We're Not Young: A Shoutout to the Under and Unemployed

St. Melinda of the Minimum Wage Meditating on the Pointlessness 

 

of Her 

Degree

It's a cold world out there, ladies and gentlemen. As one of the estimated 12.1 million underemployed Americans, I can say that with a fair amount of confidence. 12.1 million is an unseemly number of adults to be scraping by with temp jobs, contract work, and minimum wage, and it seems like altogether too many of we the underemployed are in possession of one if not more college degrees.

 A recent article in the Atlantic claims that 53% of recent graduates are either unemployed or underemployed. That is only the tip of the iceberg. A lot of my friends and acquaintances have been out of school for years without ever scoring a real, career-type job. We don't have the experience, or suddenly we're finding a Master's degree is the new minimum when a few years ago a BA and some internships were the real requirement And it ain't just the Liberal Arts weenies (myself among them) who are feeling the pinch. It's the business majors, the computer science geeks, and the OMIS people too. It's getting bad enough that the mainstream press is beginning to ask whether College is worth the investment.

So this begs the question: are things ever going to get better for us? Will all of the degrees and internships and work experience ever result in gainful employment that pays the bills? I hope so, but I am interested in what y'all have to say. I am also interested in hearing some of your stories. But while I'm waiting, enjoy this clip from SketchY Parody. It seems to sum up things rather nicely. And please don't shoot yourself. It would be messy.