Twelve 20-somethings chronicle their lives for WBUR. Learn more.
Question 0
Do you feel stuck?
By Nathan Brin
When I was in grade school, it was beaten into my head: You have to go to college to make something of yourself. So I went to college, changed majors, and eventually got out after five years with a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science.
I got a decent paying job and worked for about 18 months until BAM, I became a statistic. Then I was out of a job, living on unemployment without medical benefits — which is kind of big as I’m a diabetic — and over $60,000 in student debt.
Nothing but silence when I apply for jobs that I’m either qualified or overqualified for. If I get anything back, it’s just a form letter saying they’ve received it.
So I’ve spent the last three years going from temp job to temp job, just making ends meet, scraping by on any kind of free medication I can get my hands on for my condition and being turned down by government programs because “I’m not bad enough.”
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“I felt like everyone could tell that I was unemployed. I even waited until 3 PM to go to the gym or run errands so maybe the people that would see me out … would think I was a teacher and not a “loser.”” —Christine
Generation Stuck
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I feel for you, Nathan. This kind of stuff can really get one down, get you questioning yourself. But it helps some to know that we aren’t alone in this, that it’s something affecting a lot of people, irregardless of “work ethic” or ability.
Your situation is even more complicated, though, by your health status. Diabetes really requires careful maintenance, as I am sure you are all too aware. For a young person, or any person, to have to risk life-long damage to their health in a country as wealthy and advanced as ours because they cannot find work is a shame that touches all of us.
BS in Computer and Information Science here. Fought my way through and had a major health issue pop up before my last year in school. My biggest mistake was not getting an internship, or so I’m told, to put on my resume. Applied online at hundreds of company websites (useless) and managed to get a few interviews through friends. Nothing ever came of them, not any kind of feedback or reason why I wasn’t selected. Eventually, I took a job manually stuffing/sealing envelopes and delivering the mail for around $8.50/hour. It was soul crushing but I at least liked the people I worked with. I finally decided to move back to my hometown and get a factory job (went to school partially so I wouldn’t have to work in this type of environment anymore). I hate it but I can pay my bills and my dad is letting me live at home rent free. I am moving up in the company and I have health insurance so it’s turning out to be a good decision. Take what you can get and don’t think that you’re above any type of work (not saying that you are). I’m still studying to get my CCNA in hopes that I can still land a Network Engineer/Administrator job someday but it’s looking more and more unlikely. It could be worse though reading this site; I can’t help but feel relieved that I’m not alone in my struggles, but, depressed that there are so many other folks struggling in this country. Good luck to you and keep fighting. Something good will happen!