Future Zers at later ages in life are a recruiting pool that will need skills to remain relevant.

Solution: The military can be the great reskilling program older Zers will be looking for.

 There's the often-repeated expression that 40 is the new 30. For Z, a better trope would be that 30 is the new 20, since you can become a better version of your past self. With further research and investment in anti-aging lifestyles,[1] [2] science is delivering the first generation to live forever (or, more realistically, the first generation in modern times to achieve a massive 5-10 year jump in life expectancy). While the military has traditionally recruited from a young age pool, the most significant opportunity to attract Z may still be years away. As the oldest Zers turn 26, it's reasonable to prepare to continue to make the military appeal to them for at least a decade and a half more. As Zoomers continue to age, there are positive reasons to believe that their grit and ability to get challenging jobs done will increase over time.[3]Counteracting this positive trajectory will be that the skills needed to stay current in a dynamic world economy will be ever-changing. Future Zers at later ages in life are a recruiting pool that will need skills to remain relevant. The military can offer the reskilling program that Zers are looking for…

[1] Delbert, Caroline. “Jeff Bezos Is Paying for a Way to Make Humans Immortal.” Popular Mechanics. January 26, 2022. https://www.popularmechanics.com/technology/startups/a38867242/jeff-bezos-altos-labs/.

[2] Oliver Zolman, M.D. https://www.oliverzolman.com/

[3] Duckworth, Angela L., Christopher Peterson, Michael D. Matthews, and Dennis R. Kelly. “Grit: Perseverance and Passion for Long-Term Goals.” Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 92, no. 6 (2007): 1087–1101. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.92.6.1087.

Matthew Weiss is currently an Intelligence Officer in the United States Marine Corps. His book, “We Don’t Want You, Uncle Sam: Examining the Military Recruiting Crisis with Generation Z” is available on amazon in paperback, e-book, and audiobook format.