I don’t know if y’all listen to Planet Money on NPR, but the project is run by great people translating all of the confusing economic news and happenings into layman’s terms–and its entertaining, too!
So when I saw Laura Conaway’s tweet (via @planetmoney) looking for stories about the job market, I couldn’t resist. 140 characters turned into a short 200 words or less piece for the Planet Money blog:
I, admittedly, have nothing to complain about. I have a good and secure job that also happens to be with a nonprofit organization. But I am also young and building my career. About a year ago, I decided I was ready for the next challenge and began looking to make my next move.
Nada. Nothing to even apply for. Of course, my expectations were not high considering I live in Montana, but my town is credited with the highest per capita number of nonprofits in the US (or at least was at one time), so I held some faith that over a year, something would spark my interest.
And I’m not alone. I’ve had any number of conversations with other folks my age (30-ish) who are either in the same boat–or worse–are finding themselves competing with seasoned professionals and baby boomers who, under other circumstances, would no longer be in the job market. Now THAT is frustrating for a young person looking to develop their career, and who may consider themselves “next generation’s leaders”. It leaves one with diminishing hope when we find ourselves competing with people who should be retired. Maybe now we should start calling ourselves the next-after-the-next generation’s leaders–the “3rd string”.
How is the economy effecting other next generation leaders?
