The generational cycle

Two months, and not a single interview. The resumes have been flying out at a feverish pace lately, but what good does it do when yours is buried beneath 200 others? This job market sucks. It is far worse than what I remember upon my graduation in 2005, which even then wasn't exactly setting the world on fire. In the two months after graduation, I sent out only a few resumes, but still received two interviews. The second landed me a job in Charleston, W.Va. Now, it appears harder than ever for us to showcase our skills to potential employers.

So where does this leave any of us in the bread line? Greg Tarr has a good plan by starting his own photography business. And Amanda Gillooly is freelancing while also doing research for the Innocence Institute. Others think going back to school would be the best idea. But none of these is even remotely close to a guarantee.

Which brings me to the generational gap of prosperity. The retired generation - our grandparents - fought in World War II and reaped the benefits of the post-war society. Suburbs and highways popped up as America recalibrated itself for peacetime. They earned everything, and took nothing for granted. That wealth trickled down to their children - our parents - riding the wave or prosperity and going to college. But in the end, that generation - the George W. Bush generation - took for granted what their parents gave them. Most of them worked hard, but the over-privileged and well-connected clicked the cruise control - giving their hardworking peers a bad name - without ever contemplating what would be left for their children.

The economy today is in its worst state since The Great Depression when our grandparents were young. So now it is up to us to rebuild this country, this economy. That's why I think the election of Barack Obama is so interesting. He rode the wave of a younger generation to win the presidency, and I think that signals a change in the direction of our country. Young people are a new force - just like in the 1940s - and it is now our turn to put our stamp on America. The status quo is finished. It is now our turn to fix the mistakes by the previous generation.