Welcome to full-fledged adulthood. Just a heads up...some things have recently changed.
As students of some of the "best" education known to man, you are now finding yourselves as some of the most highly educated and unemployed groups in the United States in decades. Many of you are in deep debt, due to the need to get to this highly educated status. Ideally, this should have been the appropriate pathway to live lives that are, as generations of parents always hope, a better and more secure life than your parents have.
Then life got in the way.
The economy has tanked from the "job for everyone" times we once enjoyed while you were growing up. Fortunately, your generation has a wealth of online searching skills never before known to man. You are in no way hampered by a lack of communication tools. Your "backyard" has grown exponentially.
You're going to have to regroup for awhile. You'll probably need to put your dreams on hold for awhile. This will be tough, because you've been raised in an era when life was pretty darned easy. The lives you've led and continue to lead are pretty much unique to your generation: extensive travel; hopping on jets to travel coast to coast or beyond without a second thought; nice/reliable cars; neat toys; people doting on you pretty much non-stop. The people in your lives have always made sure that you were (and are) fed what you want to eat, and you sleep in comfortable beds in comfortable bedrooms in comfortable homes. This amazing lifestyle became the norm. That, in and of itself, can sometimes be a challenge. As Granny says, "It's easier to go up than down"; right now...you're pretty much all sliding a little down the economic ladder.
Time to toughen up a little; sorry, but we probably didn't spend enough time on that. Scaling back wasn't discussed--there was no need at the time. Good thing that many of your parents (and for sure your grandparents) remember how to do that from living that way before things got lots easier. Just ask--we can give you some good guidance.
Many of you will simply move home--probably not the best idea. You've been out on your own. So have your parents. Cramming back in together usually doesn't work. So, you'll need to find a little space that will keep you warm and secure. That's truly about all you need. Not what you want, but about all you need. Want can come later.
The good news is this--you can have a wonderful life. Not necessarily the one you've had mapped out for you the past 20+ years, but a wonderful life, nonetheless. You'll live more economically sound, and will learn how to live enjoyably without all the fluff.
It's nice to have nice and fun things; it's vital to have a soul that doesn't need these in order to live a full life. This time in your lives can be used to find your true spirits--and your true grit that will develop into a foundation of strength you can carry with you throughout your lives. You've been given a gift; a gift that shows what is most important. Find your center--refresh your soul. Then, with this new outlook, create a passion of what really matters in your life and then find an vocation that will support your avocation. I hope for you that the two will blissfully blend.
Welcome to the fold. A blessing upon each and every one of you.
