The "New" Young Professional

Graduating from college 50 years ago was about as necessary as getting your teeth cleaned every month .  It didn't hurt your future, but a high school education was generally accepted as "good enough" to live comfortably.  In the United States, manufacturing jobs were easy to find and many people purely climbed the employment ladder by using experience and hard work.  The true "academic" in American society was a minority.  Today, well-educated, intelligent, ambitious youth are facing the once-unthinkable for the educated: unemployment. 

Multinationals have taken shelter in countries like China and India where labor is cheap and expendable.  What are a few possible causes?

- Overpopulation
- Climate Change
- Globalization
- Outsourcing
- Over-educated
- A widening "generation gap"

Four of the five business classes I am taking this semester work to incorporate these issues.  It's the first time we are asked to apply the classes we have taken and analyze the big picture. The ideas I listed above are broad, complex and each worthy of their own graduate degree.

I am interested in the consequences of our actions today.  It is impossible to predict the future, but I can't help but be fascinated by this crisis.  As I said in the beginning, in the last 10 years, our population has become over-educated.  There is a gap forming between the established 50-somethings that have worked hard to get to where they are, both through education and experience, but mostly experience.  They are the ones that take an "old school" approach and believe you must work your way up from the bottom.

Today, there is an increasing sense of entitlement from 20-somethings.  Over-educated, well-to-do young professionals with MBAs and JDs and PhDs find themselves barging into positions, expecting raises and thinking that they deserve everything when, in actuality, they have a $150,000 piece of paper.  That's not to say that education is worthless, nor is it to say that smart people don't deserve high salaries.

The problem is there is an inordinate amount of these people with expensive pieces of paper all shooting for the same jobs and, in some cases, have expensive pieces of paper financed with loans that are starting to come due.  Interest is piling up and unemployed young lawyers, fresh out of law school with degrees from the finest institutions in America, are unable to put food on their table for one.  This last part was pulled from an article I recently read in the New York Times entitled: "Is Law School a Losing Game?"


This perspective is merely one part of the issue. Law school is one example, in one part of the country, affecting a relatively small number of people.  It gets worse.  In China, "Slumdog Millionaire-type" slums are forming with college graduates that have blown their life's savings, with that of their parents on degrees that promised a better life.  The only thing is EVERYONE thought that might be a good idea.  Now there are millions of young Chinese standing around with no jobs, no money and a pile of debt for life.


Solution? I've been taking an interest to this craziness because of the future.  The future of America and my great-grand children.  I hope to try and wrap my mind around what is becoming a larger global crisis that will affect generations to come and hopefully help to remedy the issue.

Ringing in the New Year

Spontaneous trips are always more fun than planned ones, right?  After booking a ticket to visit Bri in her hometown of Monterey, CA, I certainly hoped that would be the case.  

Big Sur, CA - Highway 1

Beautiful scenery and lots of wind.  As we drove down Highway 1, through Carmel and Big Sur, I it reminded me of Wales.  It was great to have the ocean breeze on one side and mountains on the other.

I'd love to drive all the way to LA sometime.

After getting beaten up by the wind, we headed back to make chicken curry!

Other highlights:

Lunch at:

The Monterey Bay Aquarium is incredible.

 

I was fortunate enough to taste MYO...Essentially a huge sundae bar with frozen yogurt to make you feel slightly better about piling on all the delicious toppings.  Naturally, I overindulged.  Completely worth it.

Memories:

- Suffering a minor allergic reaction after sampling the wrong "best" clam chowder in Monterey
- Yellow Tail just isn't the same
- Meeting awesome new people!
- Bri's lack of competitiveness..ha
- The London Bridge Pub
- 17 Mile Drive
- $3.30/gallon gas
- Pacific Grove is awesome
- Bixby Bridge
- First Night celebration and the ice skating that wasn't
- "Why is my umbrella open?"
- An engagement party with more Chinese food than I had ever seen in once place.  Ever.

".....Oh, you guys are definitely brother and sister."

Overall, it was a great weekend filled with lots of Bri, good times, intense laughter and new friends.  What a solid start to 2011. I can't wait to go back!

Wrapping up 2010

It's been a while.  My last entry was written in the thick of finals, while working overtime and watching everyone go home for the holidays.  All was not lost, however, because I managed to make some money and still get to see all of my family and some friends - just a little later than the official "everyone gets to head home now" date. 

Christmas was pretty spectacular this year.  Apart from some incredible gift-giving all around (poo-pourri, anyone?), everyone seemed genuinely thrilled to be hanging out together.  Family from both my mom and dad's side managed to show up and we had mashed potatoes from Bob Evans.   How bad is that?

To top if off, we had an awesome Christmas card this year.  The Pub at Polaris seemed like the perfect picture spot.

Merry Christmas, 2010!