College != Employment, Use Your Skills
A while back, I read an article in GOOD magazine titled The Lost Generation. To sum it up, it is about a college student, Luke Stacks, who had a lot of trouble finding a job when graduating. It also goes into the incredible statistics on the unemployment rate for people under the age of 25. Go read it if you haven’t already.
School Isn’t a Waste
Although Luke had a hard time finding a job after graduating with a master’s degree, he knows that he’d be worse off if he didn’t have his schooling.
I’m not confident that schooling has a direct connection with employment anymore. But if I hadn’t received the kind of education I did, I would be less of an active citizen and less engaged in the world in ways I would not have discovered on my own.
The idea of going to school and getting a job is not as reliable as it used to be. Many things could have had an affect on it: the economy, the quality of college is getting worse, or simply because more people are acquiring college degrees. Either way, there are many things that can be learned just by attending college.
Not Finding a Job
Everyone already knows how high the unemployment rate is in our country and has been reminded of it for about a year or so. I’m sure we all know someone who is out of a job and is probably having a hard time finding another one. One of my friends is in a similar situation. He went to college and has a business degree. He’s a really smart guy. Right now he is stuck doing jobs that he is either overqualified for or aren’t in his field. According to the article in GOOD, this is an issue for a couple of reasons.
One obvious problem is the fact that overqualified individuals are taking jobs from the people that are qualified, which makes it that much harder for those individuals. Also, the longer one stays in a position that they are overqualified in, the more likely they are not to leave.
Use Your Skills
Many people have something they are good at. Whether it is baking, keeping finances in check, or designing websites, it is probably a skill that other people will pay for. Setting up a small business for yourself is not as difficult as you would think and should not be a reason to stop you. At the very least, everyone should look into it. It is extremely rewarding to work for yourself and it has a possibility to turn into something permanent. The key is to not be too afraid to try it out and put in the effort.
I am grateful and very fortunate to have the job I have and also be able to freelance part time. It allows me to experiment and learn about running a business. I understand that some people are not able to start something on their own because of the nature of the work. To those I say, hang in there. If you have the skills, you will be hired soon enough.
