- By Sarju Saran Tiwari
- Tue, 23 Sep 2025 10:10 AM (IST)
- Source:JND
Redefining Success With Gen Z: Rising Standard of living costs and unstable jobs are prompting the Gen Z to contantly questioning to the traditional middle-class dreams. This major shift requires industries and education systems to adapt and provide more flexible, affordable solutions as per the modern demand.
For many decades, the conventional middle-class aspiration of diligently studying, subsequently securing a stable job, owning a home, and ensuring a secure future has been transmitted from one generation to the next. Nevertheless, many young Indians today are beginning to question the viability of this traditional path. Escalating living expenses, uncertain job security, and increasing housing costs are rendering conventional measures of success unattainable.
From an educational standpoint, this significant transformation underscores the necessity to reconsider how students prepare for their futures: emphasizing not only academic success but also adaptability, skill development, and the pursuit of meaningful and flexible career opportunities. While this dream may not be entirely obsolete, its interpretation is evolving, and education must adapt accordingly to remain relevant.
Why Gen Z Raising Questions?
For generations past, success was defined by one thing: a steady job, a regular monthly paycheck, a big car, a spacious home, and, yes, a family with three or five children. Essentially, a life that neighbors and relatives would envy. But with that came the pressure to maintain family status, accumulate wealth, maintain appearances, and impress others. That's what success looked like back then.
But that's not the case anymore. For Generation Z, success means something very different. For us, it's about making our own choices, pursuing our passions, exploring the world, and learning new things. Simply put—success doesn't mean dying rich, but living rich. What's the point of saving every penny if you don't even have time to live the life of your dreams?
Why Gen Z Hesitate To Buy Old Dream?
It's not that young Indians are lazy or entitled, as critics sometimes say. It's that the math doesn't add up. Government training programs have skilled more than 16 million young people since 2015, but less than 15 percent have found employment through these schemes. For the most educated generation in India's history, this gap is stark.
Meanwhile, the cost of living is rising. In metropolitan cities, rent often consumes 40 to 50 percent of a young professional's salary. Add in EMIs, inflation, and a lack of a safety net, and it becomes clear why people are hesitant to pursue their long-cherished dream of stability through ownership.
Gen Z Prefer Side Hustles Over Stable Job:
The new dream is less about ownership and more about flexibility. Many people would prefer to rent in a good neighborhood rather than buy a home on the outskirts. Instead of looking for a stable job, they seek careers that offer opportunities for change, remote work, entrepreneurship, or global mobility.
I see many of my colleagues investing in skills, side hustles, or experiences that improve their quality of life, rather than material possessions.
These days, mental health, time freedom, and the ability to adapt matter more than the illusion of permanence. For many, a fulfilling life is about choices, not obligations.
Gen Z Redefines 'Middle-Class Dream':
For the Gen Z, success isn't measured by owning a three-bedroom flat or clocking 30 years at one company. It's about living in a city that works, building careers that evolve, and having the freedom to choose.
This shift means the traditional middle-class dream isn't dead, but rather it's being transformed. If society can adapt to this new definition of stability, it will survive. Otherwise, a growing number of young Indians will abandon the old model entirely to forge their own path.