Gen Z Worker Without A Degree Defends Her ‘Non-Aesthetic’ Job Where She Makes $36 An Hour & Leaves Every Day At 3:30PM
Does it really matter what your workplace looks like, or how your colleagues dress?
Roman Samborskyi | Shutterstock As a society, we’ve gotten used to seeing beautiful offices filled with workers dressed to the nines. This is the aesthetic that is pushed upon us regarding what we should look for in work culture.
One worker went against these expectations with her own job and wasn’t afraid to share it online.
A Gen Z employee shared her job that she said is not aesthetically pleasing but pays the bills.
TikTok content creator Valeria V. Kessel felt like she should share her job, which may not be ideal to some but is perfect for her. Kessel’s initial video about her job has garnered over five million views.
“I might not work at an aesthetic office, but I work 7:30 to 3:30, make $36.50 an hour without a college degree, have AC and [snacks] all day, and I wear jeans and shirts to work,” she shared.
Kessel continued, “I don’t care about dressing fancy as long as I am making enough money to survive in this economy.”
Kessel offered viewers a breakdown of her paycheck and some more information about herself.
She said she is 26 years old and lives in New York. She works as an admin coordinator at a chemical plant and makes $76,000 a year.
“$76,000 a year does not look the same for everyone,” she acknowledged. “I live comfortably (watching my expenses), but it might not be enough for others.”
Kessel pointed out that money looks different for different people based on their circumstances. “Remember, it depends on a lot of factors: state you live in, debt, if you have kids, single or dual income,” she stated.
Kessel’s video did lead to some debate about whether or not $36.50 an hour is enough in the world we live in.
“$30 an hour is like the new $10 an hour,” one person argued. “It really ain’t enough.”
Another person said, “$36.50 would be life-changing.”
Despite the differing opinions on earnings, Kessel insisted she's lucky.
Kessel made a third video in which she explained the real reason she had made her original video.
“The whole point of this video was to show that it’s not important what your workplace looks like, but it’s more important to be able to make enough money to survive,” she said.
Furthermore, Kessel reminded viewers of what was really important. “I know there [are] so many videos out there on TikTok of all of these fancy offices and jobs, you know, in cute outfits to go to work, but that’s not really that important if you’re not making enough money,” she stated.
Although some people said otherwise, Kessel is actually making a good amount of money.
According to Yahoo Finance, the median income for a Gen Zer in New York is $43,744. Kessel is beating this salary by over $30,000. In fact, she is actually closer to the median household income in New York, which is $81,386.
Kessel’s story is also a testament to the decreased value of college degrees in terms of success. She explained that she got her job through a temp agency and was then hired permanently. Since then, she’s gotten two raises that have brought her to where she is today.
This follows the trend among Gen Zers right now. Forbes stated that “As of 2022, only 51% of Gen Z showed interest in pursuing a four-year degree, down from 71% in 2020.”
As Gen Z becomes less and less interested in getting a college degree, we will likely see more discourse surrounding what really makes a job interesting or important. Kessel would certainly argue that aesthetics are not what we should be focused on at work.
Mary-Faith Martinez is a writer for YourTango who covers entertainment, news and human interest topics.