"Rat race," "chaos," "stressful": these are just a few ways young people are describing days stuffed with side projects, shift schedules, and Google Calendars color-coded by job.
Illustration Credit: Zach Hackman
At one of her three jobs, Makayla, a 22-year-old in Texas, pushes 80-pound crates on a dolly. The seasonal retail position demands a lot of walking and lifting, with customers pulling candles off shelves faster than she can unload them. Makayla (who is going by her first name to protect her privacy) is often sore to the point of pain when she arrives at her other job, where she’s a clerk for a judge, supporting the court’s day-to-day operations.