We asked our Millennial & Gen Z colleagues what they want to be when they grow up

There’s this idea that Millennials and Gen Zs are sort of “forever kids”.

In a manner unlike those that have gone before us, we look young, act young, and seem to fear — to a near-irrational point — the terrifying inevitability of Growing Old.

There’s probably something to unpack there.

But on the bright side, it also means we’re a lot more open to upskilling and learning new things.

A LinkedIn survey from earlier this year showed that Gen Z workers were more likely to go back to the classroom to improve their skills, while Millennials were most inclined to consider online classes.

I decided to ask my Millennial and Gen Z colleagues about what skills they’d most want to pick up or work at.

1) Gen Zs

I asked the Gen Zs first.

Hannah, 26, said she’d want to work on her baking skills.

“I always like baking, because it’s de-stressing. Personally I wouldn’t mind doing a home bakery thing,” she mused.

(Kinda funny considering she’s never baked anything for me, but whatever.)

Meanwhile Tharun, 25, immediately replied: “Language.”

“Don’t you already know like 5?” I asked.

“Yeah, add more. Also I only know 4 lol, I’m learning Chinese,” he said.

“Is Chinese part of the 4?” I asked, confused, because from what I know his Chinese is already enough to read the Lianhe Zaobao articles we’re occasionally compelled to do for work. (While I, a native Chinese, am unable to do so.)

“It’s the fifth one, I’m still learning,” he responded.

Gen Zs are such overachievers.

2) Millennials

I then turned to my Millennial colleagues, i.e. the old fogies of the Mothership team.

Interestingly, both people I spoke to had more grounded aspirations.

Andrew, 31, said he wanted his girlfriend to go for a massage course (I didn’t ask questions).

But he also said that he’d personally want to learn coding.

“It seems super useful,” he said.

“What do you want to code?” I asked, somewhat wary.

“EVERYTHING,” he replied with no elaboration. (Again, didn’t ask.)

Belmont, 40, had a whole host of things he wanted to do:

• Guitar-maker (because it’s cool or something)
• Pastry chef (because it’s harder than cooking)
• Taxi driver (so he can talk sh*t with passengers)
• Coder (?????)

The last one seemed slightly out of place, so I asked him why. “So you can help when we have problems with the website?” I asked, ever the optimist.

“So I will know who to blame” was his deadpan answer.

My colleagues are all weird, but okay.

If you’re also keen to pick up some skills in tech, why not consider Vertical Institute’s Data Science & AI course? It’s cost-effective, flexible, and designed for varying levels of experience. Also, it’s SkillsFuture claimable.

Still unsure? Consider one of Vertical Institute’s Tech Bootcamps. With just seven lessons (three hours each), it’s a great way to get a taster of what it’s like to work in the tech industry.

Depending on your interest, there are courses for UI/UX design, digital marketing, data analytics, and even blockchain and cryptocurrency.

Maybe use your newfound knowledge for good rather than evil, though.

Forever learning

I’m not old old, but I’m old enough that I still remember when the iPhone broke into the mass market.

“That’s so stupid, it doesn’t even have a keyboard,” I said scornfully when my mum asked if I’d want her used iPhone 3G.

Cut to today, and you’d have to prise my iPhone with its three-camera functionality, infinite iCloud storage, and every navigation app available on the planet out of my cold, dead hands.

The world is changing faster than ever. With a new disruptive innovation or industry trend every other day, it’s hard to keep track, and it’s even harder to feel safe in the status quo.

But that’s also why it’s more important than ever to stay adaptable.

People call Millennials and Gen Zs “forever kids”. It doesn’t have to be an insult.

Kids are flexible, adaptable, and pick up new things at the speed of light with their superior neuroplasticity.

While we might not have that, we still have plenty of options on the market. Offline and online courses, YouTube lessons, instructional TikToks, and so on.

So go forth and learn something new.

As for me, I’m going to go back to the job I will continuously upskill in because I love it so much and will never fail to give it my best. Boss, are you reading this???

Writing this sponsored article made this writer wonder if she could convince her HR department that a chocolate-making course is definitely company-claimable.