A story in today's Star Tribune on the difficulties that young adults are facing in our tough economic environment contained a great example of the lack of perspective that seems to be common amongst this particular cohort. Recession generation has adulthood on hold:
Alyssa Kjellberg still can't believe it. Two years beyond college, her career path has led only to jobs at a greenhouse, a hotel front desk, an aunt's office and a seasonal landscaping company -- all paying less than $12 an hour. After applying for about 100 jobs, the environmental science major even offered "one week of free labor'' last summer to get a foot in the door at the landscaping company. But that job ended with the season, as will the one she's in now. Her dream of becoming a park ranger or environmental educator is drifting away. "There are so many people looking for work, you feel lost in the shuffle,'' said Kjellberg, 23. "I see my grandpa who lived through World War II and all he had to go through. Sometimes I feel like I'm living through something like that, too.''
Living through a world war that killed millions of people and not being able to land the type of job you want after graduating from college? Why yes Alyssa, I'm sure the experiences are quite similar.
