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Today’s world of work requires the ability to navigate change, uncertainty, and adversity.

Young professionals need to develop their soft skills if they want to be successful.

Grit means using one’s strengths and developing weaknesses in pursuit of a goal.

My university’s graduation ceremony, like schools across the country, was filled with the usual sort of platitudes: Go after your dreams, be courageous, do something bigger than yourself, don’t shrink in the face of adversity, and so on. All great thoughts and what graduates and their family members needed to hear in that moment of celebration.

They should also know that what comes after will be a lot of hard work, uncertainty, and, yes—adversity. The job market is tough and likely getting tougher. The world, and the world of work, is shifting underneath our feet as we speak, and we don’t know where it will be in a year, five years, or more. Lots of organizations are pulling back from hiring, especially new graduates and other young professionals.

When I speak to college seniors, I like to share research from today’s hiring managers that examines their concerns about new hires. More than half say recent grads are unprepared for the workforce and are difficult to manage. Sixty-five percent say they had to fire at least one recent college graduate within the past year (Resume, 2025).

The reactions from students are typically mixed, ranging from shock to acceptance to wanting to argue the point. What I always tell them is this: The frustrations that today’s older adults have with the younger ones are nothing new. The same things were said about my generation and will continue to be said about the next. This is the nature of generations mixing in the workforce.

And, whether true or not, perception is reality. If you are surrounded by people who believe young people have no work ethic, lack motivation, are entitled, have a bad attitude, and are unprepared for work, then it’s your job to prove those people wrong.

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