It sounds wild, but it’s real: more young adults are ditching the standard 9-to-5 in white-collar roles and instead taking jobs like nannies, personal assistants, house managers working for billionaires, on megayachts, in mansions, under strict NDAs. And for many, it makes more sense than the grind they left behind.
Take Cassidy O’Hagan, 28, as an example. She used to sell medical equipment, hustling through hospitals, long hours, pressure. Then she signed on as a private high-end nanny for an ultra-wealthy family and hasn’t looked back. She now travels on private jets, spends summers in The Hamptons, winters in Aspen and makes between $150,000 and $250,000 a year, with full benefits and perks you wouldn’t expect for a typical private role.
She jokes about cleaning up dog poop on a private yacht, coordinating global trips, and juggling children’s schedules like a general manages an army. But the pay and lifestyle have changed everything.
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White-collar fatigue: Many Gen Z workers entered corporate jobs expecting upward mobility, purpose, and stability. Instead they found stress, burnout, layoffs, stagnation. The appeal of a mansion job? Structure, high pay, and fewer middle-man layers.
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Opportunity meeting demand: The ultra-wealthy population has grown. More multimillionaires and billionaires mean more private-staff roles. Agencies estimate hundreds of new households hiring, and millions in global wealth fueling the demand.
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Lifestyle upgrade: The roles offer perks most traditional jobs don’t: private travel, elite locations, high salaries, and the chance to do work that feels more immediate managing a home, children’s life, global logistics instead of the always-vague “corporate strategy.”
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Control & autonomy: Some roles offer more independence (yes, sometimes crazy hours, but often higher flexibility than office politics). Young workers who are done with the “climb” mindset are leaning toward meaningful, tangible jobs.
Working for ultra-high-net-worth individuals isn’t a vacation. It comes with a set of unique demands:
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NDAs and discretion: Suddenly your job is shrouded in secrecy. On-call overnight from your phone. Some jobs expect you to live onsite or be reachable 24/7.
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Inflexible boundaries: Unlike the corporate job where you leave at 5 p.m., here your day is defined by family needs: a yacht trip, early morning dog walk, late-night event.
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Unclear career path: Sure you make good money now, but what comes next? In many white-collar jobs you had titles, promotions, departments. Here the path is less structured.
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Isolation / high expectations: When you’re living in a mansion or yacht, your social world may shrink. And if things go wrong leak, leak of photo, incident you’re the staff member on the hook.
| Attribute | Traditional White-Collar Job | Private Household Role for Wealthy Family |
|---|---|---|
| Salary Range | Varies, often modest for young staff | Six-figures quickly, heavy perks |
| Perks & Lifestyle | Office amenities, maybe remote days | Private jets, luxury travel, exclusive homes |
| Work Hours / Call | Defined (often 9–5) | Varies widely, as family needs dictate |
| Boundaries | Often clearer | Much blurrier personal + professional mix |
| Career Path | Promotions, titles, structured track | Less formal; advancement depends on household |
| Risk & Oversight | Company rules, HR policies | High expectations, elite client demands |
What we’re seeing isn’t just a niche oddity it signals a deeper change in how young workers view “success.” The idea that you must climb the corporate ladder is fading. Many Gen Zers are prioritizing lifestyle, autonomy, pay and purpose over prestige. Roles that might once have felt “beneath” a college degree (like nanny, personal assistant) now feel savvy, strategic, and financially sound.
This shift also points to how wealth dynamics shape labor. As the richest households expand, job roles supporting them become more lucrative pulling talented people out of traditional sectors and into very private spheres of service. That’s a big change in labor markets you might not see every day.
So if you hear someone say “Gen Z is working for billionaires as nannies and assistants,” it might sound wild but it’s real, it’s growing, and it makes sense. For many, the trade-off is worth it: high paycheck, global travel, big perks. The walls between “corporate” and “service” are breaking down.
If you’re a young worker asking: “Why don’t I just go for the desk job?” you might be surprised by the answer: because the yacht job pays better, offers more freedom, and maybe gets you closer to the life you really want.
