After six months, does this Gen Z-er still dream of labor?
It's been six months since I've started my new job. Do I still stand by what I said?
It's been six very short months since I started working at my very first full-time job, and about the same time since I wrote an article detailing why finding employment was so important to me. In that article, I stated my desperation to finally find a job and properly begin my life. So, has finding a job actually made my life better?
Firstly, I was finally able to move out of the black hole of opportunity that was my hometown. While that was and still is a good thing, it's becoming increasingly apparent that this move was a lateral one. The city I live in now is not only one of the most dangerous city based on per-capita murders, but also hasn't had clean, lead-free water since at least 2013, if ever. Sure, home was pretty crime-filled, but at least I could drink straight from the tap without worrying whether or not I'd get permanent brain damage. However, water filters aren't costly and staying inside at night is free.
Although this move was a lateral one, there have still been many benefits to moving. I live on my own — no roommates! — and can experience true the independence of paying all my bills myself, dealing with roaches and ladybugs when they invade my personal space, and cleaning when I actually want to. Not only that, but I'm closer to my friends now, which is a HUGE plus. And, there are opportunities for work outside of my 9–5 with movies being filmed every so often. Even though this city has its downsides, I do like it here.
My job itself is also a plus. My official job title is videographer, though my duties mostly include managing social media and other marketing stuff. Funnily enough, while I was on my 8-month job search, I was adamant about not working in social media or marketing — strictly video editing and post-production. It turns out it's not so bad, and these skills do translate elsewhere. While I envisioned myself working in the film industry in some capacity, I am only 22 and have the entire rest of my life to make the transition, so I might as well have a cushy job in the meantime.
My mental health has also improved remarkably since I've moved and began working. All the previous factors have contributed to this. I'm finally getting on with life, I'm no longer socially isolated, and I have some financial freedom. Thinking back on where I was emotionally six months ago, I will definitely say that because of this job — because of labor — I am better off than I was before.
All that said, I am not a monolith. There are valid reasons for not wanting to work during this time, and there would be some scenarios where a job would actually be detrimental to me overall. It's no secret that some jobs are utterly soul-crushing. There's a reason people are quitting their jobs en masse: some types of work just aren't worth the pennies they get every month. Dealing with Karens and COVID denial weirdos would definitely want to rip my name tag off, storm out of a Kohl's, and never look back.
Let's face it, CEOs aren't the ones quitting their jobs during this mass resignation period: it's the "lower-level" employees, those who have been getting paid the same $7.25/hour for over a decade despite the fact rent prices have gone up at least 25%* since then. It's the nurses and teachers who have decided that risking their lives for patients and parents who see them as the less than dirt beneath their feet isn't worth the $30k-$40k/year. CEOs and business execs will do just fine. In fact, their salaries have only gone up during the pandemic.
So yes, I heavily sympathize with those individuals who have been truly put in a tough spot these past two years — two years too many. YouTubers, on the other hand, I still have less sympathy for.
It's not like these anti-work, anti-capitalism content creators were trying to evoke sympathy with their videos. No, of course not, why would they? They're living their best lives smiling for Instagram photos in idyllic locations while us peons have to work our lowly 9–5’s in agony. I'm not saying content creation isn't work, by the way. While doing this marketing-adjacent job, I've learned that a whole lot goes into effective social media strategy. I also do think it's pretty cool that people have managed to make actual, lucrative careers out of content creation.
One thing still gets my goat about these particular anti-work influencers: their insistence that their type of work is the work everyone should be doing. I'll reiterate a point I made in my previous article: Everyone should not be an influencer. Think practically: if everyone just up and left their jobs to be insta baddies, the market would become grossly oversaturated, and the value of the influence these influencers had to offer would tank. Aside from that, not everyone wants to be an influencer. Some people really do just want to work what some people would describe as menial jobs, and more power to them for it.
I see becoming a YouTuber or Twitch streamer or TikToker now like high school football coaches faced with players who have dreams of going pro in the NFL. The statistic that gets tossed around is that 6.5% of high school players play college ball, and 1.2% of those players go pro. It's a little different for content creation since anyone can make an account somewhere are start making videos or streams, but I think it's still applicable: only a very small percentage of people on YouTube are going to find monetary success there, and even fewer of them will be able to make a living wage. It's just not feasible, but of course these influencers won't admit that their success was largely down to luck. How else are they supposed to farm likes and views from their hustle culture bullshit?
Yes, I do still stand by what I said in my previous article. And if I'm honest, these past couple of months have made me dislike these grifters even more.
*this percentage was gotten by calculating the percent change of the average rent of a one bedroom apartment in New York State in 2009 vs 2021
