The ‘YOLO’ Economy Why Burned Out Millennials Are Using The Pandemic As An Opportunity To Take That Big Chance

The pandemic has forced us all to come to certain realizations. Some have realized that certain friendships may not be as strong as once believed when the ability to see one another in person is removed from the equation. For others, maybe it’s that you’re more (or less) of a homebody than you’d originally thought. And still for others maybe it’s the discovery of a previously unexplored hobby.

But as New York Times technology columnist Kevin Roose writes in his latest piece for his column “The Shift,” some millennials are deciding that now is the time for them to chase their dreams, travel the world the way they’ve always envisioned, or risk it all to start that business or solo venture they’ve always thought about doing but never been able to pull the trigger on actually starting. Having just spent a year indoors pondering their own mortality and that of their friends and loved ones, Roose writes, and with considerably heftier bank account balances thanks to not being able to go anywhere and asset values that have climbed during the pandemic, many are jumping at the chance to quit their job or career and try their hand at something completely different, or simply to strike out on their own in search of freelance or other opportunities.

Today on AirTalk, we’ll talk about how the “YOLO economy” came about, how some are taking advantage of it, and we want to hear from you! Are you someone who made a drastic career change during the pandemic? Did you leave your day job to pursue travel, a passion project, or self-employment? What led you to this decision? How are things going? Join our conversation by calling us at 866-893-5722.

GUEST:

Kevin Roose, technology columnist for The New York Times and author of the piece “Welcome To The YOLO Economy”; he tweets @kevinroose 

Latesha Byrd, CEO and founder of Byrd Career Consulting, talent development consulting agency based in Charlotte, NC serving organizations and top talent at the intersection of career empowerment, diversity, equity & inclusion and leadership development; she tweets @Latesha_Byrd

The pandemic has forced us all to come to certain realizations. Some have realized that certain friendships may not be as strong as once believed when the ability to see one another in person is removed from the equation. For others, maybe it’s that you’re more (or less) of a homebody than you’d originally thought. And still for others maybe it’s the discovery of a previously unexplored hobby.

But as New York Times technology columnist Kevin Roose writes in his latest piece for his column “The Shift,” some millennials are deciding that now is the time for them to chase their dreams, travel the world the way they’ve always envisioned, or risk it all to start that business or solo venture they’ve always thought about doing but never been able to pull the trigger on actually starting. Having just spent a year indoors pondering their own mortality and that of their friends and loved ones, Roose writes, and with considerably heftier bank account balances thanks to not being able to go anywhere and asset values that have climbed during the pandemic, many are jumping at the chance to quit their job or career and try their hand at something completely different, or simply to strike out on their own in search of freelance or other opportunities.

Today on AirTalk, we’ll talk about how the “YOLO economy” came about, how some are taking advantage of it, and we want to hear from you! Are you someone who made a drastic career change during the pandemic? Did you leave your day job to pursue travel, a passion project, or self-employment? What led you to this decision? How are things going? Join our conversation by calling us at 866-893-5722.

GUEST:

Kevin Roose, technology columnist for The New York Times and author of the piece “Welcome To The YOLO Economy”; he tweets @kevinroose 

Latesha Byrd, CEO and founder of Byrd Career Consulting, talent development consulting agency based in Charlotte, NC serving organizations and top talent at the intersection of career empowerment, diversity, equity & inclusion and leadership development; she tweets @Latesha_Byrd