By Jane Nam
As the class of 2024 enters the workforce, college students are speaking out about what they want and expect in a job.
BestColleges surveyed 1,000 current undergraduate and graduate students, and more than 3 in 4 (76%) say work-life balance is a top priority for them when considering a job. Only 6% disagree, and 18% neither agree nor disagree.
Additionally, 3 in 5 students (60%) say salary or pay is their top priority in considering a job.
Around 1 in 3 students (34%) agree that working remotely is a priority for them, another 35% disagree, and 32% are neutral.
It’s hard to get into the headspace of working when home and work are the same place,
says Jayna Yoo, 22. Yoo is a current senior at the University of Oregon and plans to graduate in June 2024.
Yoo says her challenges with online classes during the pandemic motivated her to apply to in-person jobs, adding that you don’t make as many human connections
in a remote setting.
College students want and expect fulfillment from their jobs, be it the human connections Yoo references or some other intangible benefit. Nearly 7 in 10 (67%) say their work or job should be a major source of personal fulfillment and satisfaction.
And, the majority of students are willing to put in more work — provided appropriate compensation. More than 6 in 10 students (63%) say that if a company were to increase their pay, they’d be willing to work beyond designated work hours or responsibilities.
However, most students (57%) say it’s unacceptable to work extra hours without additional compensation.
Overall, students’ salary expectations generally align with national norms. Three in 10 students (30%) expect to earn salaries in the $60,000-$79,000 range, 28% expect to make more than that, and 35% expect to earn less.
According to the National Association of Colleges and Employers, the average starting salary for college graduates was $61,870 in 2023.
One in 10 students (11%) expect to earn $100,000 or more upon graduation.
Personally, I think it’s important to be loyal to a company because when you join a company, you will spend [the] majority of your time in a day working,
explains Anthony Ro, 22.
Ro, a junior at the University of Oregon, adds, The least someone could do is respect company culture and be loyal
since employers pay their workers wages.
Overall, I’d say that I consider loyalty to be personally important but not applicable in all fields,
says Vanderbilt sophomore Janice Lee, 20.
As a student pursuing medicine, I would consider loyalty to be highly beneficial, especially considering mentors along the journey and additional connections,
Lee says. However, Lee notes that students could benefit from a variety of companies and work experiences on their resumes in computer science and similar fields with less stable markets.
Data Counters Stereotypes About Gen Z and the Job Market
On the surface level, it may seem that Gen Z is lazier than other generations,
Lee says, addressing the different stereotypes associated with Gen Z.
More than 7 in 10 college students (72%) — including 72% of Gen Z students, themselves — say Gen Z has different expectations for job flexibility and work-life balance than previous generations. However, survey data tells a different story about the younger generation.
Gen Zers are slightly less likely than millennials to prioritize work-life balance (75% vs. 78%), far less likely to prioritize working remotely (29% vs. 54%), and about as likely to expect personal fulfillment at work (67% vs. 68%) and prioritize salary (60% vs. 60%) above other factors.
Additionally, millennials are more likely than Gen Z to say it’s unacceptable to work beyond their designated hours or responsibilities without additional compensation (65% vs. 55%).
Millennials are less likely to say they would work beyond their hours or responsibilities if their company paid them more, compared to Gen Z (60% vs. 63%).
It is difficult to summarize the overall culture of Gen Z workers,
Lee says. However, she notes certain hallmarks of this generation, including, higher levels of mental health awareness and recognizing the need [for] balance rather than a constant hustle mentality.