When a Gen Z Redditor asked Millennials how they survived the recession in their 20s, the responses painted a stark picture of economic desperation that feels eerily relevant as today’s young workers face what some are calling the “AI takeover” of entry-level jobs.
The discussion on r/Millennials revealed survival strategies that ranged from pragmatic to desperate, offering a roadmap for navigating economic chaos that Gen Z might need sooner than anyone wants to admit.
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According to posters on the thread, the most common survival tactic during the Great Recession was simply avoiding the job market entirely. Millennials flooded back into graduate schools and community colleges, waiting out the economic storm while racking up student loan debt that many are still paying off today.
“Ride out the recession in academia” was the prevailing wisdom, though this strategy came with its own long-term consequences. The generation ended up with more advanced degrees than any before it, but also unprecedented debt burdens that delayed homeownership and family formation for years.
For those who couldn’t afford more school, the options were grimmer. Many moved back in with parents, sometimes for years, while working multiple low-wage jobs. One poster noted the phenomenon of experienced, laid-off professionals competing with new graduates for entry-level positions, creating what they described as a “massive wage suppression event” that set careers back by years.
Some chose to leave the country entirely, with teaching English in South Korea, Japan, or Taiwan becoming a popular escape route from the devastated domestic job market.
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The Reddit thread didn’t shy away from the darker realities. Multiple posters reported surviving on Top Ramen and fast-food dollar menus, which at least remained affordable during that era. Others described “flirting with homelessness and hunger,” relying on food banks, or resorting to illegal work to stay afloat.
The mental health toll was severe, with references to “deaths of despair” and heavy substance use as coping mechanisms. Yet the experience also fostered unexpected resilience and community, with many Millennials forming tight-knit “tribes” of friends who supported each other through the crisis.