Stephen

Stephen, 23, graduated from Manhattanville College in Fall 2001 with a degree in history and political science. Despite Stephen’s degree and impressive grade point average, he hasn’t been able to find a job. For over two years, Stephen has been working three low-wage, no-benefit jobs to stay afloat and pay back his college loans. Recently, he decided to further his résumé by starting graduate school to earn a master’s degree in political science.

My Story
I graduated from Manhattanville College three years ago with a degree in history and political science. Since that time, I haven’t been able to find a job in my field. I finally decided to go back to graduate school to earn a master’s degree; however, I’m worried my academic success won’t help me find a job that doesn’t exist.

For the past three years, I’ve been working three to four minimum-wage jobs to get by. My parents haven’t supported me financially through school, because I grew up in a single parent home. Therefore, I’ve incurred a lot of student loans through my years of schooling. After accumulating so much college debt, I was devastated when I found out the job market was barren when I graduated with my bachelor’s degree in 2001.

Job hunting has been so depressing for me. I’ve felt very disappointed after searching for jobs for years with no success, knowing that I played by the rules and excelled in school. Something is wrong with the system when hardworking, qualified, young college graduates like me can’t find a job anywhere.