Every generation inherits systems it did not build. The question is what it chooses to do with them. In Episode 90 of the Her Resources Podcast, host Linda Misegadis sits down with Addy Morrison, a second-year Colorado State University student studying political science and history, for an honest conversation about Gen Z, education, work, artificial intelligence, and the future young adults are preparing to enter. Addy does not claim to speak for an entire generation. Instead, she offers a thoughtful view from where she stands: college can still create knowledge, community, communication skills, and opportunity, but its cost and connection to employment deserve serious scrutiny. Young people want meaningful work, yet they are also navigating housing costs, student debt, uncertain career paths, and entry-level roles that may be reshaped by AI. Linda and Addy discuss the difference between questioning a system and taking responsibility for changing it. They explore critical thinking, responsible technology use, purpose and pay, resilience, online outrage, misinformation, echo chambers, and the human conversations that can become harder when generations retreat into stereotypes. This episode asks listeners of every age to consider what is worth preserving, what needs to change, and what each of us is willing to help build. Key takeaways: - Success can be defined by positive impact, not only money or status. - A difficult system is not automatically broken, but every system should be open to improvement. - College offers value beyond the classroom, while cost and career access remain real concerns. - AI may remove some of the early work through which people build judgment and experience. - Purpose and meaningful work require investment from both employers and employees. - Criticism without participation does not create change. - Younger generations can learn perseverance; older generations can learn greater acceptance. - The future improves when generations listen to one another as people, not stereotypes. Listen to Episode 90: https://youtu.be/PP6C_0dl_Nc About Addy’s academic context: Colorado State University: https://www.colostate.edu/ CSU Political Science: https://polisci.colostate.edu/ CSU History: https://history.colostate.edu/ Connect with Her Resources Podcast: Website: https://www.herresourcespodcast.com/ Podbean: https://herresourcespodcast.podbean.com/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@HerResourcesPodcast LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/her-resources-podcast/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/herresourcespodcast/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@her.resources.pod Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/her-resources-podcast/id1768680594 All links: https://linktr.ee/hrpodcast Produced by LJM Productions. 00:00 The systems every generation inherits 03:12 Meet Addy Morrison 04:23 Public policy, purpose, and life after college 05:12 Redefining success beyond money and status 08:23 How generational definitions of success differ 09:09 Which inherited systems feel outdated? 13:08 Why Gen Z experiences money differently 15:30 Career expectations and the one-path problem 18:04 When is a system broken rather than difficult? 20:12 Why “if it is not broken” is not enough 21:37 Is college preparing students for today’s world? 24:45 Is a college degree still worth it? 26:01 What students learn beyond the classroom 27:16 What universities should teach differently 29:19 Understanding history before changing systems 30:23 Degrees, experience, and the entry-level loophole 32:47 Redesigning college from scratch 34:27 The cost and accessibility of higher education 36:51 Entering an AI-native workforce 38:06 Addy’s concerns about AI and creative work 40:20 How students are using ChatGPT 41:43 Are schools teaching responsible AI use? 42:55 When AI removes entry-level learning opportunities 45:04 AI, judgment, and critical thinking 47:44 Human skills technology should not replace 48:48 Purpose versus paycheck 52:21 Do employer values have to match your own? 54:22 Who is responsible for meaningful work? 55:33 Does Gen Z need more resilience? 58:04 Criticism, participation, and keyboard activism 01:01:42 Growing up with unlimited information 01:02:12 What younger generations can learn about sacrifice 01:04:14 Social media, news, and deciding what is true 01:06:22 How to pause and verify online claims 01:06:55 Is Gen Z more resistant or vulnerable to misinformation? 01:08:26 Who is responsible for truth online? 01:10:13 Platform accountability and misinformation 01:12:21 Algorithms and online echo chambers 01:13:43 What Addy would redesign first 01:15:40 Protecting conversation and human connection 01:17:53 Acceptance, perseverance, and learning across generations 01:21:07 What Addy hopes Gen Z gets right 01:22:03 Generations are people, not stereotypes 01:23:35 What are you willing to help build?