In Failing Economy, Young Adults Modifying Career Plans

For many college students, life after graduation holds little resemblance to the life that they had projected for themselves as idealistic freshmen. Finding work outside of one’s intended field of study has become a necessity for many young Americans who, in the midst of the financial crisis, have accumulated massive debt in pursuit of a degree which may never be put to its fullest use.   

Just ask 27-year-old Colin Snyder, a Penn State alumni who graduated just as the economy imploded in 2009.

“I went three and a half years pursuing a degree in corporate communications,” Snyder said. “I was never quite sure about my major, but I waited until senior year to change it, which was a bad move. I ended up changing it to information sciences and technology, but I had to take two extra years of major-only classes.”

The two additional years raised Snyder's crippling debt, but still his job prospects remain gloomy. 

“Sometimes it's like pulling teeth,” Snyder said, describing the process of making ends meet while at juggling student loans. “How are we supposed to get out of this economic mess when it all the young people are being strapped with these massive loans?”

Snyder was recently hired as a quality assurance professional at a company called Falcon, which he says is "at least vaguely related" to his college major. He has been working together with his wife Heather – a preschool teacher – to save money and put food on the table in their home in suburban Pa.

“We have a rule. If we can do something manually, we won’t just hire somebody to do it for us,” said Snyder. “Just in the past few months, we’ve patched and painted the entire house. Built a new sink in the bathroom. Put in new vents and exhaust hosing. If we were rolling in cash, we would probably hire someone to do these things for us. But the way things are... at least it’s good exercise.”

Snyder had these words of wisdom for current college students trying to map out their future: “Be prepared to work outside of your intended major. Oh, and ignore job postings that are for entry level positions but require five-plus years of experience. Seriously. That is bull-[expletive].”

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Heather Snyder, 25, a 2009 graduate of Temple University, has dealt with many of the same post-college issues that her husband and countless other twenty-somethings have been forced to face. 

After paying herself into debt in pursuit of her Bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education, she has still fallen victim to a bone-dry job market. And despite working as an assistant-teaching at several highly-regarded Pa. elementary schools, she still finds herself working at the same preschool she has been at since her sophomore year.

“I guess I should be grateful that I even have a job at all, in this economy,” Mrs. Snyder said. “The job market for teachers is pretty terrible. This may not be the career I intended, but at least I'm doing what I love to do.”

When she isn’t teaching preschoolers at Federation Early Learning Services, Mrs. Snyder spends a self-described “absurd” amount of time doing other part-time jobs such as tutoring and babysitting - which oftentimes is an overnight ordeal.

“These are the types of jobs I was doing throughout college and even dating back to high school,” Mrs. Snyder said. “I enjoy being with children, but it would be nice if I could find a job in the field which I spent four years preparing myself for. Graduating into an economy like this one is tough. You willingly put yourself into heaps of debt, and then you have to accept a job that pays less than the job you originally intended to have. It's like the loans will never be paid off.”

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Current college student Sean Michael, 19, is dreading the inevitable when he will find himself thrust into the job market.

"I'm still holding out hope that things turn around," said Michael, a biology major who will be attending the University of South Florida this fall. "Maybe if I spend enough time in grad school, the economy will eventually flourishing. But by then I'll have some serious debt to pay off."

Michael’s family has been dealing with some hard times in the wake of the economic collapse. Since 2009, his mother and father both have lost high-paying jobs, and he has been living in a crowded Philadelphia apartment with his sister – a Temple student – and four of her friends.

“It’s been fun,”  Michael joked.

Michael cautiously plans on going to medical school in the future, but realizes that should such a career choice not pan out, he will be forced to adapt and explore other, likely lower-paying options.

“It’s stressful to think that I’ll just keep going deeper and deeper into a hole of debt over the next few years,” Michael said. "And there might not even be a light at the end of the tunnel."

After his father’s hotel in Texas was closed down, and his mother lost her job as a nurse, both relocated to Florida, where Michael will be attending college next semester. Finances have been very tight, Michael said.

“I spend next to nothing on entertainment,” he said. “If it isn't food, water, or gasoline, I probably won't shell out the cash to buy it. I’ve been looking for a job so I can help out. My sister has two, in additional to her classes at Temple. It’s ridiculous what we have to do just to live like normal people. Let’s just say I’ve consumed more than my share of Nutella since moving in here.”

“I know a lot of college students end up with a job that they didn’t expect, but to think that I could put all this work into my major and then end up working at Wal-Mart or something is scary,” Michael said. “I guess I shouldn’t put all my eggs into one basket, but I will say that I’m really hoping med school works out. Wish me luck.”