For Gen Z, building a career can feel less like climbing a ladder and more like chasing a moving target—as a cooling job market and rising competition blur once guaranteed paths to success. But McDonald’s CEO Chris Kempczinski offers no sympathy.
Instead, the 57-year-old executive is offering some blunt advice for aspiring young professionals: whether the market is hot or cold, no one is going to give you a handout. Your career is yours to build, and the onus is on you to make it happen.
“Remember, nobody cares about your career as much as you do,” Kempczinski said in a recent Instagram video. “You’ve got to own it, you’ve got to make things happen for yourself.”
At a time when many young workers are grasping at their networks for a leg up, the risks of falling behind are real: millions of young people are now classified as NEET—not in employment, education, or training. Against that backdrop, Kempczinski warned there’s no guarantee anyone will always have your back—or ensure you reach your career goals.
Kempczinski knows firsthand that careers rarely unfold as planned. He once dreamed of becoming a professional soccer player, not a CEO. When it became clear early on that his athletic capability wasn’t up to star-level, he took his future into his own hands: turning lessons learned from washing dishes at 16 at First Watch into a three-decade-long career across companies like Procter & Gamble and PepsiCo before he was tapped to lead McDonald’s in 2019.
