Youthful adults Losing Faith In the Dream (anxiety, woman, college)

[Norm Barnes]

In the past few days I have seen and sensed a disturbing trend. Young adults just out of their mid 20's looking for a place to stay and working under the table having drug tendencies and scheming to get buy. In an area of 3 duplexes - there are a total of 5 young adults who are unemployed and find work under the table from painting to looking for junk that can be redeemed to get by. This is not the slums this a blue collar area and these youthful adults are schemers. One employed duplex owner has allowed one to sleep on his sofa for $300 and another to sleep in the basement. The next door has both a young man and woman both unemployed and living with the girls parents. They seem to be unconcerned as to their status and have drug issues. I have no solution but in observing this I am sure it is not an isolated problem but one that exists in every community at every social and financial level. How can either of the candidates attempt to solve this apparent despair?

[exscapegoat]

Well, with the limited employment available and the degree inflation rampant in our society resulting in people coming out of college thousands of dollars in the red, can't say I blame younger people for losing faith in the dream. Not sure what to do to fix it. One thing we could do is address degree inflation. Careers which used to require no degree now require an Associate's degree or Bachelor's degree. Careers which used to require a BA or a BS now require a MA or MS. Salaries have not kept pace with degree inflation. A relative just finished his BS in Nursing and passed the licensing exams. He told me some academics are trying to push for the MS level in nursing. Yet salaries for nurses aren't increasing enough to pay off the loans which would be required for many people to obtain the degree.

I'm in my mid-40s and I pretty much missed the boat on employers paying for degrees. Back when people moved around less and tended to stay at one place, employers would pay for employees to obtain a degree. I can see why they're not motivated to do so as investing in someone who's going to move onto another job doesn't make sense. But maybe tax breaks for companies who do (if they're not already in place) might be an incentive? Also, professional organizations should really think long and hard about whether degree requirements should be raised before they recommend doing so. Many of them spew a lot of trendy jargon, but don't seriously consider the financial hardship this will impose on those who have to take out loans to get the advanced degrees. Not to mention the time pursuit of an advanced degree takes away from leisure time and time with family and/or friends for people who are working full time and obtaining the degree.

Also, trade/vocational training should be encouraged. There are well paying trades/vocations which don't require a specific degree, but rather on the job training and instruction. Not to mention, these are handy skills to have when it comes to home repair. I forget the name of it, but in a shop class I took in high school, the teacher showed us some of the basics of how a toilet works and how to fix some of the simpler things which go wrong. As well as how to shut off the water supply and take out the piping for the trap for sinks in case someone dropped a ring down. I've been able to change broken chains in the toilet and the float valve. My dad also show me how to use a carpenters' level and a few other basics.

There should be more opportunities for students to work in their fields before committing to a major or going for a MA/MS or PhD or JD degree. Sure internships are good, but many of them are unpaid and not all can afford to work without pay.

[Ro2113]

Originally Posted by Norm Barnes

In the past few days I have seen and sensed a disturbing trend. Young adults just out of their mid 20's looking for a place to stay and working under the table having drug tendencies and scheming to get buy. In an area of 3 duplexes - there are a total of 5 young adults who are unemployed and find work under the table from painting to looking for junk that can be redeemed to get by. This is not the slums this a blue collar area and these youthful adults are schemers. One employed duplex owner has allowed one to sleep on his sofa for $300 and another to sleep in the basement. The next door has both a young man and woman both unemployed and living with the girls parents. They seem to be unconcerned as to their status and have drug issues. I have no solution but in observing this I am sure it is not an isolated problem but one that exists in every community at every social and financial level. How can either of the candidates attempt to solve this apparent despair?

So you conclude that there is a trend based on five people you know or heard of?

[Norm Barnes]

Originally Posted by Ro2113

So you conclude that there is a trend based on five people you know or heard of?

After posting was curious and went to internet to see Unemployment statistics at that age group. If you don't get the drift from what you see about you then go to this website: "Unemployment by State and Age Group". Clusters of any social deviation causes me to be concerned because oft times it cannot be fixed until you recognize the problem exists and from your notation obviously you do not know the problem exists.

[opalminor]

Well this is pretty much how I remember things being back in the 80's & 90's too... but honestly, is this any surprise..?? Jobs today are a joke-- big box stores & corporations have taken over everything.. and there's very little manufacturing going on. Even if you DO find a steady job, the company owns you. it's soul-crushing and slowly drains the life out of you. And labor rights have basically gone by the wayside... employers can get away with anything now... tons of them only pay under the table, (many workers can't afford to pay taxes anyway since they are barely squeezing by- and employers don't WANT to pay taxes).. or sometimes the employers don't pay you at all, or make you beg for the pay they owe you. Also a new trend is to call you an 'independent contractor' so they don't have to pay taxes- and yet they control your schedule & treat you like an employee! SO illegal and wrong-- and yet NOTHING can be done about it. And benefits, health care, overtime, sick days, etc...?? HA! Yeah right....! Forget it. And they're all getting away with it- and no one can do anything to stop it. It used to be there was the promise of getting a good education, then you'd have god job skills & could make a decent living, could afford to raise a family of your own, retire, etc.. that's a cruel joke now.. and basically, a LIE.. because a college education is basically afforded by the rich or the poor... everyone else in-between?- you're on your own. Which is why we have so many students burdened by debt for the rest of their lives. Which is insanity...!! All those grants & scholarships which used to exist seem to be gone now. Also.. the colleges are making $$$ selling the dream of an education & skills.... but with computers, nowadays everything is either sent overseas or whatever.. computer skills you spend years and thousands of dollars learning, become obsolete overnight. So what's the point, why even bother...? And wages are a joke because no one wants to pay more than minimum wage for anything anymore. Also having a family seems to be only an option for the rich or poor also. The rich can afford it and the poor get all kinds of free services (especially if they're not citizens). If you're 'working/lower-middle class' and trying to work to get to a 'good spot' where you can afford to have a kid, good luck. With wages actually going DOWN in the past 15 or so years, while the cost of living gets more expensive, and if you don't have any health care, how do you pay for the $10,000 hospital bill (for childbirth), much less pre-natal care, much less the million dollars (they say) it costs to raise a kid to age 18...??much less try to support yourself....??
So is it any wonder young people are out of hope...?? everything just seems insurmountable now. And believe me-- this applies not just to young kids in their 20's== but 30's & 40's as well. It seems like those who are in their 50's & beyond now had the last great shot at an achievable "American Dream' when surviving & thriving was actually an option.

[rudegubmintworker]

It's called surviving, in this country where job possibilities are scarce, and finding a place to live requires an official income which they don't have. And 'drug tendencies' is hilarious. We have legal drugs pushed on us constantly, for everything from social anxiety to "not enough eyelashes" to toenail fungus. If it's uncomfortable, then there is a pill or liquid for it. Why, then, would anyone be surprised that folks would be attracted to mood altering or false sensation giving illegal drugs?

[julian17033]

Originally Posted by Ro2113

So you conclude that there is a trend based on five people you know or heard of?

I'm 46 years old and own my home with my wife.
We live in a nice, well kept middle/upper middle class neighborhood.

In a three block radius I know of five families that have their adult children living at home due to unemployment or under employment.

You don't have to be a rocket scientist to surmise whats happening here.

I thank God every day I'm over 40 years of age.

This sentiment is shared by an overwhelming amount of people my age.

[CaptainJack87]

Originally Posted by Norm Barnes

In the past few days I have seen and sensed a disturbing trend. Young adults just out of their mid 20's looking for a place to stay and working under the table having drug tendencies and scheming to get buy. In an area of 3 duplexes - there are a total of 5 young adults who are unemployed and find work under the table from painting to looking for junk that can be redeemed to get by. This is not the slums this a blue collar area and these youthful adults are schemers. One employed duplex owner has allowed one to sleep on his sofa for $300 and another to sleep in the basement. The next door has both a young man and woman both unemployed and living with the girls parents. They seem to be unconcerned as to their status and have drug issues. I have no solution but in observing this I am sure it is not an isolated problem but one that exists in every community at every social and financial level. How can either of the candidates attempt to solve this apparent despair?

Yes, many young adults are dirtbags. Some of us are not though.

I'm 25, just finished graduate school with an MS, and am a commissioned officer in the military. I also have an online business that does okay, but I would like to scale it up once I get settled in California (where I'm being stationed next month).

And, no, it's not because of the economy. My brother is one of those drug addicted dirtbags of which you speak. We were both given every opportunity in the world, but this is the age of entitlement. No one my age wants to work for anything.

[Marka]

Either rephrase your opening message, or post your thread in the politics section, please.