Whatdidyou

'"What did you study? Where did you study?"

Not in the situation, but I'll guess that most people its "something impractical that was their 'passion'" to question number one, and somewhere unnecessarily expensive because of buying into some bogus ranking or other assorted bs. '

JC domrom! I'm suprised you can get away with saying something like this in the current economy. This may have been the case when the economy was booming! But today the problem extends far past choosing impractical majors and/or going to $$$ schools.

Believe me, there are plenty of "practical major" graduates from solid and/or lower level state schools who are currently living in their parent's basement.

hops_scout

I don't live in the basement (I'd hit my head a lot since it's just a crawl space!) but I live at home and have done so since graduating from college in 2010. I plan to continue to do so for at least the next two years while I pursue my masters degree online.

I have a full-time job working in healthcare and fitness. Instead of paying for rent and utilities, etc I am paying on student loans building my future by saving money.

LakeClouds

What was your major? Does your current position relate to what you studied?

chrisw

Major very often has nothing to do with your job. I'm a consultant and was a political science major; I work alongside of engineering, math, finance and Spanish majors.

I have friends who were economics, finance, math, biology, polisci, philosophy and communications and all went into some aspect of the banking industry. Major matters less than GPA and ability to sell yourself on your resume and through interviews

NovaLynnx

I was a psychology major and I work full-time as an HR manager. I always commuted, with the exception of one year I had my own off-campus apartment. I did not find the transition to living on my own difficult (I was able to cope and take care of myself just fine), and moving home didn't change much - I do my own cooking, cleaning, laundry, etc. And my parents leave me alone if I bring home any guests.

I am still home because 1) moving out is an unnecessary cost given that my job is not far from my home, 2) I have student loans because I funded my own undergraduate education, and I would rather pay them down than pay rent, and 3) my mom doesn't want me to move out, partly because I'm her only child and we get along well most of the time, and partly I think because her relationship with my father isn't so great and it is nice to have the daughter around as a distraction or to vent.

Being that I'm not a super social person, I don't party, it takes me longer to make friends, etc., moving out would also be rather lonely unless I met someone I thought I might get serious with. Most of the college graduates I know are at home to save money, unless they moved out with boyfriends/girlfriends, and a few that didn't have good home lives and moved out to get away from them.

I am a very independent person and I do not rely on my parents to take care of me just because I live in a room in their house. I make my own decisions and they do not hover over me or treat me as anything less than an adult.

I understand some parents worry their children will "fail to launch," but as long as they are working, have career goals that they are actively pursuing, and are able to cook and clean for themselves, it is less of a problem than those who hang out on the couch most of the day or who don't pay their own bills (car payments, car insurance, cell phone, etc.). It makes sense to save money, or to pay down debt, before adding more expenses to the list. Having an emergency savings fund is important, and many students I know did not have one built up before trying to make a go of it on their own. It's tough living paycheck to paycheck, and unless you had a heck of a job during college, or land a heck of a job right out of college, you're not starting out with a whole lot as a safety net.

CollectivSynergy

Actually, it's one of the important college experiences to learn how to do those things. What you're insinuating is that if someone offered you free cleaning, laundry, and home cooking services for you in your apartment, you should turn it down because "how will you cope when/if you get married?" Which is obviously untrue. Not that I treat my parents as such, I simply consider it an exchange for handiwork and tech expertise.

And yes, as someone else pointed out the inherent contradiction of criticizing my living at home and then stating the difficulty of finding someone not living at home... I'm very comfortable with my situation. I thought I'd get a lot more judgmental comments like yours when I share my living arrangement, but honestly I get a lot more envious responses about how much money I'm saving and how well it's setting me up a few years down the road.

turtlerock

I'm envious. If my parents didn't live 2 hours from where I work I would seriously consider living with them. They know they could use some help (mowing lawns, cleaning garage, computer help, etc) and I'd be able to save tens of thousands of dollars a year. Give me 3 years of that and I could potentially have a substantial down payment for my own house/condo. And I'd still know how to wash my own clothes and dishes

hops_scout

My major was Athletic Training. A little more than half of my job is directly related and then the rest is sort of related. When I get to do the healthcare part of it working with the athletes it is obviously directly related. When I do the fitness center stuff, it's kind of related.

It is also an essential life lesson to learn financial stability. By living at home, I am able to pay off debt and establish myself financially before having to go "out on my own."

LakeClouds

How many new grads are working, paricularly in jobs that are related to their majors? I've been reading that many new grads can't find meaningful work and that GenY is a "lost generation" akin to those who grew up in the depression (the one in the 30s).

NovaLynnx

I found a job that I started immediately upon graduating, in a field related to my major. This was about a year and a half ago.

I think far too many grads are waiting until they are about to graduate - or worse, AFTER they graduate - to even begin looking for jobs. I also think there may be higher numbers of students in college because it's the "thing to do" after high school to ensure a better future - but they may not necessarily be motivated to do much beyond the basic coursework (no internships, no research, no networking, etc.), or may have done better in a technical/trade school. This makes it far more difficult to find work as well. Of course, these are just my observations of students I graduated with and know personally. From my experience, those who went above and beyond and who built up a strong network, recommendations, and resume prior to graduating did not have as much difficultly finding work. Or at least, the percentage of unemployed/underemployed is lower in that group.

I also see a lot of posts on here about how "worthless" students feel their psychology, sociology, literature, etc. degrees are - before they even graduated and tried putting them to use. Well, with that attitude, I can see why they are/will be unemployed. Sometimes you need to think outside of the box and realize you have developed more skills than you realize, and that you may be able to get jobs that are related, though perhaps less obvious choices, to your field.

fa-la-la-lena

I just graduated last month and I'm one of the few "lucky" ones who got a FT job directly related to my (liberal arts) major starting in August (could've started earlier but wanted to postpone the inevitable/be a summer bum for a while). NovaLynnx hit it spot-on. Starting your job search early, being flexible, having a positive attitude, and taking advantage of all the internship/networking/research/extracurricular opportunities while you are in school are crucial to supporting future job search efforts. That being said, it takes a while. Quite a few of my friends have great resumes and have applied to tons of jobs- it just is a waiting game. There is nothing wrong with being basement dweller right after graduation while you are trying to stand up on your own financially.

chrisw

"Related to their majors" is not the appropriate phrase to use, in my opinion. I would ask how many new grads are underemployed? How many gave up on jobs that would utilize their degree in favor of tending bar, working retail or doing basic data entry?

Having a job related to your major isn't so important anymore; a friend of mine graduated with an engineering degree, and he had a lot of trouble finding jobs in his specific field. When he broadened his search, I helped him to get a job at my company. He doesn't do anything specifically related to his major, but he still has a good, steady job with comfortable pay and good benefits. That doesn't seem like such a bad deal to me!

CollectivSynergy

We've been all reading the same articles. Even the worst figures coming out (50% under/unemployment) still indicate half of our age group is still doing well, though. Just something to keep in mind. And the magnitude isn't hugely different from any previous recession, just the length.

LakeClouds

What did you friends major in and what are they doing while awaiting a FT position? How long do they expect to wait - we're heading into the summer doldrums as far as jobs search goes.

fa-la-la-lena

I don't know what "summer doldrums" are (I don't think they exist, except in the minds of the lethargic job applicant) but there are plenty of jobs to apply for year round if you are relatively flexible. You seriously have to be patient, but at the same time unrelentlessly apply for jobs. I applied to my job in June 2011, heard back for a tentative job offer in March 2012, and didn't get confirmation/start-date until May 2012 (I applied to literally 50 jobs until then). My friend is an Earth science major, she applied for jobs in February, March, April, etc. She just heard back in May and will be working for an Americorps position in Nashville. My other friend is a finance major, he has been applying/interviewing for stuff since last October and literally just got a job offer 2 days ago. etc. etc.

Just in case you are curious, these are my friends (I would say that this is pretty representative of the types of post-grad students still on the job search..not surprisingly, they are all liberal arts majors):

Case 1: international relations/development major
what she is doing now: graduated in May, 2 part-time research jobs through our university
resume quality: top-notch
job application status: recently interviewed for 3 positions and they are all actively considering her (so she is just waiting to hear back from them...just a matter of time, not if but when)
her outlook: impatiently awaiting, pretty certain that she'll get one of the positions she interviewed for, but applying to numerous jobs every week just in case

Case 2: international relations/european studies/german major
what he is doing now: graduated in May, full-time job as boss-man for our university cafeterias
resume quality: above average
job application status: was counting on a fulbright but didn't get it, so just started to apply to stuff.
his outlook: hopeful, flexible, not really worried yet

Case 3: international relations major
what he is doing now: graduated in December, worked full-time for parking services until May, now living at home and not working at present
resume quality: above average
job application status: has applied to dozens of positions, interviewed for several, but has had no luck. still is continuing to apply to some but is very uncertain of where to look/what to look for
outlook: dismal/full of despair

Case 4: psychology major
what she is doing now: graduated in May, living at college town and not presently working, was waiting for her boyfriend to get a job (so that she could follow him to wherever)
resume quality: above average
job application status: has just started looking for jobs (as her boyfriend just received a job offer confirmation) where her boyfriend and her are planning on moving to
outlook: excited to move to somewhere new, but unsure if she'll be able to find a job

Case 5: international relations major
what she is doing now: graduated in May, living at home and not presently working, is indecisive about whether she wants to move to Milwaukee with her boyfriend, stay at home with her family (who she is super close to), or be more career-minded and go where the jobs are
resume quality: above average
job application status: interviewed for a summer internship in Mexico but fell through, so she has just started looking for jobs everywhere
outlook: indecisive