The Toxic Cycle of Hustle Culture
Being busy isn’t always the most productive thing you can do
Long gone are the days when you can master a trade or a skill right out of high school or college and work one job for 20+ years making enough income to live in a sizeable home while supporting your entire family — feed, clothe, shelter them and afford the luxury of the occasional family vacation — and retire at the age of 65. Those were the days of my parents’ and grandparents’ generation. Not to say that it’s impossible in today’s economy, but it damn near seems impossible.
Back in my day, kids of my generation were told to go to college, get a degree in something substantial and when we graduate we’ll get a good, high-paying job. I’m what they call a millennial and boy were we in for a rude awakening.
The majority of my college friends don’t even work in the field that they majored in in college, and if they do, the path was not straight to get there but filled with other jobs to make ends meet along the way or more schooling. Add on high costs of living rising higher thanks to inflation, lack of job security which intensified thanks to Covid, and student loan debt that many of my generation will pass on to future generations. It’s no wonder why hustle culture is so prevalent.
