Recently, I travelled to Canada to attend my daughter’s graduation. She has already moved to Toronto from Vancouver and is settling into her first professional assignment. Why do I say “first professional assignment”? Thanks to the UBC co-op program, she has completed a couple of internships both on and off campus.

Apart from the usual, the trip offered me yet another opportunity to interact with students from different universities and various programs, as well as a chance to engage with young professionals in their first jobs. Altogether, I met around twenty youngsters over coffee, smoothies, and Indian meals. I had freewheeling chats, got to hear their voices, and understood their perspectives. Interacting with youngsters is the best aspect of my work. Time and again, I have to drop my preconceived notions and see the world from their prism. This trip added yet another layer to it as it happened in their backyard.

Young people are receiving conflicting messages from their peers, teachers, and parents. We are also hearing about their quarter-life crisis. They have access to the best education, and resources, but there is still a sense of anxiety and burnout. The gap between what life should be and the harsh realities of economic upheaval, climate crisis, AI existential threat, and geopolitical disorder is very real. This article is an attempt to summarise the five key takeaways that can help parents get a peek into their children’s world.

There is a World Beyond Academics:

As a society, we place very high importance on education and grades. Most parents, in their keen desire to see their children well-settled, spend an inordinate amount of time and effort in getting a well-polished resume for their children. I am guilty of it too. This is not a critique but an observation. The result of this overwhelming emphasis is that we ignore, don’t ask about, or don’t listen to other challenges that our children face. It is not that I didn’t talk about academics this time, but it was a sideshow. In no conversation did it take up more than one-fifth of the exchange. This opened another world, allowing me to see their lives in a holistic manner.

Stress and Anxieties are Real:

In the Western world, there is not much taboo on talking about emotional health, and the system encourages conversations around it. Emotional health and the struggles around it came up in almost all conversations. I don’t want parents to be alarmed, but it is true that our children face ups and downs while settling in and adjusting to a different culture and adopting new academic norms. I heard a few cheeky stories of offering anxiety as an excuse for late assignments, but the stress is real, and they are brave in confronting and seeking solutions. Almost all kids have stories of falling out with a friend, breaking up of a relationship, or struggling to find a partner. What’s expected of us is not to be dismissive of it but to be sensitive to their world.

High Inflation & Brutal Job Market:

One of the most satisfying parts of the discussion was to see their sensitivity to money. All youngsters, without exception, are extremely sensitive to the amount of money spent by their parents and the privileges they enjoy. They are also aware of the cost of Uber, coffee, eating out, etc. This makes them smarter and wiser about money and also puts pressure on them to achieve some level of economic security. Hence, there is greater pressure to find a job. Whether in India or the Western world, the job market post-Covid is not kind to Gen Z. I heard stories of students from universities sending hundreds of applications for internships/jobs. As immigrants, Indian students need to work extra hard to gain local experience and understand the social and cultural work environment. There is no easy path to achieving this.

Lack of Leaders and Credible Institutions:

I saw youngsters demonstrating their unhappiness about the world. Most of them are still idealists and want the world to be a better place. I saw a large encampment on the University of Toronto campus, and even on graduation day, students made sure that their voices were heard. On the other hand, most businesses not being able to offer a secure future worries them and makes them deeply sceptical when blind loyalty is demanded. Perhaps that’s why they are not willing to sacrifice themselves for work and often seek some balance.

There is a Generation Gap:

Many parents get on a nostalgia trip and try to compare their growing-up days with their children’s, then bemoan them for not working hard enough, not being smart enough, and not being resilient enough. Trust me, there is no better way to create a gulf between yourself and your kid if you are doing this. We are all blind to our own shortcomings, and we all look at history through tinted glasses. So parents, please make an effort to empathise with their challenges. They are not living in the 1980s or 90s.

Overall, I am enthused by their sensitivities, their deep desire to make the world a better place, and the breakneck speed with which they grow. Ira, my daughter, and I fought a few times. She never fails to push back and forces me to see the world differently. I make a sincere effort to become a better father and a better human being.

There is no way anyone can escape the youthful infectious energy. Despite all the hiccups, their world has hope and optimism. They have aspirations that might be different from ours. They rally around each other and offer support. Even with these few interactions, I have come back with positive energy and optimism about the future. It has been a delightful experience, and I am grateful for their trust.