Over vacation with my family recently I poked around a book entitled Generation Me: Why Today’s Young Americans Are More Confident, Assertive, Entitled–and More Miserable Than Ever Before
Twenge notes that Gen Y (what she calls “Generation Me”) tends to put themselves first and to have high expectations for their life. This is a highly optimistic generation with no shortage of self-esteem. Says Twenge:
They expect to go to college, to make lots of money, and perhaps even to be famous. Yet this generation enters a world in which college admissions are increasingly competitive, good jobs are hard to find and harder to keep, and basic necessities like housing and health care have skyrocketed in price. This is a time of soaring expectations and crushing realities. Joan Chiaramonte, head of the Roper Youth Report, says that for young people “the gap between what they have and what they want has never been greater.” (Generation Me, p. 2)
I could see how that might lead to discontentment, anxiety, and discouragement.
All that by way of background to the recent story of Trina Thompson, 27, who graduated from New York’s Monroe College this past April with a bachelor of business administration degree in information technology and a 2.7 GPA. Unable to secure employment (at a time when unemployment nationwide is close to 10%), Thompson has sued Monroe College for $70,000 for tuition (the full cost) and $2,000 to compensate for stress. She claims that Monroe College’s career-services department has not exerted sufficient effort to help her land a job:
“They’re supposed to say, ‘I got this student, her attendance is good, her GPA is all right — can you interview this person?’ They’re not doing that,” she said.
The NY Post reports:
“She’s angry,” said Thompson’s mother, Carol. “She’s very angry at her situation. She put all her faith in them, and so did I. They’re not making an effort.
“She’s finally finished [with school], and I’m so proud of her. She just wants a job.”
Thompson also claims that Monroe’s Office of Career Advancement shows preferential treatment to students with excellent grades:
“They favor students that got a 4.0. They help them more out with the job placement,” she said.
Thompson is entitled to a fair hearing, but her allegations seems fishy on the surface. For starters, attending college is no guarantee that one will immediately obtain field-related employment (even in a more stable economy). Secondly, soon after completing my undergraduate, I learned that many employers screened applicants at the 3.0 GPA level. The standard procedure of our placement office was to pass along a stack of resumes from students interested in specific open positions. The placement office did not “push” any candidates in particular. The employers would then select certain students for phone or on-site interviews. Naturally, higher GPA students received more solicitations.
Thirdly, Thompson has been unemployed for only three months – not much time in today’s job market. Maybe she should send out more resumes or pursue short-term employment to boost her resume and develop stronger references (many college students graduate with little or no relevant work experience). Lastly, one wonders why Thompson’s mother feels compelled to fight battles for her 27-year old (adult) daughter.
Update: An articulate writer with Slate magazine presents the other side of this dispute.