No Jobs for Us: Our reality of the recession
April 27, 2008
Gen. Y Perspective
Every few months, I get this crazy urge at around one in the morning to jump onto Craigslist and look for another job. This urge is motivated by the voice in my head screaming, “I need to move out of my parents’ house! I need money!” But after an hour or so, the voice changes to: “I’m not qualified to do anything!”
Chances are that young people everywhere have had a similar reaction. Some people smoke, others play video games — the most panicky send out resumes like the world is about to end, especially during an economic recession.
Talk of recession and job loss has been smeared across the front of Web sites and newspapers for sometime now. Job openings are few and far between, and layoffs are on the rise. Young people today who are entering the workforce may have missed the dot-com money run, but they are just in time for the inevitable waiting list for jobs that don’t exist.
Traditionally, as the story goes, big money jobs aren’t handed out to just anyone. You have to fit the mold. But if there is a recession, the mold will shrink along with the amount of jobs on tap.
Like many of my peers, I like to think this doesn’t affect me, that I live in my own little plastic bubble of YouTube, dvds and loud music. But I could very well wake up one morning and have no job and no way to support myself.
When my dad immigrated to the United States from the Philippines shortly before I was born, he wasn’t very worried. He wasn’t looking for his dream job; he just wanted to see if the grass really was greener on the other side. Luckily for him, he’s been working at his job long enough to sit high on the totem pole, so he doesn’t have to worry about getting pushed aside for someone new.
But when it comes to my cousin, also a Filipino American, I get a little scared. She is graduating high school this year and plans on attending college in the fall to study nursing. She just took out a year’s worth of loans to pay for her tuition. Nursing may be a big chance to earn back her losses, but a recession could severely affect her future career plans.
She and other young people entering the real world may not come to the revelation that there are no jobs, or that they don’t have the proper experience to apply for them, while on Craigslist at 1 a.m. But if the recession does hit, reality is going to hit harder.
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6 Responses to “No Jobs for Us: Our reality of the recession”
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Recessions do not effect everything. I don’t see nurses getting cut for recessions. People are going to get seriously ill, they have no control over that. Recessions effect jobs that people have control over, like buying toys and stuff they don’t really need. They may cook at home instead of eat out. Mechanics may even see their business increase as people will keep old cars on the road longer delaying big purchases.
emjingpiansay:
You may not yet be aware of the fact, but you qualify as a philosopher, not that that will “get you” anywhere or put food on the table.
As the wisw Huang Fong noted, “nursing” should be a shoo-in for your young cousin.
For the rest of us? How about “barter”? More people than mos know are practicing that ancient tradition of “free” “trade.
Eming,
Your cousin chose a wise career path. With all the baby boomers retiring, nurses are in high demand, and there’s always room for more in the medical field, recession or not.
seeing newest hollywood dvd
more important…eat 1 cup less rice
and make coffee at home
so i can rent dvd…thinking about
cancelling cable….nah eat two cup less
rice.
“Pessimist and Optimist were out camping one day. They came across a giant bear. Pessimist shouted,” we are doomed, we are going to be dead.” Optimist calmly sat down to tie his shoes. Pessimist shouted at him”what are you doing? You can’t outrun that bear!” Optimist replied “I don’t have to, I only have to outrun you.”"
Even at 20% unemployment, the top 80% still has a job.
in response to Huang Fong:
80% may have a job.
doesn’t mean we have to overlook the other 20%. . .