Is Career Opportunity Running Out in America?

Throughout history the business cycle of our capitalistic society has had its ups and downs. Today's generation X identifies these historical economic downfalls with distant documentaries of The Great Depression or stories about the gas shortage of the early 70's. All of this seems fairly remote to many today, especially in the eyes of high school and college students. In the wake of today's economic crisis, many eyes have been opened. The harsh realities of the real world are becoming more apparent as more of our young workforce is unable to find employment.

As a college student I can attest to the current lack of opportunity within our nation's workforce, particularly for students on break. Winter break offers most students a four to six week window to do with as they please. No class, no work, no deadlines, and supposedly no stress. As the fall semester came to an end and most bank accounts reached a balance of zilch, students everywhere completed finals eagerly awaiting the long vacation.

Many New York State Universities and colleges completed their fall semester in early December, allotting an ample amount of time for many to get home, relax, enjoy the company of their families ( for as long as that may last), and find a job before the holidays. Sitting in our dorm rooms, many with a beer in hand, we watched as a tirade of CNN analysts predicted a practical economic doomsday. So far away, with the safety net of our Mom and Dad's credit card, we doubted the full effect this recession would have on all of us. As many students on break rolled into our driveways with no gas in our tanks, our perspective preserved certain optimism in the ability to find a winter job with relative ease. Regrettably, that optimism soon became a figment of our imagination as we stepped out of our car and into a conceptual whirlwind of rampant unemployment. Leaving the bubble we lived in at school and re-entering the atmosphere of real life may be more difficult than any of us could have expected, especially when realizing that the safety net our parents could once provide is no longer as wide, or as deep as we once believed.

The summer jobs that use to fill our wallets and bank accounts with money for pizza and the eventual bar tab were no longer available. The employers who would welcome us back on break, providing countless jobs to students find themselves having to fire rather than hire. With the current economic slowdown many businesses are unable to re-staff until after the New Year, at the earliest. Where does this leave us? Some may still be able to depend on parents and loved ones to assist them in their financial difficulties and ultimate survival through the break, but what about those who are not afforded that luxury. Many of today's college students depend on the financial aid checks received in September to last and be stretched across food bills until December. Coming home with change and lint can be a very stressful way to begin your relaxing winter break.

Neil Schoenher, a writer for Washington University, discussed in an article last year, the major stressors that college students experience over winter break. According to Thomas Brounk, Ph.D., associate director and chief of Mental Health Services at WUSTL's Habif Health and Wellness Center, the stressor filling the number one spot on his list is a lack of money, particularly during the holiday season when gift purchasing and exchanging is customary. College students, often thought of as unable to provide essential services within our society, are in fact a crucial sector of the American labor force because soon we will be 'The American Labor Force'. The winter jobs and experiences we encounter now are vital in our development as productive members of society.

Keeping in mind that many are worse off than I, the question remains where we fall in societies eyes, as far as, providing resources for employment. Unfortunately for right now it looks like we'll be on the back burner.