IS GENERATION COVID SCREWED?
AT AGE 19, BRIAN JONES SEEMS THE perfect example of Gen Z success without college—and also, perhaps, of the perils that lie in that path.
During his high school years in Memphis, Tennessee, Jones began training as a barber, eventually becoming so adept at cutting hair that he decided to pursue it fulltime when he graduated in 2020 rather than continue his education. He quickly built a client book that included a smattering of NBA players and other celebrities who discovered videos of his cuts on Instagram. His posts @wheathead_, displaying precocious skill and creativity, sometimes earned millions of views.
Since the heady first days of his launch, however, the business has taken a turn, as soaring inflation prompted clients facing higher prices for food and gas to cut back on less necessary expenses, like pricey haircuts (at Jones’ shop, the going rate is $75 for a cut, $90 if you add a beard trim). Where once he was working 12- to 15-hour days, now Jones sometimes has no appointments at all. To supplement his income, he has launched an online barber school, and is thinking about jobs that could be a last resort, like selling shoes and mowing lawns—things he did to earn money before he cut hair. Jones says, “I’m trying to thrive, but as of now I’m just surviving.”
Three years into the pandemic, after two years of isolation, shuttered schools and virtual commencements, high school graduates like Jones from the classes of 2020, 2021 and beyond—call them Generation COVID—are shunning college in record numbers. Enrollment is down nearly 10 percent over the past two years, a loss of 1.4 million students pursuing degrees. At TikTok, where variations on the hashtag #NotGoingToCollege have racked up more than 30 million views, young people argue “my career doesn’t need college” and talk about starting their own businesses (often as influencers).
Overall, just 51 percent of Gen Z teens are now considering a four-year degree, according to a survey this year by the nonprofit ECMC Group—a 20-point drop since May 2020. “Gen Z students are sharp,” says Jeremy Wheaton, the organization’s former president and CEO. “They’re thinking about things such as the return on their time and dollar investment.”
Their calculations, however, could be misleading. Paying high tuition and taking out student loans to pursue a degree may not feel like the smartest move when the labor market is strong, jobs are plentiful and even warehouse positions at Amazon pay $17, $18 or more an hour. But the gap between what young workers with a high school diploma make versus what people of the same age
