Gen Z vs Millenial

I'm gen z, born in the mid 2000s, went to high school during Covid, saw people around me crumble due to all sorts of shit from drugs to depression to internet addiction. I worked my ass off in the hardest college admissions cycles ever from a middle-class/public school background, getting into top schools with 5% acceptance rates. I feel i have benefited from the availability of knowledge, but also been disadvantaged due to excessive competition.

I wanted to ask for the millenials who grew up in the 90s/2000s and went to school then (when it was much, much easier to get in) and in an era where people were actually social and not addicted to their phones and devices. Do you miss that time?

I also know career-wise, bankers and private equity were booming (pre-08) and getting promoted was a lot faster then than now. It was more straightforward to get a job than now, and tbh, just more manageable to have fun and still reach the upper echelons of society.

How was your college experience or professional experience then? Was the world, both in and out of finance just more straightforward then