Youths Feel Pressure

I conducted a minor survey among my friends and I found that people my age are also feeling pressure about the current economic situation and what it may mean for their own future. A fellow senior, communication major and former teammate of mine Lindsay Fitzgerald expresses that she currently worried about what will happen when she graduates. Lindsay, with a minor in education aspires to be a school teacher. She realizes that she needs to save money and attempt to spend less to keep the pressures off her family. Lindsay realizes that her family works hard and that her parents may not be able to retire when they want. She will be applying to graduate school for the upcoming year to receive a master's in education. She understands that student loans come quickly after graduation and that money will be tight for a while.

My cousin Jenny McDermott who is a senior at Bridgewater State College and works as a nanny for an affluent family said, "I have been experiencing pressures in relation to my job. Gas prices sky rocketed and my job is heavily dependent on transportation. Only a percent of my gas is covered by my employer and the rest is out of pocket. Although prices have drastically reduced, I am still hesitant about the future. My future is very dependent on the economic status because I plan on opening up a small business. I want to open up a daycare center and I am paying close attention to the new administration soon to take office."

She also said, "I'm really spread thin with school. I don't know how much longer I can do it. It is stressful, and I don't like being gone as much as I am. I have little time for school and friends due to my job."

Julie Pearson is a 24 year old who has a Bachelor's degree from Salve Regina has been out of college for three years now. She lived in Boston for the first two years that she was out of college but has now decided to move home to save money. She said, "As prices of necessities such as groceries steadily increase, I am saving less money. Because my budget is changing to incorporate price increases, I am cutting out more things that are unnecessary. As a recent graduate in as somewhat entry-level position the future of the economy is a huge concern for me. I worry how I will be able to ever afford to buy a house. Fluctuation gas and oil prices are also a concern. As a commuter I travel 100 miles a day so gas prices dramatically affect how much I travel outside of work. Currently I am paying to put myself through graduate school, in the hopes of eventually increasing my salary. The current economic situation makes it difficult to pay for living expenses, graduate school, and try to save money at the same time. Under current circumstances the economy is a constant worry and the future of the economy is completely unsure. I pay student loans, car payment, car insurance, upkeep from commuting on the car."

As a Communication major at UMass along with being a senior I feel an immense amount of pressure currently and for when I graduate. I am beyond paranoid about how I will be able to get a job in such a hard time. My parents paid for half of my college and I took out loans for the rest. I understand that the loan bills begin only six months after I graduate, meaning that obtaining a job is crucial to pay my bills. I have interned for an elected official within his press office. I have also interned at one of his agencies. Even though I have been told they would love to have me work for them when I graduate, state jobs are being cut. Times are tough and the results of my survey show that other students my age worry if they will get a job when they graduate. The realization is scary and something I would have never thought could happen the same year I will be graduating from college.