The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on society includes the careers and career decision-making of emerging adults. This impact could influence how emerging adults approach careers and work-life balance. Vocational anticipatory socialisation examines how sources of career information influence the career decision-making process. With the COVID-19 lockdown access to career sources was limited. The current study examines ways in which the career values of this post COVID-19 workforce in the United States have been impacted. An online survey was completed by 349 young/emerging adults. An examination of gender differences found the women to place work-life balance in higher regard than men post-COVID-19. However, male respondents now report interest in examining careers as first responders. Further, this generation reports a lack in socialisation information from the vocational anticipatory socialisation sources of part-time jobs, schools and peers which were unavailable during the pandemic.