According to a Pew study from 2010, Millenials – those born after 1980 – are the most educated and least employed generation since researchers began track of these things. Of these twentysomethings, myself included, some 83 per cent sleep with their smartphones. Forty per cent of us are currently enrolled in school. Thirtyseven per cent are unemployed. One-in-four identify themselves as an atheist. One-in-five have a video of themselves on the Internet. Forty per cent of us, myself included, have tattoo.
As it was chronicled in numerous articles in the past few years (see here, here, and here), being a twentysomething in this brave new post-collegiate and post-recession world is an exercise of dashed hopes. Jobs are few and far in between. Even the fortunate ones with an income are tied to neverending contracts or in temp-limbo that were largely unheard of to their parents. The pension forecast isn’t looking too great, and neither do the size of student loans and the chances of a middle, upper class lifestyle that education once promised.
If you are a twentysomething learning to negotiate with the world, we’d like to hear from you. We are particularly interested in personal accounts from the job hunting front and any other stories that might fall under the broad rubric of the business of being a twentysomething. If you are feeling share-y, please write to mjeong@torontostandard.com.
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May Jeong is Toronto Standard’s business editor. Follow her on Twitter @mayjeong.
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