Gen Z has regrets: 1 in 4 say they wish they hadn’t gone to college or would’ve picked a higher-paying industry

https://fortune.com/2025/07/20/gen-z-regrets-going-to-college/

by FUSeekMe69

22 comments

  2. Who knew majoring in English lit or gender studies was a bad thing !

  3. I’m solid Gen X. I wish I would have gone into the trades, or picked a better major/industry. Why should Gen Z be any different? Lots of people have regrets.

  8. Would they have worked hard enough to be able to break into that higher paying industry?

  9. Adults who spent multiple years in college doing research papers and reading articles, didn’t bother once to read / research the industry they are paying tuition for.

    Didn’t change for past generations, won’t change for future ones.

  10. The headline doesn’t really tell the story of the survey well.

    23% of Gen-Zer’s regret their decision to attend college, while 32% are happy about their decision to attend college. Given the amount of negative discourse surrounding the entire college discussion, I’m rather surprised to see it be +9 in this survey.

    This idea of wishing you had gone for a career with a higher salary is something I’ve always seen throughout my lifetime as a Millennial, tbh. Everyone thinks they’re the exception to the rule when they’re going into University/college, and then the action of going through college and trying to find a job afterward is a rude awakening for most. I would say unless you are getting a degree like an engineering focused one, 90% of the jobs fresh out of college are going to be absolute dogshit, and you will be used and abused by your company until you find a better position.

  11. Same study, different generation.

    Hint: Every college attendee who isn’t highly sought after feels this way.

    Hint2: On average, over the course of a career, earnings with a college degree are much higher.

    Hint3: Every student should experience a trade in high school so they know why college is important while developing skills they can fall back on if college truly isn’t for them.

    Hint4: AI changes none of this.

  12. Wait til they find out it doesn’t really matter which industry they picked, they were still going to get boned by capitalists during a time like this.

    Spoiler alert, it’s not the education they got that was the problem; getting an education will never be a problem.

  13. Jesus, 1 in 4 children made a bad decision? How are they supposed to fix this, some of them are already 25 years old – they should be preparing for retirement and picking nursing homes! Seriously folks, I went back to school in my late 20s and started a new career, life’s not over. 

  14. Probably should have spent less time learning tik tok dances and going to street takeovers too.

  15. The first few years after graduating are rough. Even if you can find a job, it’s usually low paying and stressful. I think this is true for most graduates, no matter the generation. Sorry. It’s a rude awakening.

    So long as you didn’t take on massive debt, it’s still a good investment. A college degree should lead to a better career/income over time. 

  16. I just wish they wouldn’t have printed so many dollars during the Covid pandemic. Dollars be losing their value real quick

  18. This is a silly notion. But most if not all people have the job they deserve. Very few go out and get what they want because it requires hard work and discipline to achieve. I have a degree in Film/TV Production from Ai. Struggling for years in that industry and finally woke up one day and made a change. Got into finance at the bottom and within 5 years now have my own WM practice at a top firm.

    Go out and get it, but only if you want it.

  19. The thing I take away from this and what I have and will continue to recommend to young people is this:

    Don’t go straight to college after high school. Spend some time working a real life job, learn what it’s like to make a paycheck, deal with co workers, deal with a boss. Also learn what it’s like to see your paycheck evaporate when you have expenses.

    So much can be learned at this age by just waiting and experiencing real life. The decision to pursue a college education at current prices could be made with more insight into the realities a student will face after 4 years.

  20. This just recycled bullshit and they have done it with every generation probably Boomers too if you look back far enough. Jesse Pinkman voice: We can’t keep letting them get away with it!

  21. Doesn’t help that industries rise and fall. I bet a lot of kids who went into tech aren’t having a fun time rn.

    Also doesn’t help that there is so little payoff for getting a degree. The pay difference, both in initial and in lifetime potential, is just not enough.

    Also, not sure how much this plays a part: but it probably doesn’t help that some of the only industries on the rise right now are defense, law enforcement, prisons, etc.

  22. I’m actually surprised it’s that low. I’m doing decent and even I sometimes wish I studied different major in college. Especially when I start comparing what I could’ve done if I had a different job a right out of college how much further I could’ve been.

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