Tomas Mier, a first-generation college student, had big plans for his final semester at the University of Southern California: complete his internship, get good grades, and have his parents, who immigrated to the US from Mexico, watch him walk across the stage at graduation.
Then, the coronavirus pandemic hit. Suddenly, classes and work were moved online, and USC canceled its in-person graduation ceremony. But even those disruptions were eclipsed by the threat of the looming recession.
Mier and other Gen Zers have little time to mourn the loss of their final semester, because an economic collapse can set back their futures. It could leave them like the older millennials who graduated during the Great Recession, with grim job outlooks and a stagnation in financial growth that can potentially last almost 15 years.
Gen Zers know that this year, graduation caps will not be thrown into the air. But they're still holding out hope for economic prosperity — however much longer it may take to get there.
Read on to see how Gen Z has already been affected by the looming recession and to hear how college students and recent graduates are bracing for its inevitable impact.
Read the original article on Business Insider