One in Four Gen Z Workers Regret College Amid Job Market Challenges

Recent surveys highlight a growing trend among Generation Z workers expressing regret over their college education and resorting to resume embellishment amid a challenging job market. Nearly half of Gen Z job seekers admit to lying on their resumes, driven by fierce competition for fewer entry-level positions and cultural influences from social media that normalize exaggeration. Concurrently, about one in four Gen Z workers regret attending college or wish they had chosen higher-paying fields, with many questioning the value of their degrees due to mounting student debt and limited job opportunities in their chosen industries. This dissatisfaction is fueling a shift toward trade schools and non-traditional career paths as Gen Z seeks more practical and financially viable options. Career experts note that the traditional promise of a college degree leading to stable employment no longer holds, as technological advances and evolving job markets reduce entry-level roles and increase uncertainty. These findings reflect a generation grappling with economic pressures and reevaluating long-standing assumptions about education and career success.