From Robotics to Reality: The Curious Case of Zach Farquaad and the American Dream Deferred
In another time, Zach Farquaad’s story would be a celebration of upward mobility and personal triumph. Born in Kansas City, Missouri, and raised across various corners of the country, Zach’s life has been defined by movement—both literal and metaphorical. From the heart of the Midwest to the West Coast tech scene, from the mountains of Utah to the ivory towers of the Ivy League, Farquaad seemed to be on a rocket trajectory toward the American Dream.
Yet today, at 31 years old, he’s moving back in with his parents in Lexington, Kentucky.
It’s not because he lacks ambition. Zach holds an MBA from Columbia Business School, one of the most elite programs in the world. Before that, he earned his degree from Brigham Young University and carved out a niche in Seattle as a skilled automation engineer. At Columbia he was part of a team that constructed a robot that sorted trash perfectly, and faster than all the other robots, his work in robotics earning his team a short documentary. He scuba dives. He bakes (cinnamon rolls with croissant dough—it’s more efficient). He dances. He sings—though mostly in secret. He also consumes diet Coke at a speed and volume hitherto reserved for camels.
Zach is brilliant, charismatic, and highly educated. But he’s also unemployed.
His situation, while jarring, is not unique. Zach is one of countless highly qualified young professionals facing the hard truth of today’s American job market: even a sterling resume doesn't guarantee stability. That he is returning home not in defeat but out of necessity says more about the state of the economy than it does about his talent or tenacity.
The "return to the nest" phenomenon is rapidly becoming a hallmark of Millennial and Gen Z adulthood. According to the Pew Research Center, over half of young adults in the U.S. have lived with one or both parents at some point during their 20s or 30s. This trend, once stigmatized, is now increasingly normalized—a consequence of skyrocketing housing costs, punishing student debt, and a job market riddled with uncertainty.
What makes Zach’s case particularly emblematic is the contrast between the promise and the payoff. A Columbia MBA is traditionally seen as a golden ticket to the C-suite, not a 6x6 guest room in your childhood home. But even Ivy League graduates are finding themselves at the mercy of hiring freezes, tech layoffs, and an economy that rewards automation more than innovation. The very skills that launched Zach into the robotics spotlight have, in a cruel twist, helped reduce the number of entry-level jobs available in the first place.
Sadly, industries that once prized passion and creativity—like entertainment, tech, and even business consulting—now seem more interested in minimizing risk than fostering talent. It’s not enough to be good. You have to be lucky. And for many like Zach, luck hasn’t arrived yet.
Zach pondering his future
Zach reconnecting with his homemaking skills in preparation for his upcoming domestic adjustment
