An employee walked into boss's office and asked for a 20K raise. He'd just finished a project that saved the company 200K annually. He did the math on his napkin before the meeting. Felt bulletproof. Boss looked at him and said "we really appreciate your work. But there's no budget for that right now." Employee : "No budget? I just saved you $200K." Boss : "That's a different budget." Employee went back to his desk and decided something: They were gonna get exactly what they paid for. Nothing more. No more staying late. No more volunteering for extra projects. No more "team player" BS. 40 hours a week. Not a minute over. Suddenly employee had all this free time. He started cold calling businesses from his car during lunch. Trying to sell websites. Four months later his side hustle started to make some extra cash on the side. Two months after that, 15K. Now, he is a full-time entrepreneur. If your company says there's no budget for your raise, believe them. Then take all that extra effort you were giving them for free and put it into something you own. Companies will take everything you give them and call it "being a team player." Then act surprised when you leave.

A Gen Z walked into the interview. Halfway through, the recruiter said, “The role requires 5+ years of experience.” Gen Z nodded. Then asked, “Five years doing what, exactly?” The panel paused. HR clarified, “The JD clearly states 5+ years. You only have 2. Why shouldn’t we pick someone with more experience than you?” Gen Z didn’t argue. Didn’t interrupt. Just asked another question. “In doing it right… or in repeating the same mistakes longer?” Silence. Because everyone in that room knew this truth: Someone can have 10 years of experience and still be average. Someone can have 2 years, solve harder problems, and outperform the team. Time served doesn’t equal competence It just means someone stayed. Gen Z continued, calmly. “I’ve worked with people who had six months on the job and understood the work better than people with a decade.” No disrespect. No arrogance. Just reality. Years of experience became the easiest filter. Not the smartest one. When you don’t want to assess skill, you count time. But time only measures how long someone’s been paid— not how well they can do the work. So Gen Z reframed it. “What actually matters is simple: - Can I solve the problem you’re hiring for? - Can I show you proof I’ve done it well?” That’s it. Because if someone can demonstrate competence in 2 years, they’re already qualified. And if someone can’t demonstrate it in 10, more time won’t fix that. That’s when the room understood. When people say “Gen Z is entitled,” what they really mean is: Gen Z stopped accepting weak filters and started asking better questions. For candidates: Apply anyway. If you can do the work, the years are negotiable. For employers: Stop using time as a substitute for judgment. Hire for ability. Hire for proof. Not for tenure.

A Gen Z joined the team. Week one. During onboarding, the manager said, “We sometimes stay late during peak periods.” Gen Z nodded. Then asked, “Is that paid… or just expected?” The room went quiet. - No attitude. - No rebellion. - Just a question. Later that day, HR mentioned “growth opportunities.” Gen Z replied, “Does growth include raises, or just more responsibility?” Again, silence. - No laziness. - No entitlement. - Just clarity. That’s when the team realized something. When people say “Gen Z is lazy,” what they really mean is: Gen Z watched old generation - skip meals, - miss birthdays, - work weekends, - and burn out only to be told “budgets are tight” and “be grateful you have a job.” So Gen Z chose differently. - They don’t romanticize overwork. - They don’t confuse suffering with ambition. - They don’t trade health for praise. They still work hard. They just refuse to work for nothing. It’s not laziness. It’s pattern recognition. And honestly, after everything old generation went through… Can you really blame them?