Generation Stuck

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

Name	Sophy Tuttle
Age	26
Works in	Retail
Studied at	Rhode Island School of Design
Lives in	Jamaica Plain, MA
From	Littleton, MA
Makes	$25,000-$35,000

Current job

Visual merchandiser, IKEA

Jobs since graduation

Art department, Fandango Productions; mailroom; server, Teavolve; puppet building intern, Puppet Heap; illustrator, Poggio Civitate, an archaeological dig in Tuscany; booking agent, About Faces Entertainers; frame shop specialist, Michael’s Arts n’ Crafts

Living arrangement

Living in apartment with two roommates

How a paycheck
is spent

$650 goes to rent, $200 to student loans, $100 to other loans, $250 to $300 is spent on food, and $60 on medical expenses.

Interests

Painting, drawing, field hockey, reading

Favorite
creative work

The Watercolors of John Singer Sargent. I leaf through this book before I begin any project — color or black & white. The skill and ease he paints with are so inspirational and I can draw a lot of information from his use of color and form.

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 Sophy

“The reality of the situation is that Generation Stuck is getting a delayed and therefore stunted start.”

“I sometimes wonder if we had both been gainfully employed, would we have been able to better deal with the challenging situations that arose?”

“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 …”

“I consider myself pretty lucky to have graduated from college with only about $20,000 in student-loan debt.”

“For me, taking at least one gap year would have made all the difference.”

“The thought of having no safety net if the work trickles to a halt is just too much pressure for me at this point.”

“I think this has taken a pretty heavy psychological toll on me, as I am much less confident in my abilities than I used to be.”

Responses from Sophy

“Three years after graduation, I’m still working in the only position I could find.” —Morgan

Generation Stuck