My daughter just graduated from college in December. She’s never been unemployed since she started college. She’s worked both in retail and in her chosen field (exotic animal rescue, rehab and habitat) and she’s earning a decent living. She knows she will need to be on her own before the year is out, and if that means sharing an apartment with roommates, then that’s what it means. She knows she can’t afford to buy a house yet and that all of her bills are her responsibility.
I have a problem with the victimhood perspective of this article. Life’s not supposed to be easy, young adults aren’t supposed to be able to simply continue living as comfortably as they did when they were their parents’ responsibility, and nobody told my kids they were entitled to only have one job at a time. If they need more money, they either cut out what’s costing them extra or they go get a second job.
How hard is that, really?
I’m not sure that you understand how bad it is out there, but regardless, whether obama gets another term or not may not matter too much, as I’ve not seen anything proposed by the remaining candidates that would significantly change things.
And to think that a significant number of these yopung people vote for and admire nobama. It will be interesting to hear their tune ten years from now.
You forget too the reason for all this shinola is the GOV’T.
It wasn’t that long ago that the man was able to afford the home, car and also allowed the wife able to rear their young; to get out into the real world without both feet being swiped out from under them, and STILL have some $$ left over....
Hell, couples were off on their own, married and happily living the American dream @ 18 (or younger!).
GOV’T and TAXES, as we were warned, were/are the downfall of the U.S. (HELLO Greece... :S)
Well, if there are jobs - getting a second job isn't that hard at all. But, there are a few fact you are not considering.
For starters, there are literally dozens or hundreds of unemployed/experienced folk competing for each job listing. It's not simply a matter of having a clean resume' and showing up for your interview dressed appropriately and knowing your stuff. It just isn't this way anymore.
Secondly, employers KNOW that there are far more employees than there are jobs, so following the laws of Supply and Demand; the wages for a given job are plummetting. My current job pays $12K less than my previous job; but it was the best offer I could find.
The kids, in fact pretty much everyone is a 'victim'. You had the BLESSING of having continuous employment through your career - but even our Military are facing layoffs with the new Obama budget. You have never known what it's like to show up for work, pleased with your Patents, your accomplishments and haveing done 'no wrong' in thought, word or deed - yet being shown the door without warning/cause or failure. I wish more than you may realize, to have had a career like you've enjoyed. To have a job that was consistent - where I could plan my life, do my job and not have to worry about "off-shoring", "Right-sizing", "RIF" and company-wide "layoffs", not because the company was going bankrupt, but because the profits made were not ENOUGH to satisfy senior managment.
In short; it's a very different world than it was when you were in the workforce. Today, there is no such concept as loyalty from the company. Your job is forfeit if some executive thinks he may get a $1 bonus by laying your department off.
How in tarnation does that work when there are not enough jobs to begin with for young people?
Not to mention the sky high cost of renting a home or apartment. Throw in all the other cost of insurance, car payments food, utilities, gas, etc etc...In today's America, millions of adults can't even makes ends meet. Where ya been?
Did ya notice there are millions of empty homes adults couldn't hold onto? The landscape is covered with them.
For the majority of young people, these jobs simple don't pay enough for young people to go get their own place. Yeah, they can go in on an apartment with two or three others, but that only works for a very limited time..It never lasts.
You seem detached from reality.
This isn't your parents America.
Really? Is there a large demand for such individuals?
Amen! Amen!
Congratulations—it sounds like you and your daughter have done a nice job.