‘It’s not just Gen Z’: Netizens weigh in on quitting jobs without another one lined up

SINGAPORE: In today’s generation, quitting a job without having another one ready may be risky, but it is a risk worth taking, especially if it is their way to protect their mental health or make space for better opportunities to come. 

On Reddit, a netizen openly shared that it seemed Gen Zs are leaving their current work without a job afterwards, and wondered if this is a generational thing or if there are always people in every generation that do so. 

As stated in the post, the netizen’s friend claimed that most of the younger generations now are supported by their parents, and added: “I wonder if it’s because Gen Z have a YOLO perspective on life and is game to just up and go to experience different things or chase their rainbows. Whereas some of us have debts to pay after we graduate, and that keeps us from just quitting without a job.” 

With this, the netizen curiously asked the reasons why Gen Zs would quit even without a backup. This has started a very interesting discussion among other netizens, where others do not agree that this is a generational issue. 

One claimed: "It's not just a Gen Z thing; maybe stop labelling certain generations and look at the perspective of early careers after graduation. This applies to any generation. Everyone who starts off in corporate most likely doesn't know what they want. When they start working, they are gaining experience, and it's easy for them to figure out what they don't want.” 

A few observed that Gen Zs are also quite knowledgeable about investing, and suspected that some may already have some side income. 

“I think most of them actually have side hustles or investments they just don't talk about,” a comment admitted. 

Millennials also commented their thoughts on the post, with one declaring: “Many of us millennials also at one point quit without a job because we had to reassess what was most important in our lives that we wanted to live, not some template ideal passed down generational trauma.” 

Several also claimed that it is a matter of having fewer commitments, and many are able to do this because they were unmarried, or married with no children to take care of. 

“I don’t think it’s specifically a Gen Z thing. When you’ve been pushed to the brink, and entirely burnt out by the very people you trusted to help you grow, something breaks. You put in the time, effort, and loyalty, only to be let down,” a netizen remarked. 

“Anyways, it’s a personal choice and probably not just because they are Gen Z. Ppl quit all the time anyways,” a comment concluded. 

This discussion showed that quitting without another job is not just a Gen Z thing at all, as many people from different generations have done it for many reasons. While this decision may be risky, some people see it as a personal choice to protect their well-being and find a path that better suits their lives as they build the future that they have dreamed of.