Girly. I think We Might Have to Work Hard

Girly. I think we might have to work hard.

For the past three years, I have spent a great deal of time working as a Career Readiness and Internship Program Manager. This means I help prepare college women for career success by providing career-readiness training, mentorship, networking events, and internship opportunities. As you can imagine, a large part of my role involves meeting with employers, getting to know their hiring needs, working closely with college women, and seeing firsthand the gaps that often exist when it comes to career readiness.

One component of my job that I find especially exceptional is the opportunity to partner with corporate organizations and host luncheons at their offices. This means the women in my program and I are invited into boardrooms with senior executives, sometimes in high-rise buildings where we take the train into the city, pass through high-level security, and head up to the 50th or 60th floor to sit across the table from decision-makers.

It's givingggggg corporate baddie. Professionalism 101. Personal etiquette and executive presence must be on 10 (especially for me as the program leader). I am intentional about taking time to prep the women before bringing them into these rooms to avoid intimidation and imposter syndrome. I have to work through those feels during these events as well.

What's unique about this role is that we're sitting in boardrooms with high-achieving women from diverse industries, learning what it truly takes to be successful. I've done quite a few of these events, but something about today's struck a chord so deeply that I had to write about it.

During the panel, a woman in her mid-40s stood at the front of the room. She was poised, sharp, and confident, answering questions the college women had submitted about career readiness. She held a senior role at a leading private equity firm in New York. She said, “When you're young and just getting started in your career, there's no such thing as work-life balance. Let go of that phrase. You need to work hard and work your way up, and that time will come. I now incorporate balance after having children because I did the work on the front end.” She even alluded to needing to build a strong work ethic at least a decade into your career before entertaining this idea of work-life balance.

Initially, I was taken aback. Part of my job also includes attending leadership conferences, where I often hear women across generations talk about resting well, prioritizing self-care, and not letting work become your identity. So this felt like such a rebellious thing to say for the times we are currently living in! And it hit me, social media has been pushing a totally different message, one I didn't even realize I had let seep into my soul: work should never take up too much of your life.

But here's the thing. I'm the oldest generation of Gen Z and sometimes I feel like I'm basically a Millennial. I'm only a few years into having an actual career. Is work-life balance early in your career or job just a theory? There's something to be said about Millennials and Baby Boomers who came from a time before the extreme digital age when there was a strong work hard mindset. You kept your head down, went above and beyond, and did what needed to be done. They often allowed their careers to consume their lives. Hear me out, girly pop, that's not what I'm advocating for here.

What I am asking is: is social media setting Gen Z up for failure? Perhaps by teaching us to rest and relax on the front end instead of going hard for our careers. Maybe that's why the one percent is still running our country while so many are at the bottom scrambling.

Am I saying not to incorporate proper rest and self-care? Absolutely not. Does that mean that every person that works hard and goes above and beyond will get the promotion and pay they deserve? Of course not. There are still systemic barriers that prevent women of color and women in general from climbing the ladder across many different industries.

However, my generation seems to have a resistance toward hard work and going the extra mile for their jobs, especially if they feel like it doesn't “serve them.” We are less likely to stay late and ask questions to see how we can do better at our companies, and honestly, that's the only way to truly make it and not be mediocre. We worry more about being tired or about our jobs taking too much from us than we worry about being mediocre.

From the time I've spent with hundreds of college students and the 60+ employers I've met with and shaken hands with, the theme is clear. The women who are going above and beyond, the ones coming early and staying late, eager to do more than just their jobs, are the ones getting the opportunities that can set them up financially down the road. I cringe as I write this because it's such a counter cultural thought that it feels foreign.

Maybe you do have to go hard on the front end. Across the board, whatever you do, as Scripture says, do it all to the glory of God. Do it with excellence. Even as a stay-at-home mom, your household is run like a business. Owning your own business. Content creation. Ministry. Life truly requires that we grind and go hard.

Maybe that's why Jesus offers us so much rest and invites us to abide in Him, because He knows what this life truly requires to not just make it, but to thrive and have a full life, financial freedom, and more.

It almost feels like my generation has less resilience in the workforce and a resistance to hard work. It's like we want to find the shortcuts and have things our way before we get our hands dirty and get sweaty equity in the game.

According to Forbes, 49% of Gen Z workers would quit a job within two years if dissatisfied with company values or work-life balance. That's almost half of a population!

I'm not saying to burn out or suffer in a miserable work environment with a terrible culture. I am saying we need to think deeply about this.

Are we getting lazy?

Is this entitlement?

Welp, I love you girl - thanks for reading my thoughts during your moment of pause 💗

Across the board, whatever you do, as Scripture says, do it all to the glory of God. Do it with excellence.

Your daily reminder to live by His grace, because it is enough.