The (Un)employment Chronicles: Voices Of The Degreed And Jobless
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More students are enrolling in college today than ever before -- a staggering 2.8 million signed up in 2008 alone.
But the job market is not so kind as to warmly receive the surplus of well-heeled graduates. The Economic Policy Institute puts the current unemployment rate for college graduates aged 16 to 24 at nine percent -- the highest number in 25 years. This leaves America's young people in the lurch, constantly searching for work of any kind, being forced to move back in with their parents and holding out hope that things will improve.
Read 10 of their stories here. There's Isha, who, despite having a master's degree and a White House internship on her resume, can't find a job. There's Mark, who went back to school in his 30s only to remain workless. And there's Samantha, who spent nearly two years of her post-college life in a Starbucks in New York City, applying for any position she could find on Craigslist.
Let us know what you think of their stories in the comments section -- and if you have your own, please add it to the discussion.
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"HuffPost Blogger Samantha Kreindel" said on 21 Wednesday 2010 pm31 8:55 pm: Thanks for sharing our stories, Leah. To the readers: thanks for sharing your comments. While I don't necessarily agree with them, I certainly find them interesting and appreciate the different perspectives. I can't speak for the others, but my story was never meant to seek sympathy. Rather, it was to provide a realistic example as to what college graduates are facing today. It's tough. I feel for those who are older and unemployed, with families to support. I can't imagine what that must be like. However, I resent that so many people refer to the Millennials - my generation - as lazy, entitled, expectant and spoiled. Many of us are trying to do the same things those before us did: get educated, get a job, grow a family and provide for them... and we are trying to do it at a time when our incomes are halved and the costs are doubled. Millennials will be at a disadvantage for years, possibly forever. We will never save as much as our parents and I fear for our kids. But for now, we are just trying to get by. |
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****READ their stories****
- Isha Mehmood, 23, unemployed two months.
- Kyle Daley, 23, unemployed 19 months.
- Rory McDonough, 23, unemployed four months.
- Samantha Kreindel, 24, recently employed after a 21-month job search.
- Mark Alfson, 45, unemployed since 2004.
- Loren Wearsch, 23, underemployed one year.
- Marquez Forrest, 23, experiencing job rejection before finishing grad school.
- Alex Moroz, 22, underemployed for 13 months.
- Joelle Andrews, 26, moving to Spain after not being able to find suitable work in the U.S.
- Bill LaHaye, 23, employed off and on for one year.
Huffington Post Leah Finnegan First Posted: 7/21/10 Updated: 5/25/11