Five years ago, when I was graduating from high school, a guidance counselor told our class that a person with a college degree would make on average $1 million more in their lifetime than those without one. That estimate seems far-fetched to me now, and I find myself wondering how valid this claim is for my generation.
Thousands of college graduates across the country are leaving their institutions of higher education in the next few months with suffocating debt and an unstable career plan — out of the proverbial frying pan and into the fire of a reeling economy.
My parents are baby boomers: They graduated in the late 1960s and early ‘70s, when a college degree wasn’t commonplace nor was it required to start a career.
My mother, a University of Washington graduate, worked dozens of minimum-wage jobs after college until she became a teacher.
They have done everything they can to give me and my siblings a chance at the fabled American dream, and for that I am grateful. Both of my parents regale me with stories of opportunity, hard work and a sense of drive.
I’ve noticed this is a common sentiment from my parents’ generation. Mothers and fathers are wondering why their children, who have seemingly been afforded so much, are having trouble finding a steady career.
The answer isn’t cut-and-dry; the career path of a 21st-century graduate is dependent upon many external variables outside of our control.
I started as an undergraduate at Washington State University (WSU) in 2008, in the midst of a recession that was crippling our economy. I knew entering my first semester that I would need to take out financial loans for almost all of my expenses, including the highest public-university tuition in the state. It was something I accepted, because it was the only way that I could hope to obtain a degree that I’ve been told is so necessary in 2013.
WSU was greatly affected by state budget cuts, and tuition subsequently went up an extraordinary 14 to 17 percent each year over the next four years. Now that I’m leaving with a great wealth of knowledge and sense of intellectual maturity five years later, I’m tattooed with a $50,000 debt that’s slowly increasing with interest.
Not looking up
I remember hearing horror stories from college graduates in 2008 and 2009. Most struggled to find a minimum-wage job that could give them some kind of income — let alone a job that had anything to do with their degree.
Things have improved since then, but opportunity remains stagnant. I’ve been turned down for jobs because I’m overqualified, and I’ve been turned down from jobs because they required three years of experience for an entry-level position, which logistically doesn’t make sense.
According to a report by the Center for College Affordability and Productivity, about 284,000 Americans with college degrees were working minimum-wage jobs last year — 70 percent more than college graduates 10 years ago. Although unemployment has improved overall since the start of the 2008 recession, college graduates are still treading water, and it doesn’t seem like we’ll be thrown a life vest anytime soon.
A survey released last week by the National Association of College Employers reported that, compared to 2012 graduates, businesses plan to hire a dismal 2.1 percent more college graduates from the Class of 2013.
Unless they’re getting a degree in a field like engineering, nursing, computer science or accounting, the current graduate will struggle to maintain a steady and viable income.
As a communications major, I know better than most how bleak the job opportunities are. In fact, professors and counselors were brutally honest about the outlook in my profession. Credible journalistic media like newspapers are dying, and rampant citizen journalism through tweeting and social media is on the rise. New technology has given us new ways to communicate, but it makes you wonder if a stoic reporter like Edward R. Murrow would survive behind hash tags and speculation.
A defining struggle
These negative factors may have stifled my generation’s productivity, but our strength and drive to move forward through one of the worst recessions in our country’s history should not go unnoticed.
A president championed by a young demographic made promises to improve public-education costs — an achievement that hasn’t come to fruition and may not for some time. I and other graduates must be patient, but I believe we are willing to adapt, willing to struggle and willing to sacrifice. That is, after all, the American ethos that defines us.
IAN OGBURN is an intern with Pacific Publishing Co.’s newspapers. He is graduating from Washington State University this month. To comment on this column, write to QAMagNews@nwlink.com.[[In-content Ad]]
