Are people expecting too much out of their jobs?

One of the interesting trends I've noticed on this forum over the years is the posts complaining about their jobs (usually in IB/PE) or leaving the industry. These posts have always existed, but the old ones usually focused on legitimate issues, such as very long hours/toxic work environment, while the newer posts seem to focus on things like mundane tasks, uninteresting work, etc.

This begs the question of are people nowadays expecting too much out of their jobs? Working constant 90+ hour weeks is definitely a valid complaint because it has health implications, but saying that you hate your job or want to quit because the work is uninteresting/mundane feels like whining. At the end of the day, most jobs, even outside of finance, are boring. That's why you get paid to do it. Otherwise it would just be a fun hobby. Sure there are some jobs that are inherently more exciting than others, but even people who chase their passions eventually end up frustrated about doing the same thing over and over again. Look at how many NBA players end up not even enjoying playing basketball.

Would be interested to hear other people's thoughts and what caused this shift in attitude

4 Comments
 

I have also noticed this pattern, could be all the Gen-z entering the corporate world. I don't think they have the same work ethic as boomers or even millenials

 
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100% true. It's a generational thing given the times we live in. When struggle is largely removed from daily life (which is what being middle class and up means in America, generally speaking), you're just going to become softer. This isn't me pooping only on Gen Z, I'm virtually certain I'm softer than for instance someone from The Greatest Generation...those were folks who faced real struggle as a generation

Now that's also not always bad, it's a natural step when everything is spoonfed to you -- why make things harder on yourself for no reason? If you have nothing, then you're going to have a stronger desire to work harder to get something vs. if you come from money, generally speaking you're going to be less worried about working hard consistently as you have that safety net

Gen Z is probably the most privileged generation in the history of mankind. So yes, they're going to complain about stuff that was par for the course for previous generations. I'm sure some Gen Z kids are going to MS me but this is just the truth, no hate

 

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