College Grads - 85% move back home, average 24K debt,

[Liberal_in_LA]

College grads: $24,000 in debt
By Blake Ellis, staff reporterOctober 22, 2010: 12:34 PM ET


NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- Student loan debt is on the rise, and fewer graduates are getting jobs to pay back what they borrowed.

College seniors who graduated last year owed an average of $24,000 in student loan debt, up 6% from the year before, according to a report from the Project on Student Debt. The data, released on Thursday, is based on an annual analysis of student loan debt at more than 1,000 public and private nonprofit four-year institutions.

At the same time, unemployment for recent college graduates jumped from 5.8% in 2008 to 8.7% in 2009 -- the highest annual rate on record.

"With student debt rising and jobs hard to come by, it's more important than ever to shop around when deciding where to go to college," said Lauren Asher, president of the Institute for College Access & Success, the research group that operates the Project on Student Debt. "This report shows that debt levels vary widely -- not only from state-to-state but also from college-to-college, even when the sticker prices look the same."

Colleges dished out extra aid to help students stay in school as the economy went downhill, causing student debt to rise about 6% annually for the past 4 years, the organization said.

Boomerang kids: 85% of college grads move home
http://money.cnn.com/2010/10/22/pf/college/student_loan_debt/index.htm?section=money_mostpopular&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+rss%2Fmoney_mostpopular+%28Most+Popular%29

So hard that a whopping 85% of college seniors planned to move back home with their parents after graduation last May, according to a poll by Twentysomething Inc., a marketing and research firm based in Philadelphia. That rate has steadily risen from 67% in 2006.

"It's peaking at levels we have not seen before," said David Morrison, managing director and founder of Twentysomething.

Mallory Jaroski, 22 graduated from Penn State University in May but has been living at home with her mother while looking for a job in press relations. "It's not bad living with my mom, but I feel like a little kid. I have a little bed, a little room," she says.

http://money.cnn.com/2010/10/14/pf/boomerang_kids_move_home/index.htm

[rocktivity]

1. I had to live at home until I earned enough money to move out

but then again, jobs befitting a college grad were easier to find back then.

:headbang:
rocktivity

[Bigmack]

2. For us old farts, this is scary....

those kids need to be working and paying taxes. Not just for us, of course, but we can't work anymore, and everybody is counting on the younger generation to keep the country running.

Our college people!

Jesus H. Christ... this country is eating its own seed corn!

[antigone382]

10. Thank you very much for understanding the challenges young people face.

I get really sick of being accused of being a lazy, selfish, whiney brat who wants to live at home so mommy can pay for my Iphone. I've never even held an Iphone, lol.

I don't know what to do, it's a scary time. I feel bad for so many in the older generations who have had their life savings, or their investments in a home, go up in smoke because of the careless greed of a few. My whole life I've been trying to figure out how to do things the right way: get educated and work, avoid debt, save for the future, and be a contributing member of society. It's incredibly difficult to know what choices to make now, and it seems more and more like a single misstep could result in a lifetime of insurmountable struggle.

[raccoon]

60. You got that right, "and it seems more and more like a single misstep could result in a lifetime of

insurmountable struggle."

Actually, I think that's been true for some time. Only it's happening more now and is more obvious.

[cbdo2007]

3. I don't think I know one person who went straight from college to their own place.

Everyone went back home to live with their parents for a month while they tried to get a job and find a place to live.

I lived with my parents for a year after graduation which helped me pay down 1/4 of my student loans.

I'm happy 85% of people went back to live with their parents if they graduated with so much debt. They should try to take care of that before getting their own place.

[RaleighNCDUer]

6. Back in the day, i didn't know ANYBODY who went home after

graduation. Zero. Zilch. Moving to college was leaving home, period. A lot moved in with friends, shared apartments as they were getting their feet on the ground, but going home was simply not even considered.

And that was during the recession in the 70s.

[DCBob]

9. Exactly.. I think our generation saw being independent as like the only option once out..

We would rather live in a trashy apartment with some hippies than move back in with Mommy and Daddy.

[RaleighNCDUer]

11. I actually did move back in with Mom & Dad at one point, but that was

while recovering from a really bad divorce, chronically depressed and underemployed, for a year - and long after my hippie days.

Family is good. But i would have never considered it in my 20s or 30s.

[DCBob]

12. Bad divorces can be tough.. need family for the moral support..

I just went through an "easy" divorce but it was still hell.

[SoCalDem]

17. and even if one did NOT go to college, after high school

2 or 3 girls or 2 or 3 guys would get a rickety old apartment somewhere and "start their lives"..Kids did NOT "stay at home" unless there was a religious reason ....some girls had to stay home until they married...but most of them found a "husband" a little too quickly to get around that family rule..

[kevinbgoode]

30. absolutely! I knew one person who moved home for a SUMMER

and then was back out - with ANY job he could find - by September. Parents assumed you weren't going to move back home after graduation. . .and lots of people that age took clerical jobs, waiter/waitress positions, worked assembly line, even minimum wage jobs at nursing homes, and doubled/tripled up in apartments to make the rent. Heck, most everyone I knew didn't move into a nice apartment - most went to apartments in large, older houses that had great character and low rent. Some had no cars or junk cars always in need of repairs.

Heck, I didn't have much of anything when I started out on my own - two sets of towels, a few kitchen things, no furniture. I had to get a furnished apartment with a friend in an old house and loved the place - a big front porch and foyer, french doors to my bedroom. I walked to work for the first four years, took a bus to the mall for shopping and walked to the supermarket five blocks away for groceries. Friends banded together to share things as people moved on - bought "new" at the Goodwill, spent Saturday night with a $3 bottle of wine and conversation. . .a lot of us didn't even have televisions.

[pstokely]

14. But a lot of them have no home to move back to nt

nt

[CBR]

29. I never moved back home. nt

[GSLevel9]

4. ONLY 24K?

:sarcasm:

[Greyhound]

5. But we mustn't do anything to upset this corporate welfare system,

that might upset our masters.
:kick: & R

[antigone382]

13. The ones convincingly describing us as lazy narcissists with a sense of entitlement?

n/t

[Greyhound]

18. That was your sad misinterpretation of a post on another thread.

But please continue...

BTW, 'n/t' should appear in the subject line as its purpose is to let people know there is nothing within the body of the reply.

[antigone382]

19. There wasn't anything to misinterpret, you described us as "unbearable whiners"

However n/t is supposed to be used, I have seen it in the body of posts at DU for the entire six+ years that I have been here. I've gone with the cultural norm, and in any case that line of argument is about as relevant (and about as polilte) as correcting someone's spelling, grammar, or punctuation.

In the face of a very ugly insult I tried to be civil and you have chosen to dismiss or disregard everything I had to say. Normally I wouldn't have brought it into another thread, but in the first place I think this thread is a much more appropriate place for this disucussion, and secondly, as a young person I feel personally attacked, and that I have the right to defend myself, particularly with articles like this that make precisely my point. Yes, I took it personally. I'm tired of seeing this false, divisive, BS generational conflict posted here. We have a lot of responsibility to clean up the messes that we are facing (not because of some flaw or deficiency in the generations that preceded us, but just because that's the way history goes) and the vast majority of kids I know are doing the best they can to educate themselves so they can do just that.

In all honesty my last post was a bit rude in tone and I apologize for that. However, I'm trying to get you and others to see a connection that I think should be apparent.

[Greyhound]

20. And just as you're doing here, you compounded you're misinterpretation by

taking off an a hyperbolic rant on another topic entirely.

You can choose to take offense at anything you like, it has no effect on anyone else.

Simple fact;

Voters under 30 = single digit turnout

Voters over 30 = double digit turnout

[antigone382]

22. What topic other than youth experience vs. erroneous perceptions have I taken off on?

I express myself with as many words as I need. If more than one paragraph constitutes a rant, I don't know what to tell you.

Youth voter turnout has almost always been very low, so I don't know how that applies to my specific generation. In fact, in the last election for which we were eligible, we voted in overwhelming numbers, and here are two articles to prove it:

Youth Turnout Up by 2 Million From 2004 - NYTimes.com

http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/11/05/youth-turnout-up-by-2-million-from-2004/

They were the initial cheerleaders of Barack Obama’s candidacy who stuck with him on the long slog to Nov. 4. And on Election Day, young people voted overwhelmingly to send him to the White House while exceeding their 2004 turnout levels by at least 2.2 million, according to researchers who track the voting habits of youth.
Youth Turnout Up by 2 Million From 2004

Between 21.6 and 23.9 million Americans in the age group from 18 to 29 years cast a ballot, up from about 19.4 million in 2004, numbers-crunchers at the Center for Information and Research of Civic Learning and Engagement, or Circle, announced on Wednesday.

Based on those figures, more young people went to the polls this year than they did in any election since 1972 when the voting age was lowered from 21 to 18, the researchers said. And 66 percent of them supported Mr. Obama, while 31 percent favored Senator John McCain.

(snip)

“If you subtracted some of their turnout, or if you raised the voting age to 21, it’s a much closer election,” Mr. Levine said on a conference call with reporters on Tuesday. “Every demographic plays its role, but the tilt in favor of Obama is pretty striking.”

Exit polls indicated that young people represented 18 percent of all voters.


(I'll take this opportunity to point out that if the youth vote was 18% of the total vote, it was most certainly more than 18% of the total youth population. Thus, single-digit turnout=not a fact at all)


Here's another one:

http://thetartan.org/2008/11/10/news/elections

Election 2008: Second-largest youth voter turnout in American history
News | Claire Morgenstern


Several hundred Carnegie Mellon students gathered in Rangos Ballroom on Tuesday night to watch election night coverage and weather the final hours before Barack Obama was elected as the first African-American president of the United States. But the election of 2008 was historic for another reason — students who cast a vote in Tuesday’s presidential election (or mailed in an absentee ballot) were part of the largest ever group in their age bracket to support a single candidate, and the second largest youth voter movement in American history.

[Greyhound]

27. Two in this rant; 1. the OP topic about students graduating with huge debt loads.

2. the percentage of eligible voters in the younger demographics consistently remain insignificant.

[antigone382]

28. 1. which ties into the fact that young people face legitmate challenges (and aren't just whiners)

2. Which again, says nothing about this, specific generation, who actually had a higher voter turnout in the last election than in any previous election, except the very first one after the voting age was lowered.

Edit: 18% of the total popular vote is significant by any reasonable measure.

[Greyhound]

31. Once more slowly;

Percentage of eligible voters.

You're trying to argue that your generation is different from others and the numbers do not back up that assertion.

The only reason the boomers had any power was their sheer numbers, the ~8% that did register and vote made a larger number, but were still only ~8%.

[antigone382]

34. No, I'm not trying to argue that my generation is different than others.

I'm trying to argue that my generation isn't a uniquely, inherently deficient group of unempathetic whiners who will probably destroy the future. We're more or less like the youth of every other generation (though we did vote in larger numbers than previous generations), with individual good and bad qualities, who are as affected by today's challenges as every other age demographic.

Sorry if my persistence in making that point bothers you. I guess it reflects my nature, unaccustomed to "giving up at the first sign of resistance."

[DCBob]

7. Wow. That's a disturbingly large number.

That must be a very difficult decision. Once I left the family home I would have felt like a complete loser moving back.

[Celeborn Skywalker]

24. Depends on the culture

I come from a Hispanic area and many have no qualms about living with extended family and certainly don't feel like "losers".

[blue sky at night]

8. forwarding this to my daughter....

she and our and your money are going to OU in athens. thanks!

[prolesunited]

15. My son, now 25, never left home

Lucky for us that we live near a regional campus of a state university that is just as large as some small colleges. It even has housing for international students. I told him he could live at home rent free as long as he was in school and it really has worked out for the best.

He will graduate in the spring with a BA in political science/criminal justice and will have NO college debt. I helped out a bit in the beginning, but he's paid his tuition and books as he's gone along, just finishing up paying for one semester as he starts another.

It's been a long, hard haul as he can only take two or three classes a semester and gone every summer semester. He's mostly worked full time and pays for all his own expenses, even food, and does his own laundry. Now he even pays the cable bill and gives me a few bucks for utilities.

When all his friends went off to college, he was pretty miserable. But, now that they've graduated with huge debts, are living at home or with roommates, and only a few working in their field, he sees the wisdom of my plan.

If you are in a specialized field, excel academically, or will earn a lot, debt may make sense, but if you are getting a degree in something like teaching, accounting, liberal arts, etc., it seems foolhardy to accumulate so much debt.

I don't see anything wrong with extended families living together as long as kids aren't, don't expect to be treated like babies with mommy doing all the cooking, cleaning, laundry, etc. It certainly is a better use of resources.

[RadicalTexan]

16. I graduated from a state university ten years ago and owed $24K

And still do, because it was only last year that I finally began earning enough to make payments.

I have a BA in a humanities subject, and I got a subsequent MA in the UK. So now I owe double that amount.

I also got a few scholarships and worked 20 hours per week throughout my college years.

Kids these days are fucked. Unless they want to be medical doctors, they should learn a trade or learn to farm. I am totally serious.

[eilen]

21. My son wants to major in Music. I told him that he

can do that but he has to major in Music AND something else. It could be teaching or it could be plumbing. (I'd prefer a plumber in the family-- more stable-- sorry teachers!).

[Hippo_Tron]

23. Honestly, there are very few "practical" majors anymore

And employers don't care a whole lot about what degree you got because honestly it doesn't really prepare you for a job in that field. But it is definitely a good idea to have a backup to being a musician, even if that

Engineering, accounting, teaching, are some of the few exceptions. Foreign languages (particularly Spanish) are also very practical in today's job market.

[pstokely]

25. It's almost like you'd be better off going straight to work at Wal-mart after high school

a degree makes you too expensive for cheap labor companies

[eilen]

26. The most important skill I hope he learns

is how to live on a Walmart income budget-- as a musician, it will help him. He isn't too interested in working at Walmart.

One good job for college students is seeing if there are openings at hospitals for sitters. The job entails sitting and watching a confused or suicidal patient, cuing the confused not to try and get out of bed, calling the nurse if they are too agitated and need some medication. The hospital by me pays them about $10/hr and they always need people for night shifts (particularly in the ED).

[Name removed]

32. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[XemaSab]

35. What's with the hate?

If there was an article about how black professionals or Hispanic women were faring poorly, would you be all like "Who cares?"

So why the hate towards young people?

[antigone382]

38. It's like an epidemic around here these days.

There are young people on this discussion board. It is actually hurtful and creates a hostile environment to read stuff like that.

I didn't realize maturity was indicated by spiteful broadbrush condemnation.

[SmileyRose]

41. ALL young people aren't out there whining about having it tougher than anyone else

and I am therefore not slamming all young people.

I made a point of saying there are an awful lot of youngsters have it rough. An awful lot of them are homeless. Those kids I feel for. But some little whiney entitled twit who was lucky enough to benefit from the best of what America has to offer yammering on about how their kind has been hardest hit in this economy needs a dose of reality. Someone needs to show little Miss Mallory what it's like for millions of kids in this country, let alone around the world and maybe she'll quit bitching about her "little bed in her little room".

That said I do not hate the little Miss Mallory's of the world. More like I feel sorry for them. I was always told college is supposed to help expose kids to the broader world and give them some sense of gratitude, among other things. There's obviously some percentage that still need a wake up call and I hope they get it. I don't want the little entitled brats to be the next round of George W. Bush's.

[antigone382]

44. I didn't infer a lack of gratitude from that, just an understandable frustration.

I was self-supporting for several years before I ended up on Mom's couch for a little while, under much less than ideal conditions, shall we say. I wasn't ungrateful to be there, but I sure would rather have been on my own getting my life started. You really have no way of knowing how close these kids or their families are to being in the streets. Just because I kid comes home from college doesn't mean they aren't hungry or lacking medical care or that their family home itself isn't imperiled.

[Name removed]

46. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[demmiblue]

50. You forgot the sarcasm tag?

[antigone382]

55. Baby boomers are no more to blame for our problems than any other age group.

Bigotry against any age-group is still bigotry, and is counterproductive.

[antigone382]

36. Your perspective is duly noted.

You think a lot of the kids coming out of college don't have parents who lost their jobs? Why do so many people have to be so full of venom towards the young? Nobody said it wasn't hard for older people. The recession is hard on everybody except the extremely wealthy. Direct your rage at them. America's youth are not your enemies.

Believe me, I know from supporting my fifty-something mother and my brother (who got a felony from a first time possession offense), while I was putting myself through school, just how hard it is for anyone who isn't young and perfectly qualified to find a job. I'm going to college partially so I can help my family get out of extreme poverty, knowing there's no guarantee that will help anything. I'm lucky enough to be doing it without incurring a lot of debt yet, and you bet your ass I'm thankful for the opportunity.

The author of the article was the one who described the recession as particularly hard on the young. If you don't like the way the journalist put it, it's the journalist who needs to open up his or her head with a larger perspective, not all us "little ingrates."

I'm getting really sick of the "get off my lawn, you rotten kids" attitude around here. I would never say such ugly and cruel things about another age group...or any group, for that matter. It's all rotten bigotry that has no place on a progressive discussion board.

[demmiblue]

43. You sound like a wonderful woman.

Really, there is no such prevailing attitude around here, it is just the rantings of a few.

As a parent, my child will always have a place to rest their head. I have to say, the more I look at other cultures, the more I question ours in this respect. What is the big deal with post college-aged students living with their parents? Especially in this economy?

:shrug:

[antigone382]

45. I don't mean to keep repeating that story like it's the greatest thing in the world..

...because there are a lot of kids struggling through a lot worse than me. I just want to give a human story to many people's concept of youth.

As an anthropology/sociology student, I feel the same way you do. Matrilocality/patrilocality (a couple living with either the groom's father's family, or wife's mother's family) is the norm worldwide. It's a good way to share labor and resources, and it's more sound in terms of energy use than single-family suburban dwellings. Both childcare and eldercare can be provided for by family members, negating the need for daycare, nursing homes, etc. The nuclear family as it exists in the United States is a remarkably recent, and in my opinion, pretty unhealthy adaptation to industrialism. It makes sense that as transportation becomes more expensive and resources become more difficult to obtain due to peak oil, etc., that the way we live and construct our lives is going to change.

[demmiblue]

48. But, it is great; it is your story. A story of who you are as a person.

Never underestimate yourself.

I am not sure if I could live in a matrilocality/patrilocality situation, but I understand your posit. Yes, it makes sense, but I am not sure most Americans would agree to this type of situation. I can, however, see multi-generational living situations, which would bring about the same type of benefits. I think it would get a lot of getting used to, but it may become a necessity in the near future. For many, I would guess, it is already a reality.

Good Luck with your studies!

:hi:

[antigone382]

51. Thank you!

Yes, I agree with what you're saying. I have a pretty good relatioinship with my mother...don't think I'd want to spend the rest of my life in the same house with her, though :)

The funny thing, however, is that the conflict and rebellion associated with adolescence and early adulthood in Western society isn't as common in other places. In a cross-cultural context, adolescent angst and rebellion seems to be an adaptation to the requirement of establishing a separate identity from your parents and family as you move on to establish your own, independent family unit. Coming of age in other cultures doesn't incorporate striking out on your own as a value necessarily, so teenagers don't feel such a strong need to express themselves as distinct from or opposed to their parents; and their parents don't feel the need to push them out of the house and into the wider world.

But again, I'd still rather not live with my mom my whole life, lol.

[shanti]

52. exactly

i see your vision as a wave of the future myself. my ideal would be either some country property so every extended family member could have their own place, but have accessibility to all, or an urban "villa" with a central enclosed patio, family members living all around like in italy, spain, mexico, india, etc. beneficial to all.

times are tough and, as a boomer, different from when i was a young adult. i've supported a couple of my sons post 18. they're all out now. i know a few people who also have boomerang kids, so it's not uncommon.

[antigone382]

53. There really are a lot of nice things about that vision.

Sure, there are sacrifices. The privacy and control over your own space is a nice part about individual home ownership...but what is the cost? Low-density residential development is an unsustainable system and it's on the way out. We may as well start planning for attractive alternatives.

[RobinA]

47. I Don't Think

the venom is just directed at young people, it's a venomous time.

[antigone382]

54. Sadly, I'd say you're right. I've just encountered a lot of it the last couple of days...

...compounded by an utter refusal to see anything worthwhile in my perspective. Usually, I can engage with people I don't agree with in a positive way. I'm not always perfectly civil, but my goal is always to explain my perspective logically and find common ground. I haven't been able to do that on this particular subject, for whatever reason.

I don't really understand being incapable of recognizing that there is a human being with a valid perspective on the other end of the keyboard. I guess on this particular topic I'll just follow the mod's suggestions and hit the alert button when I see something particularly offensive.

[demmiblue]

39. You are out of touch.

I would try to explain further, but I somehow think it would be lost on you.

[kevinbgoode]

33. One key here - and one thing too many people overlook. . .

is that there are MANY larger companies which offer tuition assistance/reimbursement for employees. Back in the 80's, that's how I finished my bachelor's degree, by working full time, going to school part time - even taking vacation time to get a short-term class finished. As awful as it was (I had ONE day off all one summer)it provided financial stability AND as long as my grades were "B" and above, I received a refund for my tuition/fees AND books from my employer every semester.

I would recommend that lower income students - when they are in high school - take enough practical business courses to find at least part-time work in an office somewhere - and scout companies that provide tuition benefits. It takes longer to get the degree, and you have to work much harder, but in the end you still have a job when you graduate, can get promoted if possible, and if you aren't happy, you can move on to something better.

I never see that advice in ANY manuals - and frankly, both universities and high school counselors should maintain a list of companies that provide tuition assistance/reimbursement and offer families that kind of option along with the variety of student loans/grants/scholarships.

[antigone382]

37. Thank you for your constructive advice.

It doesn't really apply to me anymore, but I'll remember it and pass it on to my younger siblings and friends.

[kevinbgoode]

40. Even some part-time jobs provide tuition assistance. . .

Some part-time jobs also offer limited tuition assistance. Generally, these employers offer a smaller amount to help offset the cost of education. For example, Starbucks offers up to $1000 a year in tuition assistance for qualified employees. The convenience store chain Quiktrip offers qualified employees up to $2000 a year in tuition assistance. Often, these companies offer the financial help as a perk of employment and have less-strict policies about the type of courses you can take.

that was from an article in about.com. . .ugh.

But still....if you can work part time and score $1k from Starbucks, that might pay much of a semester's tuition. And Quiktrip? $2k in education benefits for stocking and running a cash register part time!

[antigone382]

42. I have a really smart friend who works at starbucks who could benefit from that.

She was homeschooled under less than ideal circumstances (not a great math or science background, but brilliant artist and very ethically astute). I'll let her know about that.

I'm currently going to a private, liberal arts "work college" that guarantees a full tuition scholarship to each admitted student (I'm probably kinda giving myself away with that information). It's a really fascinating place and I'm so glad to be here. In fact, I should be working on a paper right now :D

[RobinA]

49. I've Found

that tuition assistance is a minor help at best. I am currently a public employee and we have none whatsoever. When I was going to grad school I had the standardish $1500 a year. That was one class. Granted, better than nothing, but I took advantage of it plus paid for some myself and still ended up graduating in 2006 with a Masters and $28,000 in debt. I am working at a job that requires a Masters and have just recently reached the salary level I had when I was laid off from my Bachelor's level corporate job in 2001. Not complaining, just sayin' Things are screwed up.

[kevinbgoode]

58. Oh, I understand. . .

I went back to school at a much later age for my M.A. and PhD and the financial adjustment was very difficult. I still worked on assistantships, and then part time teaching to help make ends meet, and yes, for these later degrees I'm in debt.

Of course, one thing I should add is that many state universities do give their employees up to six hours free tuition per semester - I've known a lot of people who get advanced degrees while working there. Still, you are right - assistance is the exception rather than the rule at some companies, yet more of them seem to offer something, and it pays to take advantage of every little bit of help that doesn't have to be paid back.

I've also encouraged young parents to open Upromise accounts where they get something back for purchases both online and in real-time. It adds up slowly, but you can transfer the money into higher yield savings accounts or plans to save for tuition for kids - and can get the whole extended family in on the act.

[defendandprotect]

57. Wondering if there is anyone with recent experience in doing that -- ????

Military used to be another way to do that -- but who would do it now?

[shanti]

59. one of my sons

28, is having a particularly difficult time finding any worthwhile employment. he's really not cut out for the military, but is seriously considering it now as he has a 2 yr old son and needs to support him.

[defendandprotect]

56. Graduates were able to share apts or take small studios at one time -- rent control--!!

No more of that nasty "rent control" business!!

Students have had longer waits for jobs -- from 6 months and even longer now???

Now sure what's happening now - one parent had a son still looking a long time after graduation.

She had both the graduate and the daughter -- also a college student -- at home --

and no summer jobs this year!

Usually they do studies on how long the waitg is for graduates now before they get a job --

but the trend also seems to be laying off employees -- so there are constant interruptions in

what we used to consider one's "career."

Benefits are dwindling, as well -- how many 35 year olds are even invested in private pensions

any longer?