Generation Stuck

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

Name	Roxanne Palmer
Age	25
Works in	Journalism
Studied at	Brown, Boston University
Lives in	Brooklyn, NY
From	Los Alamitos, CA
Makes	$25,000-$35,000

Current job

Science reporter

Jobs since graduation

Warehouse monkey, research assistant, paid internship at science/business news website, occasional medical guinea pig, fish market cashier/clerk, unpaid internship at WBUR, paid internship in news section of biomedical research journal, legal reporter

Living arrangement

Living in apartment with two roommates, including partner

How a paycheck
is spent

25 percent on taxes, Social Security, insurance; 30 percent on rent; 15 percent on student loan payments; 15 percent on food; 10 percent on entertainment; 5 percent to savings

Interests

Science, writing, reading, arts, comics, swimming, water polo, bird watching, feminism

Favorite
creative work

It’s A Wonderful Life has had an embarrassingly large impact on me in its portrayal of community, family, and even economics. Also, as an artist, I take comfort in how the history of the film — which went from largely derided bomb to perennial classic — underscores the fact that our present successes or present failures do not necessarily dictate our legacy.

Personal motto

A passage from “The Once and Future King” by T.H. White: “‘The best thing for being sad,’ replied Merlin, beginning to puff and blow, ‘is to learn something. That’s the only thing that never fails. You may grow old and trembling in your anatomies, you may lie awake at night listening to the disorder of your veins, you may miss your only love, you may see the world about you devastated by evil lunatics, or know your honor trampled in the sewers of baser minds. There is only thing for it then — to learn. Learn why the world wags and what wags it. That is the only thing which the mind can never exhaust, never alienate, never be tortured by, never fear or distrust, and never dream of regretting.’"

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 Roxanne

“I think Jon Stewart hit upon it best: “They’re really only entitlements when they’re something other people want. When it’s something you want, they’re a hallmark of a civilized society.””

“Dealing with student loans is one of those things that is so anxiety-inducing that you instinctively avoid it.”

“We used to all live in the same dormitories and drink the same crappy beer; now some of us jet off to Europe while others chew their fingernails and hope that the rent check will clear.”

“What I worry about most with my generation isn’t just the dollar difference in our lifetime earnings but our attitude toward work.”

“I’m well-off compared to your archetypal Millenial. By the way, is there someone we can talk to about changing this designation? It sounds like a disco musical on roller skates.”

Responses from Roxanne

“I think Jon Stewart hit upon it best: “They’re really only entitlements when they’re something other people want. When it’s something you want, they’re a hallmark of a civilized society.”” —Roxanne

Generation Stuck