No country for young men

 In April, the Joint Economic Committee (JEC) released a report that found one in five workers between the ages of 16 and 24 unemployed, despite signs of an economic recovery.

While said recovery resulted in 570,000 new jobs during the first four months of this year (in relation to around 15 million unemployed citizens), the numbers still show a disproportionate amount of young people without jobs.

According to CNN’s money Web site, www.cnnmoney.com, this is even the highest unemployment rate for the age group since the JEC started reporting in 1947.

The ‘young person’s’ antidote?

One suggestion is to stay in school.

According to the report, only 8 percent of college graduates were unemployed, compared to 33 percent of dropouts.

Now, whether the graduates are simply holding on to their food service jobs after graduation is never really clarified and is another issue in itself.

The point is they are employed.

They may be drowning in school debts and stuck waiting tables, but they still have jobs.

And, despite rumors of government-issued summer job programs for 16 to 21 year-olds, the current rate of new jobs resulting from “economic recovery” doesn’t seem to be increasing quick enough.

In reality, many of the elite employed (coin it) of the college grad group are likely working minimum wage jobs that (hopefully) have some relation to their degree.

The National Association of Colleges and Employers found that only 24 percent of 2010 college grads who applied for a job had one waiting after graduation.

This brings me to the second suggestion which is to keep staying in school.

Perhaps, pursuing a master’s degree is the safest bet if the chances of getting a job are really as dismal as they seem.

It would seem as if college has become a safe haven, and a rather expensive one at that.

But, staying in college, whether for a bachelor’s or master’s degree, and however costly, will likely provide a satisfying sense of security.

With each degree, you’re increasing your chance of actually being employed, or so suggest the numbers.

So, if you don’t have something lined up after graduation, then maybe the best choice is to stay in school and if you’re simply thinking of dropping out then, well, don’t.

Sure money is a major issue, but I, personally, noticed that most people who drop out of college intend to “work” as an alternative.