Wisdom often arrives when you least expect it.

This tidbit came from an ordinary lunch, part personal catch-up, part chat about the sad state of our politics and education policy. My lunch partner was a senior executive at CareerWise, the Denver-based national organization that provides apprenticeship programs for those in what they call the “launchpad generation,” ages 16-26.

In discussing the challenges facing this young cohort, my friend shared the CareerWise formulation that the unique factors afflicting this part of Gen Z come down to the three A’s of anxiety, affordability and AI.

The more I have thought about that diagnosis, the more I find it accurate and powerful. Let’s take the midpoint of that contingent. A young person now aged 21 was born in 2005 or 2006.

They have grown up amidst a seemingly endless series of wars within or against the Arab world. They may have some distant recollection of Barack Obama, while Joe Biden was a quickly forgotten nonentity. The dominant political figure in their experience has been Donald Trump, with all the constant division and chaos that comes with him.

This young individual likely was just starting high school when the pandemic brought the world to a halt. At a time when their identity was at a formative stage and their social circle was central to their being, it was all shut down.

A few months later, they watched or participated as the country convulsed over the killing of George Floyd. Some further months down the road, they observed the storming of the Capitol and attempted overthrow of the country’s very democratic heritage to go along with all of the minimizing rationalizations that followed.

It’s a lot.

The mental health struggles of too many in this generation have been well documented. Per a report from the Annie E. Casey Foundation, nearly half (47 percent) of Gen Zers often or always feel anxious. One-third (33 percent) reported persistent feelings of hopelessness or depression. One in five (20 percent) confirm having had a major depressive episode in the past year.  

All of those numbers vastly outweigh the statistics for any other age group. There is nothing comparable.

On top of world events, the omnipresence of digital devices and constant connectivity to social media, with all of the algorithmic comparisons it feeds, has taken a huge toll. The supposed grown-ups in the room have been slow to respond.

Further, the fear of climate change weighs heavily. Many sense that something is amiss with education and that one-sided indoctrination too often substitutes. Some social critics assert that those in this age bracket have been overly shielded from adversity with participation trophies and such assorted silliness. Even as the historical record indicates that the generation has taken plenty of knocks and encountered ample misfortune.

Then there is the matter of widespread economic worry, including that of escalating student logan debt. Which bring us to the second “A,” that of affordability. This one speaks for itself and is felt across generational divides. Though those just embarking on their adult journey are most at risk.

Housing eats up an ever-growing share of personal budgets and the thought of a starter home is a foreign concept absent some largesse from the bank of mom and dad. Coming out of the COVID lockdown, inflation ran rampant, and cost escalation far exceeded internship stipends or starting salaries.

Moreover, young people are information sponges, soaking up the broader zeitgeist. In their limited years, that prevailing sentiment has been one of economic unease. Personal financial confidence has been in short supply.

Lastly, coming to the third “A,” just as adults are gaining some realization as to the damage done by excessive online exposure, artificial intelligence explodes on the scene. The technology is still in its relative infancy, and who knows what it will look like even a few years out?

Of course, those on the launchpad, to again steal the CareerWise term, are early adopters of AI. But they are also most susceptible to its broad economic impacts. We are at the dawn of this revolution, but already we glimpse what it is doing to hiring patterns.

Who is going to be first to be out of luck – the 45-year-old, established consultant with a book of clients or the 22-year-old college graduate just hitting the workforce? Moreover, the tasks often assigned to new hires are those easiest to offload to AI.

It is indeed a brave, new world out there. The fear is that those trying to launch, having already faced substantial headwinds in growing up, will now have trouble gaining early-career traction, which will depress their prospects over their lifetimes.

The underlying question is whether this generation and those who follow will have it better than those who came before. That macro promise of upward trajectory has been the core of our national ethos, the so-called “American dream.” The withering of that assurance fuels much of the anger and division that besets the country.

Gen Z constitutes a test case, and they need help.

Eric Sondermann is a Colorado-based independent political commentator. He writes regularly for Colorado Politics and The Gazette. Reach him at EWS@EricSondermann.com; follow him at @EricSondermann