Men ages 23 to 30 are discovering that a bachelor's degree doesn't offer the same protection from unemployment that it used to.

Men ages 23 to 30 are discovering that a bachelor’s degree doesn’t offer the same protection from unemployment that it used to.

Amid a wider slowdown in hiring, the unemployment rate for men ages 23 to 30 with bachelor’s degrees has jumped in recent months to 6% — compared with 3.5% for young women with the same level of education, according to data analyzed by NBC News.

Now, young men with bachelor’s degrees are slightly likelier to be unemployed than young men with just high school diplomas, the analysis found. That’s a recent reversal after decades when young men with bachelor’s degrees had an advantage in the labor market, economists said.

Young women haven’t experienced the same trend; they are still significantly likelier to be employed if they have bachelor’s degrees.

  • UniversalBasicJustice@lemmy.dbzer0.comEnglish
    20·
    3 days ago

    I am in this article and I don’t like it.

    Mechanical Engineer, graduated a few years ago. Slightly above this age band due to mental health struggles in my 20s. Four years of internships + undergrad research during school. One year, three months of unsteady, career-relevant contract work since then.

    Moved from Bumfuck Midwest to a city with plenty of aerospace gigs but can’t even get an interview at the grocery store. I’m lucky that my parents and state aid have covered me thus far, have gotten wildly higher-quality mental/physical care here. Behaviourally I’m better than ever but chucking resumes into the void is wearing me down and I’m backsliding on my executive functioning progress.

    Employment or a Master’s/PhD in Sweden/Germany/EU in general is preferable to the American defense industry but that’s a tall and expensive hill to climb (if anyone wants to assist please DM 🙃) and I’m nearly out of time before being faced with moving back home.

    I’m tired, boss.

    • prole@lemmy.blahaj.zone
      4·
      2 days ago

      Have you looked in the public sector? The pay isn’t as good, but it usually means much better benefits, work/life balance, PTO, and (up until this year maybe) job stability.

      Worst case, if you don’t like it, you could move somewhere else after you get some experience to put on your resume.

      • UniversalBasicJustice@lemmy.dbzer0.comEnglish
        3·
        1 day ago

        Just today I was made aware of an open position for a high school math teacher that I’m finding myself surprisingly keen on. It is a private/charter school which I’m generally ideologically opposed to but in this case it’s geared towards sending underserved children to university.

        I was that child, only I received virtually zero support from teachers and made a shitton of mistakes trying to figure out university and adulting with neurodivergence. Helping to prepare guide and inspire the next generation actually sounds incredibly fulfilling.

        • prole@lemmy.blahaj.zone
          1·
          1 day ago

          Without doxxing myself, I moved to the public sector about ten years ago or so, and I will never work for a for-profit enterprise again for the rest of my life, if I can help it. A job is a job, but it’s just SO MUCH LESS soul-crushing when you’re not part of the capitalist rot.

          I can’t speak to private schools though… But that sounds fulfilling.

          • UniversalBasicJustice@lemmy.dbzer0.comEnglish
            1·
            1 day ago

            Yeah the private school thing is the only point of contention. I can’t decide whether their willingness to hire non-education degrees is a good or bad thing. I’m reasonably confident in my ability to teach (math especially) but definitely lack pedagogy training. I’m taking their willingness to support my certification as a good sign, just concerned about the meantime.

            That said, when my options are teaching math to high schoolers or defense sector…pretty easy choice.