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Generation Z: A battle for tomorrow (Individual Assessment)

Upon reading the articles a lot of descriptions and characteristics have been used to be able to describe Generation Z. This generation is known for being different and unique from the past generations. Although they are still similar with the Millennials.

Generation Z is known for being goal oriented in a sense that they plan for what they want their future to be. They give importance to what is given to them, especially their education. It is something they hold onto that they use as their tools to be able to strive in the world to make it a better place.  According to Parker, Igielnik (2020), members of Generation Z are the best educated generation with less likely dropouts of high school and are 57% more likely to enroll in college. 

Although this is not possible without having social interaction. Generation Z are young adults whose brains’ are more dependent on social interaction. At this time they strengthen the social ties that they make to be able to find their own place in society, (Kale, 2020). 

In relation to being goal oriented Gen Z strives to make the world a better place. The members of this Gen Z freely express their resolve and vision of building a better future (Deloitte, 2020). Furthermore, it is known that this generation is very different from older generations especially because they are born into the modern world. Information is greatly accessible keeping them informed of what is happening around the world. Through the modernization of the world Gen Z looks at things at a wider spectrum.

They use this as an advantage to improve the world and to take action on societal issues. Social media platforms are used to be able to show their opposition to injustices and to fight for greater causes in favor of society. The generation is not late to help those in need at challenging times. 

The aforementioned characteristics are definitely similar to what I see with my peers and in myself. Just like in the article of Deloitte, Gen Z has a resolve and vision to make the world a better place. Based on personal experience, this is evidently seen with the initiatives that several members of Gen Z have been working on and have successfully done. Their actions of caring for those in need in our society directly shows how much they care about everyone, especially those in need. Concrete action is seen in these initiatives through the use of advocacies or fund raising that aim to bring help amongst the needy at such trying times.

Although there are still some differences with the behaviors and circumstances that come to play. An example would be that not everyone has the courage or the thought to make some advocacies happen. Only those with leadership training and traits and connections are the ones who play an active role to set out these initiatives. While some do not really have the resolve and resources to do such acts. Their inability is not their fault but is definitely a point to improve on.

To assess one’s characteristics, behaviors and circumstances is important to know where he/she stands. In assessing the similarities and differences of characteristics and behaviors of yourself with others, you will be able to identify at which aspects you are good at and where you still need improvement. I myself am admittedly not good at setting out goals and helping others through such initiatives. Although as I went by in college I have gained the strength to go out and try to do some of the things that I lack for example would be leading. My lack of leadership made me assess myself all throughout my group works and it is definitely something that I need to improve on. Knowing so it helped me realize how I can improve on that aspect of weakness to be able to turn in into a strength slowly and gain the knowledge to do so. From there on I have set myself as a lifelong learner and never stopping at a roadblock but instead conquering every obstacle that comes my way.

Key Challenges facing Gen Z in today’s world 

1. Unstable society 

The world is now in a very fragile situation because of the coronavirus pandemic which has affected everyone on a global scale. Its effects reach into the very roots of how society works and upon how it was built in each country. The pandemic has attacked how social systems work in ways that people’s activities are disrupted which range from every work related to making the society function. The chain of how things are, is now broken which gravely affects the economy for without work, businesses and consumers the economy can collapse especially for countries which are underdeveloped. 

2. Unforeseeable future 

This stresses how the future for Generation Z is of a blur. Keeping in mind the aforementioned, the next generation to take over is put under compromise and that there is still the struggle trying to make it in their career path. For the reason that their future is unclear due to the current situation. Furthermore, those of Gen Z entering the workforce have limited opportunities, especially fresh graduates because of restrictions and lack of experience to be even considered for a job. In addition to this, society’s systems and functions are damaged that has hurt the economy and in which triggered a global recession, a period of global economic slowdown. There is still a lot of substantial amount of work and experience that Gen Z has to gain in order to fully take on the role of building the future generations but given the current situation it looks very unsettling with no assurance. The platforms that they will step onto going through the next phase in life will be unstable platforms. The future somewhat becomes a burden upon them on how the world is going to be fixed and how it's supposed to work and recover from the pandemic and the crisis it has brought. 

3. Quality of education 

Generation Z has been identified to be the generation born the year after 1996 (Parker, Igielnik 2020). Taking a look at this range it can be said that there is still a part of Generation Z who are learning in their schools and have not yet stepped into the working world. Given this information, it can be said that learning for those who are still underage will definitely be a challenge and a whole new scenario. The old norm of going to school is now tested with and being replaced with online learning. This affects the quality of education that students obtain because of the lack of assurance that they really are absorbing what is supposed to be taught to them. There is no other way to test if the teaching and learning styles are effective other than assessment. Furthermore, assessing what they have learned is a bigger challenge as well because there are no teachers who monitor their individual progress. To add to this, taking tests online makes a huge difference for students because integrity is put into question as well as memory. It is easy for the student to just look over their materials while taking a test online and in return may affect how much they have learned without depending on any material. 

4. Unemployment 

The goal of every growing adult coming from schools and universities is to go out in the world and join the workforce to be able to contribute to the greater good of the society. Although this will not be the case for Gen Z. The opportunities that they set out to take after their life in the university does not look promising. Due to the pandemic, companies took a hit especially because of less consumption by the population, businesses closing down in malls, and no business consumer interaction etc. In relation to this, their business progress and sales have also taken a hit which means that paying off the employees that work for them would be difficult and some would even put the going concern of the business into question. This will say a lot on how difficult it will be for Gen Z to get jobs opportunities. According to Parker, Igielnik (2020), they say that job opportunities are limited and harder to look for since not every company is hiring and are actually trying to layoff people. An example of this threatening time is that the unemployment rate in the UK has increased from 10.5% to 27% within this year. It was also stated that 13% of graduates are less likely to be employed in three years time in comparison with the time without the pandemic. In addition to this, it would be more than difficult to set out in the real world and start Gen Z’s adult life. Given this information, Gen Z will really struggle to find their places in the workforce and in the real world at such unsettling and unfavorable times. 

5. Financial instability 

There are several factors that affect how we measure financial stability. Given the previous challenges of an unstable society, unforeseeable future, and unemployment it is inevitable that people will experience financial instability at a difficult time. This is not only the case for the working class but as well as their families that they take care of. It is important to consider that there are a lot of expenses to be incurred knowing that everyone will be present at home. Consumption of electricity and water may increase thus affecting monthly expenses. On top of this there may still be children studying which will then include their tuition fees and more. If affected by the unemployment of one household member due to the pandemic it can affect how they pay off their expenses. Furthermore it results in a threat to their future if their job is lost. This is when financial instability comes to play as a challenge that everyone at a compromise will face. 

Key Takeaways to overcome these challenges

1. Adapting to the current situation

The knowledge of how grave the situations are today are something that should always be kept in mind. Moving forward will be a difficult task for everyone, especially those being groomed for the future which calls for adaptation. The present generation and the future generation should be ready to face whatever challenge there is to come. Furthermore, it is fairly easier to adapt to the current situation knowing that everything is easily accessible and within our reach given that knowledge is easily consumed online. Given this information we should adapt to carefully conduct business and learn useful information online. 

2. Always improving

These trying times call for improvement. Today we see how everyone is tested in every aspect in life. It is evident that everyone is having a difficult time managing how their jobs are going to work, how they are going to pay out their rent and how they are going to feed themselves. At some point we realize that There are still things that we can improve on. This just sets us straight that we cannot remain stagnant all throughout the years but to always improve ourselves and the way that we work. 

3. Setting out plans

Planning is a life skill that all of us must master. It is a very important aspect of our lives because without planning it would be much more difficult to manage our time and our resources. In relation to the challenge of the unforeseeable future planning would help to resolve this. Through planning we get to set our foundation for the things that we set out to achieve. In doing so we get an eagle’s eye view of how everything we planned is going to work out. It is timely that we plan at such trying times because everything can change within the minute. Having a plan secures us from any rapid and unsettling changes for we have already set ourselves and that we are ready when things go as planned. 

4. Taking advantage of quality of education 

Although one of the challenges is taking in quality education we still have to take advantage of what is present in our midst. Today is the digital age wherein everything including information is easily accessible to everyone. We should take advantage of this knowing that we are still going to learn even if it's just online. The move towards a new educational curriculum of online learning should be maximized to its potential. Furthermore, those who are fortunate enough to experience quality education through online learning should not take it for granted. Instead they should do better to further adapt and understand what they are trying to learn. Through this one day they may be able to give back to those in need because when it is their time to go into the real world they are ready for any challenge. Just like in the aforementioned, Gen Z has a resolve to make the world a better place and what better way to start through giving to the less fortunate and sharing the growth of the world with them. 

5. Vision for the future

Though everything that is happening today is very rough, we should not forget where we want to be in the future. Yes, it may look bleak today but this does not mean that we should stop looking forward to tomorrow and stop where we are right now. There is still something promising about fighting to live another day and doing the best that we can in order to survive. Stopping at where we are now will get us nowhere but combining everything that you have learned to bear fruits for tomorrow is definitely a big difference. Taking into account the other four key takeaways, we can set out our journey into the future. Our lives do not have to stop at a single roadblock but instead to continue and go further than where we are now.