Generation Stuck

Twelve 20-somethings chronicle their lives for WBUR. Learn more.

Name	Genevieve Salem
Age	25
Works in	Unemployed
Studied at	University of Delaware
Lives in	Salisbury, MD
From	Salisbury, MD
Makes	$0

Current job

Unemployed

Jobs since graduation

Intern, Elizabeth Warren for Senate; Spanish language interpreter and patient service representative, Three Lower Counties Community Services health clinic

Living arrangement

Living in an apartment in Boston with two roommates when the series began. Recently has moved back home with parents in Salisbury, MD.

How a paycheck
is spent

N/A

Interests

Gender equality, cooking, literature, writing, talk radio, romance languages, travel, photography, running, and music

Favorite
creative work

Little Women, the 1994 film based on Louisa May Alcott’s book. Winona Ryder’s performance captivated me at the young age of 7 and I came to love this film so much that I watched it over and over again and memorized the lines. I related to Jo in so many ways: her vivid imagination and creativity, her unique and very often misunderstood personality, and her refusal to conform to the norms of society’s expectations.

Survey

Have you moved back in with your parents since college?	Yes No
Have you taken a job requiring a lower skill level or less education than you have?	Yes No
Do you feel you are less far along in your career than you had imagined for this age?	Yes No
Do you feel you are less far along in most other aspects of your life than you imagined at this age (saving money, starting a family, buying a home, et cetera)?	Yes No
Have you experienced significant emotional distress as a result of your economic situation?	Yes No
Are you receiving financial support?	Yes No
Are you optimistic about your future?	Yes No

Responses from Genevieve

“More than anything I hope to have a salaried job with health insurance. I don’t think that’s asking … too much.”

“I often get caught up with comparing myself to other 25- or 26 year-olds and how much they’ve accomplished so far.”

“Being broke means not having a dating life.”

“The question is: To what extent is this recession to blame for having knocked us off our intended paths?”

“It seems as if universities are more concerned about national standings or being at the top of prestigious lists than they are about trying to help students avoid debt.”

“Now that I’m through with college, I often feel the whole thing was pointless.”

“I’m not sure if my current unemployment status has prevented me from being hired for postions, but the longer I’m unemployed the more suspicious I become.”

“When you’re in your mid-twenties, unemployed, and still dependent on your parents, it’s very easy to lose your sense of identity and purpose.”

Responses from Genevieve

“If nothing else, this recession is teaching a generation of people to pare down their lives to the absolute most important parts, and that may not be such a bad thing …” —Sophy

Generation Stuck