Gen Zers boycotting ‘hard’ 9-5 jobs for their ‘mental energy’ (2024)

Young people are fed up with hustle culture and are choosing to protect their peace over career success.

Ellie Kate, 22, used to work 12 hours a day on her online recruitment business until she packed it in to work as a barista.

Now, her days start at 4:30am and end at 2 pm at the latest, and she loves having her “mental energy” back.

Originally, Ellie had a big plan to concentrate on her career. She was fully ready to embrace boxy, oversized blazer culture and girl boss her way into financial success … until she realized she wasn’t actually enjoying her life.

On social media, where she’s racked up over one million likes on TikTok for sharing how she shifted from a corporate career climber to someone who prioritizes her peace, she describes herself as a “career-focused girly” that has turned into a “life-focused girly”.

Ellie thought building her own business would be a dream, but it wasn’t.

“I didn’t love it as much as I thought I would. I put so much pressure on myself,” she told news.com.au.

She had embraced hustle culture to the point that every time she achieved a career milestone, she felt sadder about the weekends and nights out she was missing out on.

Ellie was meant to be young and living it up but instead she was stressing over budgets and business plans.

“Every waking minute was about me thinking about how to make more dollars. I could never switch off,” she said.

Sure, she could work 9-5 on the surface, but the internet is 24/7 and she found herself constantly hustling and working.

Ellie was her own boss, but she didn’t have a clear end and start time and suddenly her personal life was disappearing.

At the beginning, she thought not loving her work, no matter how hard she was working, was normal and part of the process to achieve your dreams … until she went on holiday.

“I had a break from it. I went over to LA and my first overseas holiday as an adult and I had that space and time to think and realise I wanted freedom and a stable income.”

So, she quit. She said her family and friends were supportive, and her mum was even “relieved” and glad she was doing a more social job.

“I was nervous because I surrounded myself with friends that work for themselves and own businesses very successfully and going back to barista life is not the same,” she said.

Ultimately, Ellie said the response was “beautiful” and her mates and family just told her to relax and remember she was young.

“Most of my friends are older than me and they kept saying like, you are so young, and you don’t have to have it figured out. No one is judging is you,” she said.

Working as a barista and having a set wage has been a relief. She might be earning less, and there’s less opportunity for a financial windfall, but she can rely on the money she does earn and does not think her bank account all the time anymore.

“Yeah, I feel heaps better. I feel like the internal pressure is gone because I’ve taken it off,” she said.

When she finishes work, she’s actually finished for the day.

“I can come home, I’ve earned my money for the day, and so I can do other fun things that don’t result in income, and I don’t feel guilty about it,” she said.

Of course, freeing herself from hustle culture does come at a cost. Right now, she’s not on a fast track to earn six figures, but it’s a reality Ellie is fine with, for now.

“Everyone’s perception of what a lot of money is different. We’d all like to earn money and it does, to a point, dictate your happiness because financial stress is the worst thing ever,” she said.

Right now, her income is reliable and consistent, so she’s not constantly stressed about money, and that relief is enough.

Ultimately, Ellie’s decision says so much more about Gen Zers and what they value.

“Our generation is realising you are allowed to put peace and happiness first and your job isn’t everything,” she said.

Online, Ellie has been documenting her journey of ditching hustle culture for a more relaxed lifestyle, and her fellow Gen Zers are all for it.

“Love it!!! Most people don’t even want a career. They want the money to have freedom, not realising that the career takes away the freedom,” one wrote.

“I finished my pre-med degree and when working in the lab I was really miserable and I wanted to quit and do a different job. Now you really motivate me to not listen to what others will say,” someone shared.

There was also a slew of fellow young people revealing they’d quit their corporate gigs for a better lifestyle.

“I am 31 year old and just left my corporate job to go back to barista life.”

“I did this at 26 and have never looked back! 32 now work in a bakery and love it.”

“Quit my grant admin job for a kayak tour guide job, feel so much more connected to nature and people.”

“Me literally quitting nursing to become a librarian or work in a bookstore because it brings me so much more peace.”

“I quit my corporate job to make crochet flower bouquets, and I’ve never been happier.”