Career Fairs have come and gone. Spring break was the time to go home and interview for that job you can take and still live at home and not pay rent (or pay less rent depending on your family). And now, the countdown to graduation isn't one to freedom, but one of increasing anxiety that is, THE REAL WORLD.
Looking at the current situation, seniors have a lot on their plate. Not only are they finishing up the required courses (including those scattered 100 level classes that should have happened freshman year) but they're looking at jobs in cities that they care about and the worst part are the cover letters they have to write to apply!
Millennials are a league of their own though as we start to graduate. More and more of us don't have jobs lined up after college and we are moving back home. In 2014, 83 percent of graduates didn't have a job arranged. You may think, well that's for all the psychology and communication students, but the study actually showed that 81 percent of those students with “hard science" majors like engineering, technology and math didn't have jobs right after graduation either and neither did business majors.
Maybe these numbers are because this generation doesn't actually think college prepares them for the real world. It might be rooted in the fact that we don't learn how to balance our checkbook and do any of us really know how the economy works, especially in America that's based on debt and credit scores?
There are some obvious pros and cons to waiting to find a job.
Some Pros include:
You get to live off of your parents for a few more months (years?) without responsibility.
No taxes.
No rent.
Time to enjoy summer.
You can do what you please. Read a book you actually like, that isn't required reading and you won't have to talk about it to a class full of strangers, or travel, or go on a hike, lay on the couch, who cares - you woke up at noon!
Reflect on what you really want out of life. In college we can get too caught up in the next test or the paper due in 2 hours that we don't get a moment to think about where these things are actually taking us. Here's your chance to map out your life, take it.
You get to hang out with your pets without having to pay for their food or vet visits.
So much Netflix.
You don't have to cook for yourself, but you can also get more creative with the stuff you do cook. You're not paying for that weird spice; why not try it on some tacos or a pizza.
Do something you love. It doesn't matter, but here's your chance to do something you didn't get to do in college because you were always busy with school or sleeping or friends or bars etc.
Some Cons, though:
Too much time “out of the game" can hinder your future look for a job.
You may not be making networks that can help you in the workforce.
Can feel like you are wasting time, or your parent's money (depends on your guilt complex).
Might get bored without something to do, or a due date coming up (the anxiety of not being anxious).
Having to live with the family (when you could barely handle Thanksgiving).
All your friends will be working or too busy with “real life" to hang out and day drink with you on Tuesday.
A DD will be hard to come by.
When you run out of shows to watch, you will be forced to wait week after week for those shows you care about. UGH!
Mom just doesn't get the snacks that you have gotten used to having around. Like, where is my popcorn? Oh, you didn't buy it for me, because I didn't ask, because you should just know that about me. Everyone knows I need my popcorn, mom - GAWD!
A major issue with graduating this day in age is the debt. America runs on debt, in order to play the game after you graduate, you need a credit score, and you need to be able to pay off your debt, while also paying the interest. It's a weird system, but it's a reality we have to deal with. Student loan debt has nearly quadrupled in the last decade and the current unemployment rate of Millennials between 20 and 24 is 10 percent, and 4.5 percent for 25 and older (the national rate for all ages was 5.5 percent as of February 2015). Even with these realities, we have graduated college and that's a greater feat than almost two-thirds of our generation, giving us a better chance to live above the poverty line. So don't drop out just yet, despite your plans (or lack thereof) after graduation, stick with it and you will eventually be earning up to $17,500 more than those our age without a bachelor's degree, which like, about 1,000 cans of Busch Light.
