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 entrepreneurship. He also worked at a retail golf store, coached high school soccer, and tried investment banking.
That exploration, he said, was essential.
“I tried a lot of things, and I think that early on, it’s just as important to learn what you don’t want to do as what you want to do, because it actually helps you figure out what you want to do.”
AMD CEO Lisa Su: Run toward the toughest challenges
For AMD CEO Lisa Su, uncertainty isn’t something to fear—it’s where growth happens.
Speaking to graduates at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Su shared the best career advice she has ever received—and it’s something that may be more relevant than ever: don’t avoid challenges—tackle them head-on.
“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,” Su said.
Embracing difficulty, she added, only accelerates learning and impact: “When you choose the hardest challenges, you choose the fastest path to growth and the greatest chance to make a difference.”
Citi CEO Jane Fraser: Dream big and build resiliency
For Jane Fraser, the challenges facing young people are personal. Her two sons are only just beginning to build their careers in finance and tech—and she’s been candid with them about how unstable the future of work may be.
In an interview with T. Rowe Price, Fraser said she’s had to acknowledge that many of today’s jobs may not exist in their current form in just a few years. Thus, figuring out how to build resiliency and develop skillsets that will allow you to reinvent yourself several points in your career will be critical, she added.
And in an AI-driven world, she admitted knowing every answer matters less than developing sound judgement and human intuition.
“You don’t need to know the answer. You’re going to need judgment. You’re going to need a whole range of other things,” she said.
Her overarching advice for young people is simple: “Dream.”
“Don’t feel you’ve got to be pigeonholed into things because there’s so many pressures on the kids coming out of college.”
McDonald’s CEO Chris Kempczinski: Stand up for your own career
Chris Kempczinski may be responsible for Happy Meals and Ronald McDonald—but he recognizes that not all is fun and games when it comes to building a career. And in a recent Instagram post, the McDonald’s CEO shared the tough love advice some young people need to hear: the ball is in your corner—and the onus is on you to reach your career goals.
“Remember, nobody cares about your career as much as you do,” Kempczinski said. “You’ve got to own it, you’ve got to make things happen for yourself.”
At a time when many young workers are grasping at their networks for a leg up, the risks of falling behind are real: millions of young people are now classified as NEET—not in employment, education, or training. But Kempczinski leveled that there will always be career ups and downs, but no matter what, it’ll always be beneficial to be someone who keeps an open mind.
“ To be a yes person is way better than to be a no person,” he added to LinkedIn CEO’s Ryan Roslansky. “So as those career twists and turns happen, the more that you’re seen as someone who’s willing to say yes and to go do something, it just means you’re gonna get that next call.”
Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang: Explore the skilled trades
Jensen Huang has been one of the most closely watched executives of the year, largely because he leads the world’s most valuable company—and one at the center of the AI boom.
But the Nvidia CEO’s advice to young people isn’t that they need multiple degrees or to be a tech whiz. Instead, he’s been urging Gen Z to take a serious look at skilled trades—jobs that are both more AI-resistant and increasingly essential to tech’s growth.
“If you’re an electrician, you’re a plumber, a carpenter—we’re going to need hundreds of thousands of them to build all of these factories,” Huang told Channel 4 News in the U.K.
“The skilled craft segment of every economy is going to see a boom,” he added. “You’ve going to have to be doubling and doubling and doubling every single year.”
Walmart CEO Doug McMillon: Raise your hand
Doug McMillon announced his retirement this year as the head of the world’s largest retailer—and the top company on the Fortune 500 list.
And throughout his decades-long career at Walmart, he’s learned a thing or two about climbing the corporate ladder; after all, he entered the C-suite after a career that began with unloading trucks at a warehouse making just $6.50 an hour. But he couldn’t have gotten to the top without the help of others.
“Nothing happens through the work of just an individual,” McMillon told Stanford’s Graduate School of Business in May. “We all do this together.”
Another secret for his success, he has said, is his willingness to volunteer for tasks that others may snub their nose at.
“One of the reasons that I got the opportunities that I got was that I would raise my hand when my boss was out of town and he or she was visiting stores or something,” McMillon told Stratechery last year.
This also enabled him to get face time with more senior management, and show them he was ready for the next rung up the ladder—a lesson that Gen Zers of today can use to stand out in the competitive job market.
“I then put myself in an environment where I became a low-risk promotion because people had already seen me do the job,” McMillon said.
This story was originally featured on Fortune.com