The 'Lucky To Be Here' Generation Could Learn A Lot From Gen Z

“I’m just lucky to be here.”

If you entered the workforce amidst mass layoffs, a 2008 financial crisis, or the trauma of a global pandemic, then you know the rush of gratitude you can feel for even securing a job. I know I sure have.

But there’s an insidious message behind internalizing this way of thinking. At worst, this scarcity mindset can make you feel like you have no control over your career ― and should just accept whatever scraps of benefits or assignments you’re given.

If you, like me, were a Millennial who grew up watching “The Devil Wears Prada,” then this movie became one of your earliest touchstones of a “lucky to be here” mindset.

I took to heart the film’s classic line of “a million girls would kill for this job.” Like Andy in “Devil Wears Prada,” my jobs felt like a never-ending intense competition. This was the era of “girl bosses” where getting ahead for women meant hustling at whatever cost to your well-being. You showed your commitment to the job by staying later and staying silent to abusive bosses ― and your promotion up this system was seen as a success story.

In my own case, I was so lucky to have a job that I did not think about the fact that a company should also be lucky to have me. I learned this lesson early in my career when my co-worker told me she had successfully asked for $3 more on our hourly salary when she mentioned her master’s degree. We had the exact same degree, but I did not negotiate my salary.

Back then, I felt lucky to even have gotten an interview. I was afraid that negotiating would retract my job offer. Reflecting on the money I lost out on over the year of not asking was nauseating. It was a harsh wake-up call I never forgot.

Why a “lucky to be here” mentality hurts