Written By Cari Borden

We were the latchkey kids.
The ones who learned independence before we could legally stay home alone.
We grew up on cassette tapes, rebellion, and watching the world change in real-time, unfiltered.
And now? Many of us are finding ourselves in transition. Again.

But this time, it’s not a mixtape we can rewind or a floppy disk we can eject.
This time, it’s our careers, our identities, that feel like they’re glitching in a world we no longer recognize.

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👊 The Generation That Broke the Mold
Gen X never fully bought into the system.
We challenged norms.
We asked questions.
We figured out how to make it work without a roadmap.

And we did it while quietly holding everyone else together.
We weren’t loud like Boomers, or hyperconnected like Millennials.
We were the bridge. The glue. The get-it-done generation.

But here we are…
Watching systems we once improved now get swallowed up by corporate greed, performative leadership, and algorithm-driven decisions that treat people like inventory instead of talent.

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😤 The Frustration is Real
We’ve led teams through chaos.
We’ve stayed loyal.
We’ve put people first.
And yet, here we are again, watching younger, cheaper, AI-friendly hires being prioritized over wisdom, context, and experience.

It’s not that we fear change.
We are change.
But we don’t thrive in a world built on micromanagement, surveillance, and performative “transparency.”
Control is the new currency, and Gen X was never here for it.

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💔 The Emotional Toll
Let’s be honest.
It’s disappointing.
It’s exhausting.
It’s infuriating to feel like your leadership is no longer enough because it doesn’t come with the performative shine of trendiness.

But that rage? That disappointment?
It’s just proof that we still care.
That we still feel.
And Gen X has always been about feeling the fire, then doing something with it.

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🤝 We Still Look Out for Each Other
One thing that hasn’t changed?
We take care of our own.
We share jobs in DMs.
We check in on each other in between interviews and consult gigs.
We offer real talk in a world full of curated nonsense.

If you’re a Gen X leader in transition, hear this:
You are not outdated. You are underutilized.

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🔥 Final Thought:
This world wasn’t built for us,
but we built a lot of it anyway.
And maybe, just maybe, this transition is our next rebellion.

A call to finally create the work we always dreamed of.
On our terms.
With people who get it.
Without begging anyone for permission.

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📣 Call to Action:
If you’re a Gen X leader trying to figure out what’s next, you’re not alone.
Let’s build this next chapter together, with guts, grace, and a healthy dose of “Don’t tell me what to do.”

👉 Need a no-fluff mentor who gets it?
I’m here. Let’s talk. Find me on Fiverr.