Of course this post is coming to you from someone who is currently unemployed and has all the time in the world to rage about this issue that is affecting who knows how many students across the country right now. But the issue isn't just about unemployment. It's the fact that I can't seem to do anything that twenty-something's should be doing. I can't move out of my parent's home and start being independent. I can't move to another city because of this. I can't experience the new-ness that comes with being on your own, whether it's close to home or somewhere new. I can't even travel because I don't want to spend a single penny on something that so many have the privilege to do but take for granted all the time. I haven't taken a vacation of my own, ever. I have considered traveling or visiting friends in other states or countries for months now, but I haven't been able to because I don't want to wipe out my very small savings account and max out the credit cards I have already had to open even though I swore I would never succumb to that.
I'm only 23 years old, at the "prime" of my life as many people seem to say, and there are so many things I want to be able to do, I SHOULD be able to do, but can't do because I am already crippled by the debt that student loans has brought me. I am crippled by the very society that raised me to believe a college education would get you everything your parent's didn't have but always wanted for you, only to be facing some very serious issues that years ago twenty-somethings did not have to worry about for years to come (if ever).
Is it my fault? Should I have chosen a different major? Should I have pursued a different career path? Something I didn't love but was more practicable? Something that would have made me the big bucks? Should I have put more effort in school? Should I have worked a job while attending school full time (with crazy hours) just so I would have something to show for when I finally graduated? Should I have taken on tons of internships? Is a college education even enough anymore? No, it kind of isn't.
I'm finding that I can't even get a job that doesn't require a college degree (but that many places now deem a "requirement" as if filing paperwork and taking phone calls requires four years of upper education...) I can't get those simple entry-level jobs, even if they don't require experience, because there are other people out there who do have experience who are applying for the same jobs and willing to take those jobs at entry-level salaries (which even then are very underpaid) because they have no other option. The job market is literally hell right now and I feel like I'm standing in the middle of a battlefield with no weapon, just a sweet smile and apparently a pitiful resume.
Everyone I talk to about this has a story to tell. They're either in the same boat or a very similar situation. You know what's the scariest part about all of this? What is our generation going to do when it comes time for us to start buying our own homes? Will we even be able to? At what age are you expected to finish paying off your loans? Is the interest going to eat you alive?
I'm really not trying to be a debbie downer and I certainly know there are worse problems/issues out there. But the fact is, this is an issue that is VERY real and that MANY people face and many more will continue to face. Nothing is changing. To be honest, I don't even know where we would begin to make changes that can help. Sure, maybe student loan forgiveness is one step in the right direction. But is that really even a feasible option? What will even fix this deplorable job market? It's been this way for a long time and now us post-grads are paying for it (literally and figuratively).
Who knows what the future holds. If I can give anyone going through similar struggles right now some advice, it'd be this:
Hang in there. You're not alone. Become an active citizen and fight for your rights. Go out and vote. Educate yourself on what you can do. Don't give up hope. Make a plan. Make a list. Don't worry. Or just try not to worry as much. We may have been utterly screwed by past decisions but the future is in our hands and we (hopefully) have the power to change it.
Student loan debt is one of the things I worry about all the time. Seeing that what I owe right now could be a down payment on a home or could have went to a new car makes me w ok n der if all this will really be worth it. I just read another blogger's experience where she did everything right-good grades, multiple internships, and graduating-but did not have a job. I say hang in there and try finding ways to help you start getting an income, and I pray you get where you want to be!
ReplyDeleteStudent loan debt is the one very strong reason I have chosen NOT to go back to school to advance my degree. My associate's degree is nothing but a very expensive high school diploma in today's job market and I, thankfully, had a decent paycheck at the time to help me pay off my previous debt completely. However now I am an unemployed (for the most part, but working independently) homemaker and refuse to put the burden of debt on my husband. It's a struggle. Especially knowing that a decent degree doesn't always guarantee a decent job. Keep a plan in paying off your debt in mind and never loose sight of your goals. Good luck!
ReplyDeleteI can understand where you are coming from. While I am lucky that my school debt is paid off, we are buried by my husband's massive school loans. I am really proud that he has a PhD, but, geez I feel like we will be paying it off until my daughter is in college. It's really hard. I am having trouble re-entering the workforce since I had my daughter. It's so hard to find anything! I agree with hanging in there. When I was your age (sorry to sound like the old fart) I actually found a great job using a head hunter. It took me a few months to move out of my parent's house after that. It will happen!
ReplyDeleteJust thinking about the amount of money that my boyfriend and I have to pay back in student loans literally makes me want to vomit. Not to mention we both have credit cards, because otherwise, we would literally be back living with our parents or with a friend and we'd never get ahead. I'm fortunate that we both have jobs, but we're both still hourly, and together, make about what one person should make on a salary in their first job after college. I'm lucky that he's actually good with money, because without him, I don't know where I would be. I really want to go back to school and get my master's degree, but facing more debt on top of all of the debt I already have makes me sick just thinking about it. I can't imagine. The company I work with now, I started out in a position where I didn't even need a college degree and worked my way up to one promotion, but I keep asking myself why I even went to college in the first place, because I clearly didn't need to if this is where I'm going to end up. Being a 20-something right now is very discouraging. We're all definitely not alone in this.
ReplyDeleteI love this post!! Speaks to me in every way. I am in mountains of undergrad debt already, but want to pursue a graduate degree. I am living on my own, working a full time salaried job and bartending on weekends and have NO money saved. You'd think with all of the hustling I would have something to show for it. But I realize, life is too short and if what I want to do requires a graduate degree then I should go for it (School counseling in my case). Although it is debt, it is good debt, because it is debt that will bring me the future that I want. Bad debt would be shopping endlessly, gambling or supporting an unhealthy lifestyle. I hate the thought of money almost every minute of the day, because I have so little of it, but just have to hope that one day I will get out of this hole. Another thing that plagues me is the thought of putting the burden of my debt onto the guy I am with if we get married sometime soon. That's not fair to him. But it is what it is. I say taking on more debt to pursue further education, or travel to a special place would be worth it in the end. Good luck with everything and know you're not alone!!!!!
ReplyDeleteOh my gosh your post was amazing. I feel the same way. I did 5 years in the Navy and went to college. Graduated with debt and a degree in geography. Now I am doing a graduate program in Public Health. Since graduating at the end of 2010, I have not been able to get a job. Seems like a degree and 5 years in the navy doesn't count as any experience. And yes today it seems like any job you apply for requires a degree even if it is just basic duties. So I am now just thinking the only way I am probably going to get a job is to create my own job/business.
ReplyDeleteI know that I am amazingly, unbelievably lucky that I don't have any student loans to deal with, but I've seen so many friends working 3 part time jobs and are still struggling to pay off their loans, rent, and other bills. On the job front...I have a business/marketing degree and another degree in design, I did multiple internships, and good grades...yet I've struggled with entry level jobs as well. Not to mention, even FINDING an entry level job that's hiring!! I have interviews, but they never seem to go anywhere, and the jobs I have been offered pay LESS or as much as my part/full time job as a barista.
ReplyDeleteOh gosh, I SO feel you on this. Since graduating in May of 2013, I've had an internship and two temporary positions (with almost three months of unemployment sprinkled in between). Honestly I think my resume is awesome, and I STILL can't get a permanent job! I deferred my student loans for a year last November, and I'll definitely have to do the same again this year, because an hourly wage just does not cut it. I can live comfortably enough for now, and make payments on my smallest loan, but the rest of my loans have payments of around $300 per month. Um, excuse me? Even if I made an extra $10k per year I don't think I'd be able to afford that. And I went to school with an amazing scholarship, and don't really buy much beyond gas and groceries. The future is absolutely horrifying to think about. I feel like I'm going to be eating Ramen for the rest of my life.
ReplyDeleteThanks! My already mounting school loans is one of the reasons I decided not to go to grad school and pursue a teaching certification. Sometimes I wonder if it was even worth getting a college degree at the rate things are going, but you know what I did learn a good amount and it was a good experience to have. Now I just have to pay for that experience haha..
ReplyDeleteThank you! I'm hanging in there and hoping soon enough things will change for me. It's all a matter of not giving up, I guess. I also worry about the day (maybe) I get married and then I either have to bring in my debt to the partnership or we get super screwed and have two humongous piles of debt to pay off :-x
ReplyDeleteIt is very discouraging and that sucks for us. This should be a time of freedom and being spontaneous! But instead we're worrying about finances and our futures and blah blah blah, lol. It's sad that in today's world many people need a partner just to have food and shelter because one paycheck alone is not enough.
ReplyDeleteThanks! I think a lot of us are in the same boat. I thought about going to grad school but when I thought about how much MORE I'd have to pay I ran away from that idea, fast. I've never thought about the concept of "good debt" and "bad debt" but you're definitely right about that. Good luck to you as well!
ReplyDeleteThe job market is absolutely ridiculous right now. It's so unfair, but what can we do? I really hope you're able to find something you enjoy and that pays you well soon, especially after all the hard work you've put in!
ReplyDeleteSo true! The job market sucks. I can make more money doing something like nannying than working an entry-level office job that "requires" a college degree. It's either you can't get an interview, no one will hire you, or you get offered a job but it pays nothing compared to all the work you're going to be forced to do. Sigh :/
ReplyDeleteIt really is ridiculous when thinking about how long it's going to take to pay off these crazy loans. Before I graduated, I had this grand plan that I would pay off my loans within five years. HA. I'll be lucky if I can pay them off in 15 years at this rate. And I was somewhat lucky because I got a lot of grant money and I went to an in-state school (specifically to lower the cost...lol) I can't even imagine how much other people have to pay, especially if they decide to go to grad school, too.
ReplyDeleteThis is scary to me, especially as an undergrad still (and only a sophomore). I have a lot of writing samples, leadership positions, good grades, and plan on interning. But sometimes I wonder is it enough? Is it all worth it? However, every step is a step in your dreams. If it's a step back, it's just a turn in a new direction. Everyone has a fate and something they're meant to do and be. You'll get where you're meant to be. Keep pushing! That's what I tell myself
ReplyDeleteGreetings, I can really relate to this post because the illusion of going to a 4-year school is really a trap to keep funding schools with fake promises of a job lined up. My college did not prepare me for this and realized that what I do doesn't take a college degree either. I educated myself and realized that my health is truly my wealth and I can do anything from this point. Spend a whole day not bitching or complaining. The future is still in the running. When on opportunity closes, run for one that is giving you a shot. For me, why not fitness. Would love for you to check out my site at theconceptoffit.com
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