Gen Z and Millennials Abandon Corporate Jobs as 43% Seek Self-Employment, 39% Join FIRE Movement

The corporate ladder, once a symbol of stability and success, is increasingly being abandoned by young professionals and seasoned entrepreneurs alike. A growing number of individuals—spanning Generation Z, millennials, and Gen X—are rejecting traditional 9-to-5 roles in favor of self-employment, driven by disillusionment with rigid corporate structures, stagnant wages, and a desire for purposeful work. This trend is exemplified by founders who traded corporate careers for ventures that align with their values and aspirations.

Loren Castle, CEO of refrigerated cookie dough brand Sweet Loren’s, left a corporate public relations job after a cancer diagnosis in her 20s. Her pivot to creating a healthy snack business has since expanded to 35,000 retail locations. Similarly, Bryant Gingerich, a millennial who purchased wooded land for short-term rentals, generated $350,000 in net profits in 2024 by exiting his engineering role. Jomaree Pinkard, a Wharton graduate and former NFL consultant, transformed his beverage hobby into a multimillion-dollar cocktail company. Cesar Carvalho, ex-McKinsey and Harvard-bound executive, retrained to build a corporate wellness platform now used by 20 million employees. Mette Lykke, former McKinsey consultant, co-founded the sustainable food app Too Good to Go after an impulsive decision to start a business, later selling a fitness app for $85 million. These stories highlight a shared frustration with corporate monotony and a willingness to take risks for autonomy and fulfillment.

The shift is not limited to older generations. Gen Z’s dissatisfaction with traditional careers is intensifying. A 2024 Credit Karma report reveals that 43% of young professionals have no desire to work in corporate roles, with 60% finding such jobs “soul-sucking.” Struggles to secure employment—65% of Gen Zers report uncompetitive salaries—and rising inflation, which 61% say outpaces their pay, exacerbate frustration. Additionally, 47% cite observing older generations’ workaholic habits as a reason to reject traditional career paths. Social media further amplifies these trends, with 39% of Gen Z identifying as part of the FIRE (Financial Independence, Retire Early) movement and 26% admitting to quitting corporate jobs after seeing peers’ entrepreneurial journeys online.

The convergence of generational attitudes underscores a broader cultural pivot toward autonomy. Founders like Castle, Gingerich, and Lykke demonstrate that the decision to leave corporate roles often stems from a desire to control one’s time and pursue meaningful work. For Gen Z, this aligns with a rejection of outdated career models in favor of flexibility and purpose. However, the transition is not without challenges. Lykke notes that entrepreneurial success requires proactive initiative: “It’s not going to land in your lap—you just decide to go for it or you don’t.”

As AI and automation further disrupt entry-level jobs, the push toward self-employment may accelerate. Companies that fail to address employee dissatisfaction through flexibility or purpose-driven missions risk losing talent to ventures that better align with individual values. The stories of these founders reflect a paradigm shift in how work is defined—a move from corporate hierarchies to personalized, impactful careers.

[1] Source: [title] 2024 Credit Karma Report [url] https://fortune.com/2025/07/25/gen-z-hate-corporate-jobs-so-did-these-founders-ceos-success-companies-jobs-careers-advice/