Gen Z in crisis: This is how a student fights against the money problem!

Gen Z in crisis: This is how a student fights against the money problem!

Wilma Schneider, a 22-year-old student from Munich, fights against the financial challenges of life during her studies and also works as a cleaner. After seven hours of hard work, with dirty hair and smudged makeup, she talks about her everyday life and the difficulties that arise. She has her monthly room budget of 650 euros for just 11 square meters in a shared apartment where she lives with two friends. The total rent is 2000 euros for 60 square meters, which in her opinion is quite acceptable for Munich, although she also relies on her parents' support. "That's just not enough. That's why I'm cleaning now," she says, as she takes the pressure of the financial situation with humor.

Generation Z in focus

Wilma feels burdened by the prejudices about her generation. Generation Z is often accused of laziness and a lack of work ethic. “I think we are privileged to be able to pursue creative professions,” she emphasizes. She is in the third semester of her communication design studies and is aware of the challenges associated with it. “We are allowed to study what we love, but that is not always easy,” she explains. For them, the debates about gender equality, especially the ban on gender by Bavaria's Prime Minister Markus Söder, are another sign that many of their defining issues are being ignored. “It feels like we and the issues that are important to us are being slowed down,” said Wilma, who is following developments in politics with concern.

In the context of their professional experience in the fashion industry, the salary for tailors, which is on average around 2,410 euros gross per month, is not exactly perceived as rosy. While young professionals have to expect to earn almost 1,980 euros, experienced tailors can earn up to over 4,300 euros, which underlines Wilma's financial pressure. It reflects that many students in creative professions often fall behind average wages, reinforcing the need for a part-time job to maintain living standards. “It’s all part of the game, I take it as it comes,” Wilma concluded.