2025 has been a tough year for Gen Z college graduates. Entry-level hiring has slowed, competition has intensified, and the once-confident promise that a degree would translate seamlessly into a stable career has begun to unravel.
Some CEOs, including Dario Amodei of Anthropic and Jim Farley of Ford, have even used their platforms to warn that AI and automation pose existential threats to many entry-level roles.
But while there are signs that 2026 could bring further turbulence, not every executive message has been a gloomy one. As AMD CEO Lisa Su said, “Run to the hardest problems—don’t walk, run—and that’s where you find the biggest opportunities, where you learn the most, where you differentiate, and most importantly, where you grow.”
For the millions of Gen Z NEETs looking to land a new job – or a promotion – in the New Year, the bottom line is clear: embrace challenges, stay curious, take ownership of your career and stay adaptable – and you’ll be positioned to thrive even in an unpredictable job market.
Accenture CEO Julie Sweet: Curiosity is a leadership advantage
Julie Sweet never expected to become CEO of Accenture. She didn’t fit the traditional mold of the company’s past leaders, many of whom came from conventional business backgrounds, spent their entire careers with the company, and were men.
Instead, Sweet said wealth This year, embracing uncertainty and saying yes when opportunities arise helped propel her into the role—a lesson Gen Z can learn from.
Even at the top, she said, leadership isn’t about having all the answers. Being curious and seeking help remains one of her self-described “superpowers.”
“I think the idea of being a deep learner at the top is really critical, and that’s not common in a lot of companies,” Sweet said.
That mindset began in her early years in the legal department, when she admits she wasn’t particularly tech-savvy and had to ask for guidance. But it’s a skill that ultimately helped her break out of the pack and climb the corporate ladder.
“Transparency creates trust,” she added. “Because the more value you can contribute [to] your company, the more likely you are to land your next best job.”
Amazon CEO Andy Jassy: You don’t have to have it all figured out
In an era defined by constant change, trying to carve out an entire career at a young age can be overwhelming. But Amazon CEO Andy Jassy says the pressure is often self-imposed — and unnecessary.
“I have a 21-year-old son and a 24-year-old daughter, and one of the things I see with them and their peers is that they all feel like they need to know what they want to do with their lives at that age,” Jassy said on the podcast. How Leaders Lead with David Novak. “And I really don’t think that’s true.”
Jassy’s own career is proof. Long before becoming CEO of one of the world’s most powerful companies, he experimented, trying his hand at sports broadcasting, product management and entrepreneurship. He also worked at a retail golf shop, coached high school football and tried his hand at investment banking.
This exploration, he said, was essential.
“I’ve tried a lot of things, and I think early on it’s just as important to learn what you don’t want to do as what you do want to do, because it actually helps you figure out what you want to do.”
AMD CEO Lisa Su: Run to the toughest challenges
For AMD CEO Lisa Su, uncertainty isn’t something to fear — it’s where growth happens.
Speaking to graduates at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Su shared the best career advice she’s ever received—and it’s something that may be more relevant than ever: don’t shy away from challenges—take them head-on.
“Run to the hardest problems—don’t walk, run—and that’s where you find the biggest opportunities, where you learn the most, where you differentiate yourself, and most importantly, where you grow,” Su said.
Embracing difficulty, she added, only accelerates learning and impact: “When you choose the hardest challenges, you choose the fastest path to growth and the greatest chance to make a difference.”
Citi CEO Jane Fraser: Dream big and build resilience
For Jane Fraser, the challenges facing young people are personal. Her two sons are just starting to build careers in finance and technology — and she’s been honest with them about how volatile the future of work can be.
In an interview with T. Rowe Price, Fraser said he had to admit that many of today’s jobs may not exist in their current form in just a few years. Thus, it will be critical to figure out how to build resilience and develop skill sets that will allow you to reinvent yourself at multiple points in your career, she added.
And in a world based on artificial intelligence, she admitted that she knows that every answer matters less than the development of sound judgment and human intuition.
“You don’t need to know the answer. You’re going to need judgment. You’re going to need a whole host of other things,” she said.
Her general advice to young people is simple: “Dream.”
“You don’t feel like you have to fit into things because there are so many pressures on kids coming out of college.”
McDonald’s CEO Chris Kempczinski: Support your own career
Chris Kempczinski may be responsible for Happy Meals and Ronald McDonald, but he admits it’s not all fun and games when it comes to building a career. And in a recent Instagram post, the McDonald’s CEO shared the tough love advice some young people need to hear: The ball is in your court — and the onus is on you to achieve your career goals.
“Remember, no one cares about your career as much as you do,” Kempczinski said. “You have to own it, you have to make things happen for you.”
At a time when many young workers look to their networks for a step forward, the risks of being left behind are real: millions of young people are now classed as NEET – not in work, education or training. But Kempczinski said there will always be ups and downs in your career, but no matter what, it will always be beneficial to be someone who keeps an open mind.
“Being a yes person is much better than being a no person,” he added to Ryan Roslansky, CEO of LinkedIn. “So as those career upheavals happen, the more you’re seen as someone who’s willing to say yes and go do something, it just means you’re going to get the next call.”
Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang: Explore skilled trades
Jensen Huang was one of the most watched executives of the year, in large part because he runs the world’s most valuable company — and one at the center of the AI boom.
But the Nvidia CEO’s advice to young people isn’t that they need more degrees or to be a tech whiz. Instead, he urged Gen Z to take a serious look at skilled trades—jobs that are both more resilient to artificial intelligence and increasingly essential to the growth of technology.
“If you’re an electrician, you’re a plumber, a carpenter – we’re going to need hundreds of thousands of them to build all these factories,” Huang told Britain’s Channel 4 News.
“The skilled craft segment of every economy will boom,” he added. “You’re going to have to double and double and double every year.”
Walmart CEO Doug McMillon: Raise your hand
Doug McMillon announced his retirement this year as head of the world’s largest retailer — and the largest Fortune 500 company.
And throughout his decades-long career at Walmart, he’s learned a thing or two about climbing the corporate ladder; after all, he entered the C-suite after a career that began unloading trucks in a warehouse making just $6.50 an hour. But he could not have reached the top without the help of others.
“Nothing happens just by the work of an individual,” McMillon said at Stanford’s Graduate School of Business in May. “We’re all in this together.”
Another secret to his success, he said, is his willingness to volunteer for tasks that others may balk at.
“One of the reasons I got the opportunities I got was because I’d raise my hand when my boss wasn’t in town going to the shops or something,” McMillon said. Strategy last year.
It also allowed him to face more senior managers and show them that he was ready for the next rung on the ladder—a lesson that today’s Generation Zers can use to stand out in the competitive job market.
“I then put myself in an environment where I became a low-risk promotion because people had already seen me do the job,” McMillon said.
This story was originally featured on Fortune.com