This article really resonated with me. The twins in the article are the same age as me, are recent college grads like me, and are struggling with being, as the reporter says, "underemployed"... like me.
Most of the time I try to remain optimistic about my job situation and the current economic climate. "Tough times don't last, but tough people do," says a sign outside a local gas station, and I believe that. However, it's hard to reconcile aphorisms like that with my (and a lot of other people's) reality: despite having the experience, the degree, the bangin' resume, I'M NOT DOING WHAT I WANT! It was part of my post-graduation dream to move to NYC and work at some impressive magazine or publishing house, have a vibrant social and travel life and a cute apartment in the city. And a cat, of course. Right now, I can't even afford to THINK about those things, much less actually do them. It sucks because, even before I graduated, I didn't have to wait long at all between job positions to hear about and get a new one. Months--let me repeat: MONTHS--of unemployment, after getting my degree? With the internships I've held, the contacts I've made? I would have never fathomed it. Well, not completely: I knew we were f*cked back when Bush was elected the second time. But not THIS f*cked!
On the bright side, at least I have my youth and no additional burdens, like supporting a family or paying rent or a mortgage. Additionally, I have the time to catch up on some long overdue pleasure reading
Anyways, back to the article. What I most enjoyed about the piece is that it gives another face--two, in fact--to the young and unemployed... besides the one I see in the mirror everyday. At least I'm not alone, right?
