Sarah Percoulis
AmeriCorps VISTA for The LEAGUE Michigan
I’m pointing out the elephant in the room: Yes, the current economy sucks. For pretty much everyone. We all know this.
But I think most forget about the group that is being squeezed the most in today’s recovering economy – tomorrow’s leaders. The entry-level recruits.
You know, those twenty-something year olds still living at home, even with a Bachelor’s (or dare I say for myself…a Master’s) degree. Those struggling to find a decent job to sustain housing, those incredulous student loans, and other important standard living expenses…if possible.
As an AmeriCorps VISTA (a “Volunteer In Service To America” – who volunteers a year of their life to serve a nonprofit in eradicating the nation’s poverty), I currently am offered a stipend (which is 10% under the poverty level income) to show you what it is like living under the extreme conditions of poverty.
I, along with 6,000 Americans, are doing fantastic work to support the US in troubling times. Because I could not find a job after graduation, I resorted to an experience that well outweighed the struggle to make ends meet. I am ready to get out into the world and make a difference with a nonprofit organization.
But now as my year of service is soon coming to an end, I find myself again competing with mid-level professionals to obtain a job that I am more than qualified for. But because of the fear that has effected us all, those with more than enough experience and qualifications are going for the jobs that entry-level professionals normally would fill. This is very problematic.
Having grown up in an age with plentiful jobs and an almost (dare I say it) coddled environment where you were told that jobs would be there, I am faced with the unthinkable – being unemployed for a prolonged period of time.
This story is definitely “To Be Continued”…
What do you think? What tips do you have for those entry-level professionals? Have you had any experiences that you’d like to share?
But I think most forget about the group that is being squeezed the most in today’s recovering economy – tomorrow’s leaders. The entry-level recruits.
You know, those twenty-something year olds still living at home, even with a Bachelor’s (or dare I say for myself…a Master’s) degree. Those struggling to find a decent job to sustain housing, those incredulous student loans, and other important standard living expenses…if possible.
As an AmeriCorps VISTA (a “Volunteer In Service To America” – who volunteers a year of their life to serve a nonprofit in eradicating the nation’s poverty), I currently am offered a stipend (which is 10% under the poverty level income) to show you what it is like living under the extreme conditions of poverty.
I, along with 6,000 Americans, are doing fantastic work to support the US in troubling times. Because I could not find a job after graduation, I resorted to an experience that well outweighed the struggle to make ends meet. I am ready to get out into the world and make a difference with a nonprofit organization.
But now as my year of service is soon coming to an end, I find myself again competing with mid-level professionals to obtain a job that I am more than qualified for. But because of the fear that has effected us all, those with more than enough experience and qualifications are going for the jobs that entry-level professionals normally would fill. This is very problematic.
Having grown up in an age with plentiful jobs and an almost (dare I say it) coddled environment where you were told that jobs would be there, I am faced with the unthinkable – being unemployed for a prolonged period of time.
This story is definitely “To Be Continued”…
What do you think? What tips do you have for those entry-level professionals? Have you had any experiences that you’d like to share?
