“Entry-Level” Jobs Are Everything Wrong With the 21st Century

And corporations are now reaping what they’ve sowed

Photo: Adrian Sulyok/Unsplash

As a 41-year-old, I’ve seen the working world make a sizeable transition from when I was a kid to the point we’re at now. When I started working, it was all about “getting your foot in the door” with an entry-level job and working your way up. The pay wasn’t great (it wasn’t bad either), but more importantly, they weren’t difficult jobs to get and were a genuine stepping stone to something greater.

Then something happened. It wasn’t Millennial entitlement like we’ve heard ad nauseam — at least not in the corporate world. No, it was corporate entitlement.

Some jackass was the first to advertise an entry-level job that required 3–5 years of experience. It’s been happening long enough that I’ve had plenty of conversations with people about how ridiculous the concept is and that it doesn’t make any sense. I even joked in a previous article about how we’re the ones who misunderstand because, in reality, the job isn’t entry-level; the pay is.

But let’s break down what this actually means. Why is an entry-level job so emblematic of corporate greed and employee dissatisfaction?

Previously, it was about an equal exchange of value