Tuesday, February 26, 2013

Looking Forward

This week, I read an article from Upfront Magazine called "Trying Times". It's about the struggling job market in the U. S. right now, and how it's affecting recent and near-future college graduates. Kacey Herring, a girl who is soon to graduate from NYU, talks about her trouble finding a job in today's industry. The end goal, she says, "is to work in entertainment marketing", but in this economy she says right now "I just need a job." The reason jobs are so hard to find for young people right now is that our economy is still suffering from the Great Recession. While unemployment rates are not as high as they were, there are still many young people out of work.

These young people aren't out of work because of incompetence, or because they're unqualified, in fact, many of them have college degrees. They're out of work because there's simply a lack of jobs. However, a college degree can greatly increase your chance of getting a job. This being said, student can put kids and their families deep into debt. It's a situation where you have to choose your path wisely, and it's not as easy as it should be.

This makes me think/worry about my own future. It saddens me that I might not be able to do what I want to do with a career, and rather have to do something practical and required in this economy. I don't think it's fair how many people are in debt because of student loans. This makes me scared for my own future. I'd like to become a number of things, but are any of them extremely practical or in fields that are easy to find work in? I don't want to give up happiness for practicality.

People should be able to get a job without being in debt to loan companies. According to the Constitution, America is about life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Will people be happy when they're living trying to pay of student loans that they took out to get degrees that won't even get them a job? Is it fair that college puts people in this situation? No, I don't think it is, and I'd like to help change that somehow, not just because it's an issue that pertains to me, but because every young person should be able to end school with a life to look forward to.


2 comments:

  1. This is so good! In October, when I was watching the debates for the then-upcoming election, one undecided voter mentioned that he wanted to go in to science, but couldn't find a job. This made me worried that I won't find a job that I enjoy. I find it difficult to look forward to a future in which there's a very good chance that I won't be able to do what I want, and that definitely needs to change.

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  2. Great post, Sophie!
    This is super relevant to our generation, and I completely agree. I am constantly hearing about and reading about college graduates not being able to find a job, in any field whatsoever, and it frightens me. To me, there doesn't really seem to be an option. If you don't go to college, there's NO WAY you're going to be able to get a job, and if you go to college, you'll probably end up getting a really low-pay job. Agh, it's so worrying.
    Hopefully, by the time we get out of college, things will be looking slightly up!

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