my desired industry as possible. I took every opportunity seriously. I didn’t make half-decent money until I was 30, but now, at 41, my career allows me to live comfortably and I like my job. It was really hard back then, though. You have to keep going.”

u/Rascalbean realistically pointed out, “It sucks to say, but take what you can get. There is no job you're 'too good for' if it puts food on your table and roof over your head.” While some had motivating responses, others offered the brutal reality check they faced during the recession. u/External_Clerk_7227 said, “I graduated in 2008. My career never got started…so I drove for Amazon. Sadly, I see history repeating itself for those now about to graduate from college.” u/melymeltymelty noted, “I left college one year and traveled all over the country with no money (very unsafe), selling my art and jewelry, came back and stayed with parents for a few months until I could get an apartment, got a desk job and worked my way up over 5 years. Just bought a house.”

Coming to the advice part, a lot of millennials had optimism that came after their dark days. u/ghostboo77 said, “I applied for hundreds of jobs, took the first one that offered a job—Manual labor working overnights making $19/hour, no benefits. Did that for about 8 months until I got into a career field that interested me. My advice is to always be working and keep your living expenses as low as possible during the early years.” u/garysmahm summed it up perfectly, “Get creative, get resourceful, get uncomfortable and get in community.”