Being one of the millennials in question, I find myself having a hard time believing that it's really as bad as it is. I think that I must be doing something wrong. Then I see another one of these articles, and I start to think, maybe it really isn't my fault that I've spent half the year laid off. Maybe it's not really my fault that my professionally tailored resume isn't getting any calls (seriously, I've had a career counselor go over it). Maybe it's not my fault that literally (literally literally, not figuratively literally) hundreds of applications have resulted in a grand total of one interview.
So here are my options, as I see them: I could move back home like so many of my generation are shamed to do. I could go back to school and get ANOTHER degree (with student loans). I could spend hundreds or thousands of dollars getting several licenses that tell people I'm officially qualified for certain work, on top of the experience and education I already have (with regular loans). Or I can hire myself by starting a small company that has almost no overhead.
Well, so far, I've hired myself because that's the only thing I have enough money for while nobody else seems interested in hiring me. I have not made any money this way, yet. If anyone would like to help make my little project succeed (www.democmc.info) or has any other helpful advice, I'm listening.
By the way, I have a job. Yeah, I've spent a good chunk of the year laid off, but they do call me back every now and then. They keep telling me it will get better, but then I spend another week not making money.
And on top of everything, I know I have it better than a lot of people my age. I can still pay my own rent sometimes. But no matter how you look at it, this isn't the world I was told to expect. From the time I entered grade school all the way up to my last day of college, people told me that having a degree in hand was my ticket to supporting myself and stating a family on firm footing. Then I got my little piece of paper and nothing changed. If anything, I've had a harder time finding work since I graduated.
And my degree? People tell me it's useless. I have a BA in Psychology with a Minor in Philosophy. But those two subjects are not the whole story. I also spent a considerable amount of time in business courses. I see the ways that psychology can be applied in a business setting. But anybody who's read a book or even a couple articles about Sigmund Freud will tell you that they know everything they need to about psychology. I suspect that some people have the same reactions from listening to their preachers. I can tell you that the things you learn from Freud are almost entirely bullshit, and the stuff you get from your pastor, while probably good advice, is also a shallow understanding.
I believe that I have something very powerful to contribute to society. What good does that do anyone if I never have a chance?
