The time we’re living in has been scary and unpredictable, leaving younger generations with little hope for the future.
The past five years have been tough, with COVID leaving behind empty jobs and inflation. Major unpredictable weather patterns are omnipresent. Wars between Russia and Ukraine, as well as Israel and Gaza conflict are apart of our mindset.
It is cyclical for younger generations to feel a sort of gloom and doom for the future. I am personally guilty of this.
“I thought housing out of reach in college,” said Economics Professor Eduardo Torres, who was a private banker in Silicon Valley in the 80s.
I was up late one night anxiously pondering my future. I had just watched a short video about how hard it will be for Gen-Zer’s to survive on their own considering the cost of living and the average wages, comparatively.
In the middle of my existential crisis, I decided to consult Delta College professors in political science and economics to give me insight on where we’re going as a generation.
“Maybe there should be a balance between mindset, and real world problems,” said Delta Political Science and History Professor Dr. Joel Blank.
The reality is that unemployment is at a record low 3.6 percent nationally and 2.3 percent in California, so shouldn’t finding jobs be easier than ever?
For those of us who live in San Joaquin County unemployment is at 6.8 percent which is more than three percent higher than the state average. As of December 2023, 23,600 of the 789,410 people living in San Joaquin County were unemployed.
To put it simply, go to school and get a degree, or even a certificate.
Delta does provide programs such as the Electron Microscopy, which is the only one in the country. There’s also the automotive programs, the Caterpillar program, and the nursing programs as well.
“We have an amazing group of people here that can provide a pathway into journalism, media, a pathway into medicine…there’s an amazing energy here that students take advantage of. I think they would understand that there really is hope for the future,” said Blank.
He’s right, going to school and getting a degree provides a good amount of financial security and stability.
But it’s also worth mentioning that this might be easier said than done, because as of 2019-2020 tuition is 180 percent higher than it was in the 80s. According to education data.org, In Calif. average tuition at a public four-year institution costs $24,015 and just increased by 2.55 percent in 2021.
Voting, especially at a local level, does also readily increase our chance for policy that benefits the community and it’s important for people of our generation to stay civically engaged.
“Students really need to be paying attention to local issues…this is where they live… local policy makers will impact a lot of our daily life,” said Delta International Political Economy Professor Cirian Villvecenico.
Blank and Villavecencio mentioned that corruption has perturbed younger generations, and kept them from voting or investing in local policy makers.
“There’s been a lot of corruption in Stockton, and that’s a problem too…city councils, board of education. It’s really something…we need good people in government,” said Blank.
The corruption Blank is referring to is when Stockton Unified was heavily scrutinized after state auditors found evidence of fraud in the misuse of $242 million of COVID funds last year.
It’s important to vote for legislation with good integrity in mind, and do research on who or what you’re voting for. These things can really help us in the long run.
Harsh reality I had to face before going back to school was that I would have to get into debt to make it. Personally, working while going to school, paying bills to stay afloat has been one of the most challenging things I’ve ever done, but with that being said, I am also hopeful that this will work out for me in the future. Everything positive unfortunately comes with a price.
Positivity comes with a price.
Educate yourself.
If the recession after 9/11 was worse than the recession in the early 90’s and then the housing crisis of 2008 was worse than the one before that then does that mean it’ll be even worse post COVID?
It seems older generations want to say that it’s us creating these issues because we’re not educated, we care too much about other countries’ issues, or that we need to vote more. They say if the system isn’t working, it’s not their fault. I’d love to air on the side of optimism here but it’s hard when we’re just being told to wait and see.
I don’t get it.