A Look At How A Different World Shaped Zillennial Career Paths

By Jasmine Browley· Updated September 26, 2022

I know my parents loved meStand behind me come what may (hmm)I know now that I’m ready, yeahFor I finally heard them say

It’s a different world Than where ya come from

Although those lyrics were sung three decades ago for the theme song of the college-based sitcom, A Different World, they couldn’t be more relevant to the twenty-somethings of today.

The late ’80s sitcom series followed the lives of students from all walks of life at the fictional historically Black university Hillman College was intended to just be an extension of the Cosby Show, but grew into so much more.

Once its producer/director Debbie Allen was tapped for the show’s second season, it evolved into the perfect encapsulation of vibrant HBCU life, including an in-depth take on career development for young adults.

Although the series premiered Sept. 24, 1987, its impact is still felt. Here’s a look at how the characters’ professional journeys reflect some of the steps taken in the workplaces of today.

01Jaleesa Vinson’s non-traditional student journeyJaleesa Vinson came to Hillman as a slightly older student seeking an education after experiencing a bit of life first. She’d been in the workforce for some years and nearly married before enrolling as a college student, so Vinson was a source of wisdom for the underclassmen. Her journey is reflective of today, as nontraditional students make up the majority of postsecondary students in the U.S. A 2015 study by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) reported that 74% of college students could be considered nontraditional, meaning they are over 25. 02Whitley Gilbert’s winding career pathWhile she started out as one of the most confident characters at the beginning of the series, by the end we saw that Whitley Gilbert didn’t have it all figured out at all. The southern belle was dead set on becoming an art curator, but soon realized the field wasn’t as lucrative as she previously thought. We watched her struggle to reconcile with that realization, and eventually follow her passion.

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