Gen Z’s unconventional career path

In the past, getting a full-time job often came with an assumption of permanence. You studied for a profession, entered the workforce and gradually built a career around it. For many members of Gen Z, that path is becoming less straightforward. A job can provide income, independence and valuable experience without necessarily being the job someone imagines doing forever. For Maggie and Helena, working as cabin crew has become exactly that: serious work that fits alongside university and larger professional ambitions. Both are studying for careers outside their current jobs, yet neither treats the experience as simply something to pass the time. Instead, the work has given them flexibility, confidence, income and experiences they may not have found in more conventional student jobs.

A job that fits around university

Maggie first came across the opportunity through an Instagram advertisement. She applied without expecting much to come of it and was surprised when she was accepted. Looking back, she describes it as “one of the best decisions” she has made. She wanted to try something outside her normal university routine, meet different people and gain experience. For Maggie, the job became something she could balance alongside university. While the income helps, she says its value goes further. “The confidence, connections, and skills that I gained were just as important,” she explained. She is studying graphic design and ultimately plans to build her career in that field.

Helena's situation is slightly different. She is studying mechanical engineering while working as cabin crew, and she is quick to reject the idea that her position is a side job. “It's not a side job,” she said. “For now, it's a full-time job in my life.” Still, she does not expect it to be her lifelong career. Helena entered the job before completing her engineering degree and saw it as an opportunity to experience working life after moving almost directly from school to university.

More than a salary

For Helena, one of the biggest advantages has been travel. Through the job, she has visited London, Paris and Abidjan and has been able to take advantage of other travel opportunities. The constantly changing routine is part of the attraction. “It's not a routine,” she said. “You don't see the same people each day. You don't fly with the same crew each day.” Maggie sees the same appeal. Every event or flight brings different people and circumstances, helping her build confidence and communication skills. Having some control over her days off also makes balancing the job with university easier. Then there is the financial advantage. Helena says she earns more than many friends who have already graduated. “I know a lot of my friends [who] graduated, keep in mind they're not even making half my salary,” she said. For an undergraduate earning more than $1,000, she considers the income particularly significant in Lebanon's employment market. It creates an unusual situation for young workers: the job they see as temporary can sometimes pay better than the profession they spent years studying to enter.

What social media doesn't show

The lifestyle is also easy to romanticize. Airports, uniforms, hotels and photographs from different destinations can make cabin-crew work particularly attractive on social media. Helena remembers looking up cabin-crew life on TikTok before starting and being attracted to the idea of constantly moving between destinations. But she is critical of young applicants who see only that side of the job. “They're not seeing the life of a cabin crew as a cabin crew,” Helena said. “They're seeing it as someone who is traveling and seeing the world.” “We are,” she added, “but there is also your job at the end. These are the outcomes of your job, not your job.” Behind the travel is a job centered on responsibility. Before boarding, crew members undergo briefings and checks. Once on the aircraft, they inspect safety equipment, life vests, emergency supplies and the cabin before passengers arrive. For Helena, passenger safety is what social media's glamorous portrayal of cabin-crew life often leaves out.

Full-time doesn't have to mean forever

Perhaps the clearest similarity between Maggie and Helena is that neither sees a contradiction between committing to a job today and knowing she may eventually leave it. Maggie's long-term plan remains graphic design. “For right now, I see it as an experience that helped me grow and develop myself,” she said, explaining that she expects to carry the skills she learned into her future career. Helena intends to finish her mechanical engineering degree. Balancing both requires carefully comparing her university and work schedules so classes, studying and flights do not overlap. Yet aviation has also changed what she imagines doing next. After working as cabin crew, she has begun considering becoming a pilot, something she had not originally planned but which connects more closely with her engineering background.

A different approach to work

Maggie believes more Gen Z workers are looking for flexible jobs that allow them to gain experience while studying or pursuing other goals. Helena similarly points out that some cabin crew maintain businesses and other work alongside flying, something the structure of the schedule can make possible. Their experiences challenge the assumption that a job must become a lifelong career to be valuable. For Maggie and Helena, working as cabin crew can provide money, independence, skills and experiences while they continue figuring out what comes next. A full-time job can still be temporary. A university degree does not necessarily dictate someone's first job, and that first job does not have to dictate the rest of their career. For Gen Z, the traditional career ladder may be becoming less linear. Sometimes, fittingly enough, it looks more like a departure board.