Two years after receiving a B.A. in anthropology from Georgia State University, David Cook now washes trash cans. It's part-time work for $9 an hour--not ideal for the recent graduate.
"I don't want to seem ungrateful. I just feel like I devoted years of my life and thousands of dollars into developing specialized skills that I'm not using," said Cook, who now lives in Fort Collins, Colorado with his wife and young son.
Cook is not alone in his quest to find a job that correlates in some way with his college degree. Or in finding a job period. A significant number of recent graduates find themselves working in jobs that don't require a college degree; others are just not working at all. For college graduates under the age of 25, the jobless rate is 9.5 percent. And between 2000 and 2009, earnings for grads with just a bachelor's degree fell by 15 percent. Yet public college tuitions rose 63 percent, and private schools went up 30 percent.
So it raises the question: is a college degree worth the debt?
"The advice that they have gotten since they (students) were toddlers was, get a college degree, and you will have a successful economic future. And I want to emphasize that still is a better bet than not, but now it's more difficult to translate that in this particular economy," says Carl Van Horn, a professor at the Center for Workforce Development at Rutgers University.
A common sentiment which persists among all of the young college graduates highlighted in this video is a sense of hope and optimism. Each is extremely grateful for the opportunities they have, and look forward to what the future has to offer.
Quotes
"The advice that they have gotten since they (students) were toddlers was, get a college degree, and you will have a successful economic future. And I want to emphasize that still is a better bet than not, but now it's more difficult to translate that in this particular economy." -- Professor Carl Van Horn, Rutgers University.
"It's been really emotionally tough for -- for both of us. And, psychologically, it's hard to, you know, be the father and the husband, the man of the family, all this, but not providing for him." - David Cook, recent graduate
"It's been really emotionally tough for -- for both of us. And, psychologically, it's hard to, you know, be the father and the husband, the man of the family, all this, but not providing for him." - David Cook, recent graduate
Warm Up Questions
1. Why do people go to college?
2. What are some jobs that require a college degree?
3. How do people pay for college?
Discussion Questions
1. Why do you suppose the young people from this video, who all have college degrees, are unable to find steady jobs?
2. What are some of the benefits of receiving a college degree?
3. Do you know someone who has recently graduated from college and cannot find a job? How do they feel about their situation?
4. What are some other ways this recession has changed people's expectations and situations?
Additional Resources
Graduates Face Tough, but Improving, Job Market
Is a College Education Essential for Americans
Graduation Report 'Encouraging,' But Many Schools Risk 'Dropout Factory' Status
