Young People Don't Want To Work? Think again.

It absolutely burns my ears every time I hear someone say, "Young people just don't want to work."

In my opinion, it is one of the most disconnected statements someone can make about the reality many young people are living today.

I'm currently working a part-time, minimum wage job at Subway in New York. I make $16 an hour.

Whenever I mention that, I often hear people from older generations respond, "That's good money!"

But no. For many people today, it really isn't.

The cost of rent, groceries, transportation, insurance, utilities, and everyday necessities has climbed so high that many workers are left with almost nothing after paying their bills. If they are lucky, they break even. If they are not, they fall further into debt.

That means millions of people are not working to build a future. They are working simply to keep a roof over their heads and food on the table.

Think about that for a moment.

You wake up. You go to work. You come home exhausted. Your paycheck arrives, and almost every dollar immediately disappears into rent, food, gas, phone bills, and other basic expenses. At the end of the month, there is little or nothing left to invest in your dreams, travel, education, hobbies, or even an emergency savings account.

You are surviving.

Not living.

Surviving.

Then society turns around and asks, "Why don't these young people seem excited to work?"

What exactly are they supposed to be excited about?

Showing up every day to a job they may not enjoy, knowing that even if they work hard, they are still stuck in the same financial position next month?

Working long hours without ever feeling like they are moving forward?

Being told to "work harder" while watching the finish line move farther away every year?

When people receive the bare minimum from the economic system, it should not be surprising when many begin giving the bare minimum back.

That is not laziness.

That is discouragement.

That is exhaustion.

That is what happens when hope starts disappearing.

This is not about saying that hard work has no value. Hard work absolutely matters. It builds character, teaches responsibility, and helps us grow.

But hard work also needs to lead somewhere.

People need to believe that if they put in the effort today, tomorrow can be better. They need to believe that saving is possible, that buying a home is attainable, that starting a family is realistic, or that pursuing a passion is more than just a fantasy.

Without hope, work becomes survival.

Without purpose, motivation fades.

I don't believe the biggest problem facing young people today is that they don't want responsibility.

I believe they desperately want a reason to believe their effort matters.

Instead of criticizing young people, maybe we should start asking better questions.

Why are so many feeling burned out before they even turn thirty?

Why are so many working multiple jobs and still struggling to pay basic bills?

Why are anxiety, depression, and hopelessness becoming so common among an entire generation?

These are not signs of a generation that doesn't care.

These are signs of a generation searching for hope.

If we truly want to solve the problem, we have to stop blaming young people and start building a world where hard work is rewarded with opportunity instead of mere survival.

Young people do want to work.

They want their work to mean something.

They want to build a future.

They want to contribute to their communities.

They want to create.

They want to innovate.

They want to make a difference.

Most of all, they want to believe that tomorrow can be better than today.

Hope is one of the greatest motivators a person can have.

If we want to inspire the next generation, let's stop telling them they're lazy and start giving them something worth working toward.

LOVE ALWAYS,

Bobby