Friday will be the last day of class for this semester, but it will also be the last day of class this decade.
It seems strange to imagine that a whole decade has passed since the night we were terrified of a worldwide computer failure due to some pesky zeros. In the 10 years since, most of us have progressed from the awkward doldrums of middle school to the confinement of high school and finally to the rewarding experience of college. This decade has seen our generation grow up. We are on the cusp of adulthood, but are we ready to take on the responsibilities of leading the U.S. into the next few decades?
“You’re out of the house when you turn 18,” used to be a rallying cry for fathers everywhere. Eighteen years of care was all that was expected and needed for children to become independent. While many have truly become independent, the majority of young people still rely on their parents for financial support. In most cases, it’s not the students’ fault. Good jobs for young people are just not available the way they used to be.
According to The New York Times, the jobless rate of teenagers who are actively seeking employment has risen to an all time high of 25.5 percent. It is very hard to get a job without any experience; it’s a big problem for many students. The phenomenon definitely contributes to further reliance on parents for many things. Paying for college is something that many parents help their children with, especially now, as financial aid dwindles.These factors and others contribute to a generation that is still in the teenager mindset and lifestyle, even into its 20s. Even worse, college degrees used to be a vast advantage over a high school diploma. While it defiantly has its advantages, it is not as important as it used to be. Graduate degrees are almost pre-requisites for the types of jobs a bachelor’s degree used to qualify an applicant for. More time in college means more debt for you and your parents, many of whom will have to work past retirement age to pay for the massive bills.
We have a tough road ahead in the next decade. The economy will eventually recover but it will look very different. Finding our respective places in this vast service economy will be very different from what our parents and grandparents worked with. Our careers will face competition from an international market. How we as Americans set ourselves apart from and above our competition remains to be seen, though.
It is easy to forget how this decade was expected to be wonderful. The future was supposed to be a magical world of flying cars, robots and moon colonies. Instead, the new millennium brought terrorist attacks, economic crises, auto-tune, UGG boots and a YouTube culture where anything you do can be videoed and ridiculed by people all over the world — all without your knowledge or consent. Now is the time — it is up to us to make the next 10 years successful and innovative, another continuation to this country’s greatness instead of the continuation of its decline.
