As the United States prepares to celebrate its 250th anniversary on Saturday, July 4, one of its defining ideals is facing new scrutiny from the generation coming of age in an economy far different from the one their parents inherited.

Ask Columbia students what the American Dream means today, and there is no consensus. Some still believe in it. Others say it has changed. Some question whether it ever existed at all.

“I think the American Dream was always a sales pitch.”

“I think it was a lot more of a promise.”

“I don’t think it actually exists.”

Those views reflect a broader shift in how many students define success. Rather than pursuing the traditional markers of homeownership and a lifelong career, many described the American Dream as more personal, centered on meaningful work, financial security and the freedom to build a life on their own terms.

“I think an apartment with food, water, electricity, that is the goal for the American Dream of our generation,” said junior audio arts major Colton Roach. “It really has diminished over the years.”

A survey by UCLA’s Center for Scholars & Storytellers found that while 86% of Americans ages 14 to 27 want to achieve the American Dream, 60% believe it will be difficult for them personally to do so. Nearly three-quarters also said it is harder for their generation to achieve happiness than it was for previous generations.

Columbia career advisor Jennifer Halperin, who has worked at the college’s Career Center for almost 20 years, said those shifting expectations are reflected in the conversations she has with students. 

“One of the first things that seems to come up these days, which never really did before, is the idea that the students and new grads come to feel like they’re probably going to work two jobs to make ends meet,” Halperin said. 

She said many creative students now expect a second source of income while pursuing the careers they genuinely want, but she believes they often underestimate how versatile their education can be. 

“What I have seen that is an advantage to many of the students that I’ve worked with at Columbia over the years is that the skills you’re picking up, whether in journalism or photography or social media, digital strategies are more transferable than a lot of people think,” Halperin said. 

That shift extends beyond creative careers. The Upwork Research Institute found that 28% of U.S. skilled knowledge workers now freelance or work independently, while 36% of full-time knowledge workers said they are considering freelancing for the flexibility it offers.

“I think it’s good that people are kind of opening their eyes and saying this doesn’t have to be the American Dream and that people can find their own meaning for that,” Roach said. 

Junior double major in creative writing and film and television Ocean Kovarik questioned whether the promise of the American Dream ever truly existed. 

“I think the American Dream was always a sales pitch,” Kovarik said. “It’s really hard to say America can still fulfill the American Dream. Everything is too expensive.”

Still, Kovarik said those realities have not changed his career goals. 

“I got one shot at this and I would rather die than work in an office,” he said. “This is my one shot at doing something that I really like.”

Junior comedy writing and performance major Caleb Jones said the difference is not what people want, but what they expect. 

“I think it was a lot more of a promise,” Jones said. “Now, it’s still just a dream.” 

Though he hopes to own a home one day, Jones said material milestones no longer determine whether he considers himself successful.

“I choose to live my life,” he said. “I can accept the fact that I might not own a home. That’s not something I need to feel successful in life.” 

For junior film and television major Regan Neely, the question goes beyond redefining success.

“I don’t think it actually exists,” she said. “I don’t think there’s a defined American Dream at all.” 

Even so, Neely acknowledged that many of the traditional aspirations remain.

“I think I will maybe get it,” Neely said of owning a home. “But it’s not going to be the way I want it to be.” 

While students described changing expectations, Justin Sinkovich, associate professor in the School of Business and Entrepreneurship, said the careers they are preparing for have also changed. 

“Students are increasingly building independent self-authored careers by building portfolios of opportunities,” Sinkovich told the Chronicle in an email. “Students are learning they don’t need to wait for a gatekeeper’s permission to start a new business or project.”

He said emerging technologies are creating opportunities rather than replacing them. 

“AI is raising the value of originality and automated a lot of tedious tasks to focus on creative work. Students who learn how to direct these tools with their own voices will be able to better express themselves and reach the world,” he said.

Halperin said that after watching generations of Columbia students graduate into an ever-changing workforce, she has learned that success rarely follows the path students originally imagine. Some alumni found accomplishment in major markets, while others returned to smaller communities they never expected to enter. What remained constant, however, was not the career itself, but their willingness to redefine what success looked like. 

Roach said that willingness to redefine success is what defines his generation’s version of the American Dream.

“I think it’s good that people are kind of opening their eyes and saying this doesn’t have to be the American Dream and that people can find their own meaning for that,” Roach said. 

Copy edited by Antonio Chaves