As millions of Gen Zers face unemployment, CEOs of Amazon, Walmart, and McDonald’s say opportunity is still there—if you have the right mindset

2025 has been a rocky year for Gen Z college graduates. Entry-level hiring has slowed , competition has intensified , and the once-reliable promise that a degree would translate neatly into a stable career has started to fray . Some CEOs, including Anthropic’s Dario Amodei and Ford’s Jim Farley , 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 bleak one. As AMD CEO Lisa Su put it: “Run towards the hardest problems-not walk, run-and that’s where you find the biggest opportunities, where you learn the most, where you set yourself apart, and most importantly, where you grow.” For the millions of Gen Z NEETs and job huggers looking to land a new job-or promotion-in the New Year, the takeaway is clear: embrace challenges, stay curious, take ownership of your career, and remain 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 firm’s past leaders, many of whom came from conventional business backgrounds, spent their entire careers at the company, and were men. Instead, Sweet told Fortune this year that embracing uncertainty, and saying yes when opportunities arise, helped propel her into the role-a lesson that Gen Z can learn from. Even at the top, she said, leadership doesn’t mean 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 is not usual in a lot of companies,” Sweet said. That mindset began during 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 stick out from the pack and traverse up the corporate ladder. “Transparency builds trust,” she added. “Because the more value you can contribute [to] your company, the more likely you’re going to get that best next job.” Amazon CEO Andy Jassy: You don’t need to have it all figured out In an era defined by constant change, trying to map out an entire career at a young age can feel overwhelming. But Amazon CEO Andy Jassy says that pressure is often self-inflicted-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 they all feel like they have to know what they want to do for their life at that age,” Jassy said on the podcast, How Leaders Lead with David Novak . “And I really don’t believe 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 sportscasting, product management, and...

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