Work or School?

Will Cameron
The Paw Print

Life is good in college.  Of course, we all bitch about it.  Doesn’t seem like much now, but I have a feeling the real world is going to be rough.  With 14 million people in the United States unemployed, what will students have to do to get work after school?  What will it take to turn things around?
It seems many students these days graduate college and move on to pump gas or flip burgers, great jobs for beer money during school, but hardly a way to make ends meet after graduation.  Even so, at least a part-time, minimum wage job earns money.
With the national unemployment rate staying steady at 9.1percent and unemployment for people over age 25 with bachelor degrees or better at 4.3percent, it seems that the odds favor degrees.  One year ago, unemployment for these graduates was 5 percent, so things are actually looking up.  Not so for non-grads, whose unemployment has raised to the tune of 1 percent.
President Obama recently unveiled a new proposal for Congress, a plan that if used, would “stimulate” the economy with 200 billion in new spending (primarily on schools, teachers, and transportation) and 240 billion in tax cuts.  There may be some merit behind the bill, but it is unlikely we will ever know.  The GOP will never pass it, preferring to wait for a Republican president to lead the way.  Politics and posture, right and left, continue to cripple progress.
Also, with the economy in the tank, hourly wages are dropping, employers are avoiding 40 hour weeks to save on health benefits, and overtime is becoming unheard of.  Modern technology allows nearly any business to operate online, cutting the operations down to a skeleton crew.  With fewer openings, employers look for specialized talents to hire and applicants have to sell their resume (and themselves) to the company.
So, what are your plans after graduation?  Masters, doctorate, driving nails, or delivering pizza? Maybe after a couple more years of classes a decent job will turn up.  Maybe some letters in front of your name will pay off.  Keep your options open and think about the future, but enjoy life before you have to mature.  School’s not so bad.