Gen Z Kids Mastered 5 Practical Life Skills By High School That Most Older Generations Still Struggle With
Drazen Zigic / Shutterstock Gen Z often faces criticism from older generations for lacking the practical skills necessary to survive everyday life, when that couldn't be further from the truth.
In fact, by the time they got to high school, many Gen Zers had already mastered several skills that people in most older generations still grapple with today. They may be young and still have plenty to learn, but don't be fooled. They know what they're doing.
By the time they started high school, Gen Z had already mastered these practical skills that boomers, Gen X, and millennials still struggle with
1. Communicating effectively through online channels
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Throughout their childhood, Gen Z saw an explosion of social media that made it necessary to learn how to communicate effectively online. As a result, this generation was incredibly eager to start posting on platforms like Snapchat and engage directly with their friends' posts on Instagram.
Once they got to middle school, many Gen Zers had their own phones, so they could download these apps and start communicating online with all sorts of people at the touch of a button. You had to be good at communicating, or it could cost you everything: your friendships, your relationships, and even your reputation.
2. Getting to the root of tech problems
In our hyper-digital world, understanding basic tech issues and how to solve them is an absolutely crucial skill to have. Gen Z has really never known anything but life with technology, so we grew up picking up tips and tricks to fix issues before they led to expensive repairs or replacements.
They became highly skilled at going on YouTube and figuring out how to do anything from restarting your phone when the screen is frozen to clearing out unnecessary items taking up storage and protecting yourself against malware. This generation knows that it's a good rule of thumb to try anything possible to maintain the health and security of your device and fix any problems before you have to hire someone for services that will cost you extra.
3. Moving between apps with different rules
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To add onto the previous point, Gen Z also grew up with smartphones already in their hands. As a result, you had to know how to work all sorts of apps with different rules in order to do what you wanted to. Many people in older generations still struggle to switch between apps comfortably because it isn't something they learned to do from childhood like Gen Z did.
Whether it was Angry Birds or Photo Booth, the numerous apps they explored as kids played an integral role in developing this generation's keen ability to adapt to new, emerging technology with ease. Engaging with apps all the time literally laid the groundwork for Gen Z to be flexible in their thinking and recall how to use whatever they could to the best of their ability.
4. Doing research online
Because they grew up navigating search bars that seemingly have all of the answers, Gen Z knew that online research was an asset by the time they got to high school. Many people in older generations seem to insist on still finding directions to places themselves or consulting experts about something incredibly minor, but that couldn't be further from the truth for Gen Z.
We're the generation that knows that while Google may not be able to answer every single question you'll ever have, it can absolutely save everyone time and energy. As a result, you'll seldom find a Gen Zer asking other people easily Google-able questions such as where to find a certain restaurant or what's the latest on the news.
5. Embracing diversity and inclusivity
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Last but certainly not least, Gen Z really is the first generation to grow up connected to the entire world, albeit digitally. This has allowed us to forge a new path where diversity and inclusion are concepts many of us view as something to be cherished and embraced rather than rejected, slowly integrating them into our daily lives, along with law and policy.
While this one may seem more like an ethics argument, embracing diversity and inclusivity is definitely a practical life skill, as we're always going to have to deal with new, different people on a daily basis. This generation knows that you can either fight against it and make yourself and everyone around you more miserable, or you can lead with compassion and empathy, making the world a better place in the process.
Luke Aliga is a writer with a degree in Technical Writing and Communication who covers relationships, culture, human-interest topics, astrology, and manifestation.
