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Graduation season is upon us once again. Millions of college grads are walking the stage and falling into the pits of unemployment these days. The well-publicized statistic that has been plastered all over the internet in the past couple months is that over half of recent college grads are unemployed or underemployed (underemployed meaning working outside of their college educated field of study making peanuts flipping burgers). This already troubling statistic doesn't even paint the grimness of the whole picture. A huge percentage of college grads who are working in their fields of study are only making about $10 an hour. Although these college grads are bright, skilled and talented enough to perform career work full-time, they are often paid the same wages as unskilled day laborers in today's economy:
This wouldn't be so bad if the average college grad didn't carry tens of thousands of dollars in debt. Two out of three college grads graduates with student loan debt to the key of about 20K+. Tens of thousands of other college grads have upwards of 100K+ in debt on graduation day. It doesn't help that scores of recent college grads have opted to sign up for even more debt without the guarantee of future employment by going to grad school to "wait out" the "recession".
Many cynical people on the internet are quick to point out at these college grads are a bunch of lazy entitled whiners who chose to study subjects with no real world application. This seems feasible in the case of some obscure college majors. However, once lucrative and practical fields like architecture, advertising/graphic design etc. have dried up and become oversaturated as millions of career veterans have been laid off over the past few years. Skilled trades are also often inundated with out-of-work veterans and have years long waiting lists for new apprentices. The mainstream media has created a myth that hard science and math degrees are a sure bet for employment after graduation. But not everyone has the capabilities or natural talents to become an engineer or a nurse and there are not millions of these jobs available for the millions of unemployed and underemployed college grads in this country. Contrary to popular belief, there is no engineering shortage in America as tens of thousands of capable scientists, engineers and nurses are out of work.
Here is the really scary part. High school grads are even worse off than college grads in terms of employment prospects. If we are berating unemployed/underemployed college grads for not studying thermonuclear physics, what the hell do you think millions of average high school grads are going through in the job hunt?! Most people are average in aptitude, intelligence, skills and ability and the ugly fact is that there are few opportunities for average young people in America. College grads are a minority. Most people who enter college as freshman do not graduate even six years later. Only about a third of Americans hold a college degree and we don't have any where near enough jobs for college graduates in America. Millions of college grads and older folks out of work are snatching up entry level jobs once held by high school grads. Hundreds of thousands of college degree holders work in professions that do not require college degrees.
What we are beginning to see in America are the massive negative side-effects of what happens when you completely dismantle a country's manufacturing base. Back in the day, local factories provided tens of thousands of jobs to towns across the land. In the last ten years alone, tens of thousands of American factories have closed their doors and chained their gates forever. Today, those factories have shutdown and moved overseas.
All the other remaining service, fast food and construction jobs are being monopolized by illegal immigrants in many parts of the country. This leaves American born kids with few options but to gamble in the seedy casino that is American higher education, join the army or become a career criminal which more often than not leads to getting locked up in real prison for years at a time and contributing to the growing prison industrial complex in this country. America locks up more people than anywhere in the world and that is only going to get worse as more people futilely resort to crime to make ends meet. The moronic "war on drugs" is not letting up any time soon and thousands of lost directionless young people, who can't find legal productive ways to contribute to society because of widespread lack of jobs, will become addicts and then lifelong prison inmates in the future as a result of the draconian drug policies we have in many places in America.
Let's get this straight. Unemployment is at record highs and young people are the biggest losers many times completely regardless of their education or aptitude. A shot at a better life through the traditional route of higher education more often than not equals massive debt and few employment opportunities for young people. There is no corporate ladder to climb any more for millions of kids today. Social mobility, economic and physical, currently stands at an all-time low in America.
I'm not justifying it, I'm just tired of the whining! I am part of this generation. I don't whine, I do what i need to do. My parents have taught me to work for what I need, and I do that. I will be going to a private college, where I can still get financial aid, and I will work through it. If you are not afraid of getting your hands dirty, there is work. So stop whining and do what you need to do.
To the first poster, we have a president that despises capitalism, and look where we are because of it! All of the examples that the OP provided have happened in the last 6 years. Bush was no help, but he was nothing compared to Obama. So, your comment makes no logical sense.
I'm not justifying it, I'm just tired of the whining! I am part of this generation. I don't whine, I do what i need to do. My parents have taught me to work for what I need, and I do that. I will be going to a private college, where I can still get financial aid, and I will work through it. If you are not afraid of getting your hands dirty, there is work. So stop whining and do what you need to do.
To the first poster, we have a president that despises capitalism, and look where we are because of it! All of the examples that the OP provided have happened in the last 6 years. Bush was no help, but he was nothing compared to Obama. So, your comment makes no logical sense.
It's hard to take you seriously when you say the guy whose inner circle is made up Wall Street veterans hates capitalism.
It's hard to take you seriously when you say the guy whose inner circle is made up Wall Street veterans hates capitalism.
He doesn't like capitalism, he's trying to break it down using the Wall Street veterans; doesn't it make sense to break it from the inside? He likes Marxism. Totally different.
Yeah, it sucks but it is what it is. That's why I'm going to be a plumber. Plumbers almost never are out of work cause alot of kids are scared to get there hands dirty. Really trade schools are a better bet right now than Universities 9 times outta 10.
Is student loan forgiveness a resolution to the problems mentioned in the OP?
Not in my opinion, from a principle standpoint, but I understand why some would approach the problem with proposals to erase the debt.
Even if it was an "answer", what happens after student loans are forgiven? Do the people who saved and scraped get a big fat check in the amount they would have been in debt? What about new students? Are they less equal as their peers and not candidates for future student loan forgiveness? Neo-progs don't give answers, other than education should be "free". They also don't understand that making education "free" will also disenfranchise minorities because only the best and brightest will be given the opportunity to receive an education.
Graduation season is upon us once again. Millions of college grads are walking the stage and falling into the pits of unemployment these days. The well-publicized statistic that has been plastered all over the internet in the past couple months is that over half of recent college grads are unemployed or underemployed (underemployed meaning working outside of their college educated field of study making peanuts flipping burgers). This already troubling statistic doesn't even paint the grimness of the whole picture. A huge percentage of college grads who are working in their fields of study are only making about $10 an hour. Although these college grads are bright, skilled and talented enough to perform career work full-time, they are often paid the same wages as unskilled day laborers in today's economy:
This wouldn't be so bad if the average college grad didn't carry tens of thousands of dollars in debt. Two out of three college grads graduates with student loan debt to the key of about 20K+. Tens of thousands of other college grads have upwards of 100K+ in debt on graduation day. It doesn't help that scores of recent college grads have opted to sign up for even more debt without the guarantee of future employment by going to grad school to "wait out" the "recession".
Many cynical people on the internet are quick to point out at these college grads are a bunch of lazy entitled whiners who chose to study subjects with no real world application. This seems feasible in the case of some obscure college majors. However, once lucrative and practical fields like architecture, advertising/graphic design etc. have dried up and become oversaturated as millions of career veterans have been laid off over the past few years. Skilled trades are also often inundated with out-of-work veterans and have years long waiting lists for new apprentices. The mainstream media has created a myth that hard science and math degrees are a sure bet for employment after graduation. But not everyone has the capabilities or natural talents to become an engineer or a nurse and there are not millions of these jobs available for the millions of unemployed and underemployed college grads in this country. Contrary to popular belief, there is no engineering shortage in America as tens of thousands of capable scientists, engineers and nurses are out of work.
Here is the really scary part. High school grads are even worse off than college grads in terms of employment prospects. If we are berating unemployed/underemployed college grads for not studying thermonuclear physics, what the hell do you think millions of average high school grads are going through in the job hunt?! Most people are average in aptitude, intelligence, skills and ability and the ugly fact is that there are few opportunities for average young people in America. College grads are a minority. Most people who enter college as freshman do not graduate even six years later. Only about a third of Americans hold a college degree and we don't have any where near enough jobs for college graduates in America. Millions of college grads and older folks out of work are snatching up entry level jobs once held by high school grads. Hundreds of thousands of college degree holders work in professions that do not require college degrees.
What we are beginning to see in America are the massive negative side-effects of what happens when you completely dismantle a country's manufacturing base. Back in the day, local factories provided tens of thousands of jobs to towns across the land. In the last ten years alone, tens of thousands of American factories have closed their doors and chained their gates forever. Today, those factories have shutdown and moved overseas.
All the other remaining service, fast food and construction jobs are being monopolized by illegal immigrants in many parts of the country. This leaves American born kids with few options but to gamble in the seedy casino that is American higher education, join the army or become a career criminal which more often than not leads to getting locked up in real prison for years at a time and contributing to the growing prison industrial complex in this country. America locks up more people than anywhere in the world and that is only going to get worse as more people futilely resort to crime to make ends meet. The moronic "war on drugs" is not letting up any time soon and thousands of lost directionless young people, who can't find legal productive ways to contribute to society because of widespread lack of jobs, will become addicts and then lifelong prison inmates in the future as a result of the draconian drug policies we have in many places in America.
Let's get this straight. Unemployment is at record highs and young people are the biggest losers many times completely regardless of their education or aptitude. A shot at a better life through the traditional route of higher education more often than not equals massive debt and few employment opportunities for young people. There is no corporate ladder to climb any more for millions of kids today. Social mobility, economic and physical, currently stands at an all-time low in America.
Where is our outrage? Millions of young people have been raped of opportunities in America and out-of-touch idiots on the internet try to justify it.
Great summary!!! Repped!!!!
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Repped!!!!
