There’s no denying that boomers lived through a different world where houses were affordable, jobs were stable, and college didn’t cost as much as a small house. So it’s no surprise that some of the advice they still dish out today feels wildly out of touch. While it’s often well-meaning, it can also be completely irrelevant—or worse, harmful—in today’s world. If you’ve ever been on the receiving end of a “just work harder” lecture, you’re not alone. Here are 13 common pieces of boomer wisdom that absolutely do not hold up anymore.
1. “Just Walk In With Your Résumé”
Boomers love to say this like it’s a cheat code to success. But in today’s job market, handing out paper résumés is about as effective as using a fax machine to send your TikTok. Hiring is done through portals, algorithms, and automated systems that ghost you before a human ever lays eyes on your name. Walking in cold can actually hurt your chances—most places won’t even let you past the front desk.
It also overlooks the fact that many industries don’t function like they did 30 years ago. Networking, referrals, and online visibility matter more than a crisp paper résumé. So while the advice is nostalgic, it just doesn’t match the modern reality of job hunting. No, Dad, it’s not about a firm handshake anymore—it’s about getting past the bots.
2. “You Should Really Buy A House”
This one usually comes from a place of financial pride, but let’s be real—buying a house in 2024 is not the same as it was in 1974. Wages have barely moved, while home prices have skyrocketed into orbit. Add student debt, astronomical rent, and a broken housing market, and it’s no wonder millennials and Gen Z are living with roommates—or their parents. Buying a house feels impossible to younger generations according to an article in Vox.
What boomers forget is that they were often able to buy a home on one income, sometimes without even a college degree. Today, you need a pristine credit score, 20% down, and a miracle. It’s not about irresponsibility—it’s about affordability. A little empathy would go a lot further than another “When I was your age…” speech.
3. “College Is The Only Path To Success”
Back then, maybe. Now? Not so much. Boomers were told college was a golden ticket—and for them, it often was. But tuition has ballooned into lifelong debt, and many graduates are underpaid, underemployed, or not working in their field at all.
While education is still valuable, success looks different now. Trades, entrepreneurship, tech bootcamps, and freelancing are all valid paths. The economy has shifted, but boomer advice hasn’t. Telling someone to “just get a degree” without acknowledging the crushing debt that comes with it is tone-deaf at best.
4. “Never Talk About Money”
This one may have made sense in polite company back in the day, but now, silence around money only benefits the system. As reported by Yahoo News, younger generations are breaking taboos by talking openly about salaries, benefits, and negotiating power, leading to more financial transparency and fairness. Keeping quiet just keeps people underpaid and overworked.
Money talk isn’t rude—it’s survival. Transparency helps close pay gaps, expose discrimination, and give people the tools to advocate for themselves. If boomers had talked more about money, maybe the system wouldn’t be so rigged now. Silence doesn’t protect anyone—it just protects the people hoarding power.
5. “Stick With A Job No Matter What”
Boomers were taught that job loyalty equals stability, and for a while, it did. But now? Companies lay people off without blinking. Pensions are mostly extinct, and long-term job security is more myth than reality. Staying at a job that drains you just to prove loyalty is not a badge of honor—it’s a recipe for burnout.
Younger workers have learned to pivot, adapt, and prioritize mental health over martyrdom. Job-hopping isn’t flakiness—it’s strategy. It’s about growth, fair pay, and not getting stuck in a dead-end role while your boss “promises” a raise that never comes. The new loyalty is to yourself.
6. “Just Stop Buying Lattes”
Boomers act like the $5 coffee is the root of all financial problems. But let’s do the math: even if you bought a latte every single day, you’d spend about $1,800 a year. That’s not keeping people from affording a house—it’s the $800,000 price tag and stagnant wages. Cutting small joys isn’t a budget strategy—it’s financial gaslighting and is the subject of fierce debate, as this CNBC article proves.
This advice also ignores inflation, wage stagnation, and skyrocketing living costs. The issue isn’t coffee—it’s an economy where basic survival is expensive and wealth is increasingly out of reach. No one saved for a house by skipping brunch. But plenty of people stayed sane because they allowed themselves small pleasures.
7. “We Worked Harder Than You Do”
This one stings because it suggests that younger generations are lazy, which couldn’t be further from the truth. People are working multiple jobs and side hustling and still barely getting by. The hustle is real—it’s just that the system pays less and demands more. Hard work doesn’t guarantee upward mobility anymore.
Boomers didn’t have to compete with automation, gig work, or unpaid internships just to break into their careers. They had union protections, pensions, and affordable homes. Today’s workforce is just as driven—they’re just fighting a tougher game with fewer safety nets. Dismissing that reality is both unfair and uninformed.
8. “You Should Smile More”
Ah, yes, the classic advice women never asked for. Boomer men especially love to dish this one out, often with a wink and zero awareness. But telling someone to smile is not encouragement—it’s control and rude as outlined in this HuffPost article. It’s a way of saying, “You owe me your pleasantness, regardless of how you feel.”
This advice is gendered, outdated, and dismissive of real emotions. People shouldn’t have to perform to be treated with respect. Sometimes, you’re not smiling because life is hard. And sometimes, you just don’t want to. Either way, your face is not public property.
9. “Kids These Days Are Too Sensitive”
Translation: “I never learned emotional intelligence, so your boundaries make me uncomfortable.” What boomers often label as sensitivity is actually self-awareness. Younger generations are more in touch with their feelings, more willing to go to therapy, and more vocal about mental health. That’s not weakness—it’s growth.
The world doesn’t need more people who bottle things up and implode later. It needs people who can name their emotions, ask for what they need, and hold space for others. If that’s being “too sensitive,” then maybe it’s time to redefine strength.
10. “Just Get Married And Settle Down”
This old gem assumes that everyone wants the same life trajectory: marriage, kids, a house, and retirement. But times—and people—have changed. Many now prioritize emotional compatibility, independence, and mental health over tradition. Settling down doesn’t mean settling for a life that doesn’t fit you.
Also, relationships aren’t the same anymore. The cost of living is higher, mental health struggles are more openly acknowledged, and gender roles have shifted. The path to fulfillment is no longer one-size-fits-all. Telling someone to just “get married already” is not only outdated—it’s lazy advice.
11. “Pull Yourself Up By Your Bootstraps”
This phrase is basically the mascot of boomer advice, and one of the most delusional. It assumes that success is purely personal effort, ignoring systemic issues like racism, classism, and generational wealth. Not everyone even has boots, let alone straps. And climbing alone? That’s not resilience—it’s isolation.
Younger generations are realizing that community care, mutual aid, and collective action get us further than lone-wolf hustling. It’s not that people don’t want to work hard—it’s that they’re tired of pretending effort alone is enough. The game is rigged, and pretending otherwise is insulting.
12. “Just Be Grateful You Have a Job”
This one’s the go-to silencer anytime someone complains about toxic work culture. But gratitude and exploitation are not mutually exclusive. You can be thankful for a paycheck and still know you deserve to be treated like a human. Boomers often confuse gratitude with silence—and younger people are rejecting that.
Gratitude is not a muzzle. And the idea that being treated decently is a privilege rather than a right is part of the problem. People aren’t “entitled” for wanting mental health days, safe work environments, or fair pay. They’re asking for what should have been standard all along.
13. “We Had It Harder Than You”
Maybe. But comparing hardships is a waste of time, and totally ignores how different the world is now. Yes, boomers had their challenges. But they also had job security, pensions, affordable homes, and a social contract that largely worked in their favor. Younger generations are facing climate collapse, economic instability, and burnout baked into the system.
Pain is not a competition, and empathy isn’t a limited resource. Dismissing someone’s experience because it doesn’t look like yours doesn’t make you wiser—it just makes you dismissive. Every generation has its battles. The smartest thing we can do is stop comparing and start listening.
