We meant well — but by overprotecting, overpraising and overmanaging our kids, we left them unprepared for the real meaning of hard work in an AI-powered world.
We wanted our kids to grow up confident, capable and ready to conquer the world. Instead, we bubble-wrapped them, praised their every burp, then wondered why they graduated college expecting their boss to give them a participation trophy, maybe even nap time.
The American Dream turned into the American Dread
We imposed the concept of the American Dream on our kids, even though it didn’t pan out for us.
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- Go to college
- Do internships
- Catapult into a job
- Remain loyal
- Work long hours
- Put in your time
- Pay your dues
- Get married
- Have babies
- Retire
… repeat.
Not so fast — the world changed. Education prices skyrocketed, home costs went out of reach, divorce rates hit 50%, and people got laid off. You know the end of the story: The American Dream died.
The overprotection pandemic
Our generation fought hard so our kids wouldn’t have to struggle the way we did. But in doing so, we robbed them of resilience.
We filled out their college applications, called their professors and intervened with their managers. We became helicopter parents, then drone parents — silent, hovering.
By the time they entered the workforce, some were shocked to discover that not everyone thought they were amazing.
The first bad performance review felt like a hate crime. The phrase “constructive criticism” triggered calls to HR.
We made ‘work’ a four-letter word
Remember when a job was something you earned, not something that came with a sign-on bonus and emotional-support snacks? Some parents gave their kids allowances, not for chores, but for existing. We told them to “follow their passion,” as if passion alone paid the rent.
No wonder they have existential crises when the espresso machine breaks at work.
PapersOwl found that Gen Zers have responded to their unhappiness in the workplace in interesting ways. One way some 7% of Gen Zers surveyed admitted to was via revenge quitting, which is quitting out of retaliation for being frustrated, upset and unheard.
Another new term is quiet cracking. It’s burnout that develops slowly and simmers. Workers are physically there, but mentally, they’ve checked out.
The message? Gen Z perceives that there are toxic workplaces that they don’t want to endure. Did we ill prepare them for what we would call the real world?
White collar vs blue collar: The great hard work divide
Once upon a time, hard work had a universal meaning: show up, give it your best and keep showing up. Today, it depends on which collar you’re wearing.
For white-collar workers, hard work has become more about optics than output. It’s the performance of productivity — being online, on camera and on the brink of burnout.
The modern corporate warrior measures success in unread emails, color-coded calendars and caffeine intake.
White-collar exhaustion is mental — the slow bleed of PowerPoints, politics and performative passion projects. It’s not about sweat; it’s about sweating appearances.
For blue-collar workers, hard work still means showing up early, staying late and producing something real: A truck gets loaded, a roof gets repaired, a customer gets served. Their pride comes from tangible results, not virtual visibility.
When blue-collar workers hear a white-collar worker complain about emotional exhaustion from too many Slack messages, it’s hard not to roll their eyes. But all is not rosy with blue-collar workers either.
I spoke with Silvija Martincevic, CEO of Deputy, a workforce management platform for hourly work. The platform released a nationwide snapshot of how U.S. shift workers feel and why that matters.
“Our 2025 Shift Pulse Report shows sentiment slipping among shift workers, with 67% of workers indicating they are planning to change jobs in the next six months.
“Flexibility, clear communication and meaningful recognition aren’t just nice-to-haves, they’re essential to keeping employees engaged and reducing turnover.”
Martincevic added, “Disengagement doesn’t happen overnight; it builds quietly through burnout, unpredictable schedules and a lack of recognition. Gen Z is simply more vocal about not accepting that status quo.”
White becomes blue
There is also an interesting trend that Resume Builder pointed out, that four in 10 Gen Z adults are moving away from white-collar jobs and pursuing blue-collar or skilled trade jobs, such as plumbing, welding or electrical work, including more than a third who hold a bachelor’s degree.
They cite the chief motivation for this is to avoid student debt. This also reduces the risk of being replaced by AI.
Martincevic echoed this: “White-collar job insecurity and AI disruption fears are driving Gen Z toward trades and frontline careers, which they believe are safer from these threats.
Tech-savvy and pragmatic, they know AI can design a system, but it’s the human touch that still truly matters in frontline blue-collar careers.”
FlexJobs noted in its Work Shift Pulse Report that 85% of professionals today have said that their career expectations have shifted since graduation, and 62% are ready to make the shift from white-collar to blue-collar jobs if they’re offered better pay and more stability.
The great cultural disconnect
We told our kids to chase balance but forgot to teach boundaries. Maintaining a work ethic became optional. Deadlines became guidelines. Being late was self-care.
Employers now face entry-level hires who expect mentorship, mission statements and mindfulness breaks before noon. The problem isn’t laziness — it’s that we raised them for a world in which effort was optional and validation was guaranteed.
Reality Check 101
Here’s the truth:
- Work is work. It’s not always fun. That’s why they pay you.
- Failure isn’t fatal. It’s tuition for life.
- Grit beats genius. Every. Single. Time.
- Respect is earned. Not by demanding it, but by delivering results.
The new collar: The future doesn’t care what color your shirt is
Here’s the twist no one saw coming: Robots don’t care whether your collar is white or blue. They just care if you’re useful.
AI doesn’t get tired, doesn’t call in sick and definitely doesn’t ask for a raise. It’s already rewriting the rules — automating the physical grind of blue-collar jobs and the repetitive tasks of white-collar work.
The next generation isn’t competing against each other anymore; they’re competing against efficiency itself.
Yet, this is the best news of all — because what machines still can’t do (yet) is care, create or connect. The future of work won’t belong to those who can out-code or out-lift the machines, but to those who can out-think, out-adapt and out-human them.
Maybe the next version of hard work isn’t about punching a clock or padding a résumé. It’s about showing up with curiosity, courage and a willingness to learn — skills that will never go out of style.
If we can teach that to our kids — not entitlement, not exhaustion, but engagement — maybe we’ll finally get it right.
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This article was written by and presents the views of our contributing adviser, not the Kiplinger editorial staff. You can check adviser records with the SEC or with FINRA.
