culture_society

Business Khadija Ghani Khadija Ghani kghani1@luc.edu Khadija Ghani 06/13/2009 US_218 IL Oak Brook Feature usa

Young adults work to make themselves "recession proof" in an unforgiving economy.

Richard Allen, 20, a sophomore from Indiana University, has returned home to dim prospects of finding a summer job. In competitive industries, summer work experiences can provide the edge over his competitors. The economic downturn hasn’t resulted in just pinched wallets; it has forced many college students to become more creative in gaining valuable experience. “I want my resume to be recession proof,” says Allen “I want my future employer or grad school to see that even in a time when their were no opportunities, I created opportunities for myself.” While the National Association for Business Economics predicts that the recession will end soon, for students like Allen, it’s not soon enough. “Recession makes competition more fierce for job opportunities with many more people applying for a single position, students need to step up their game if they want to remain contenders,” says student Alicia Hayes, a junior from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. The recession has created a downward cycle, with laid off professionals taking up jobs typically reserved for college students. This leads to college students then seeking jobs that normally are occupied by high school students. According to Northeastern’s Center for Labor Market Studies, American teenagers face the weakest summer job market since World War II. CareerBuilder reports that only 23 percent of U.S. employers plan to hire summer workers. Shawna Mullins, a recent high school graduate, worries that her inability to find a job this summer will prevent her from going to college in the fall, “without a job, I won’t be able to pay my tuition for college in the fall, and if I can’t get to college, I’ll never get a job, so I almost feel hopeless,” says Mullins. To ease the burden of unemployment, Mullins offers babysitting services in her neighborhood, “It something I can do in the mean time, but everyone is financially hurting, so my rates have to reflect that because many people aren’t willing to hire someone right now,” says Mullins. Unemployment among the age group of 16 to 24 increased by 1.2 million people between April and July in 2008, double the amount during the same period in 2007, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The National Association of Business Economics panel does offer some hope with expectations that the “pace of job loss will narrow sharply over the remainder of this year,” and that employment will increase by 2010, according to NABE President Chris Varvares. Until then though students like Richard Allen are forced into thinking outside the box. Allen plans to create his own business offering golf lessons to younger golfers. “Even though it won’t be a big business venture or prestigious internship, I hope that by being proactive it’ll show to future employers that I take the initiative and can come up with solutions,” says Allen. Harumi Gondo hgondo@upi.com Khadija Ghani 06/13/2009 US_218 IL Oak Brook Feature usa

Young adults work to make themselves "recession proof" in an unforgiving economy.

Richard Allen, a 20-year-old sophomore from Indiana University, has returned home to dim prospects of finding a summer job. In lucrative industries, summer work experiences can provide the edge over competitors. The economic downturn hasn’t resulted in just pinched wallets; it has forced many college students to be more creative in gaining practical experience. “I want my resume to be recession-proof,” says Allen. “I want my future employer or grad school to see that even in a time when their were no opportunities, I created opportunities for myself.” While the National Association for Business Economics predicts that the end of the recession is in sight, for students like Allen, it’s not soon enough. “Recession makes competition more fierce for job opportunities; with many more people applying for a single position, students need to step up their game if they want to remain contenders,” says student Alicia Hayes, a junior from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. The recession has created a downward cycle, with freshly laid-off professionals taking up jobs typically reserved for college students. College students in turn have begun seeking jobs that normally are occupied by high school students. According to Northeastern University’s Center for Labor Market Studies, American teenagers face the weakest summer job market since World War II. CareerBuilder.com reports that only 23 percent of U.S. employers plan to hire summer workers. Shawna Mullins, a recent high school graduate, worries that her inability to find a job this summer will prevent her from going to college in the fall. “Without a job, I won’t be able to pay my tuition for college in the fall, and if I can’t get to college, I’ll never get a job, so I almost feel hopeless,” says Mullins. To ease the burden of unemployment, Mullins offers babysitting services in her neighborhood. “It's something I can do in the mean time, but everyone is financially hurting, so my rates have to reflect that because many people aren’t willing to hire someone right now,” says Mullins. Unemployment among the age group of 16 to 24 increased by 1.2 million people between April and July in 2008, double the amount during the same period in 2007, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The president of the National Association of Business Economics panel, Chris Varvares, is hopeful that the “pace of job loss will narrow sharply over the remainder of this year,” and that employment will increase by 2010. Until then, students like Richard Allen are looking at alternate means. Allen plans to create his own business offering golf lessons to younger golfers. “Even though it won’t be a big business venture or prestigious internship, I hope that by being proactive it’ll show to future employers that I take the initiative and can come up with solutions,” says Allen. UPI Editorial noreply@upiu.com Khadija Ghani 06/13/2009 218 Oak Brook Feature

Young adults work to make themselves "recession proof" in an unforgiving economy.

OAK BROOK, Ill., June 13 (UPI) -- Richard Allen, a 20-year-old sophomore from Indiana University, has returned home to dim prospects of finding a summer job. In lucrative industries, summer work experiences can provide the edge over competitors. The economic downturn hasn’t resulted in just pinched wallets; it has forced many college students to be more creative in gaining practical experience. “I want my resume to be recession-proof,” says Allen. “I want my future employer or grad school to see that even in a time when their were no opportunities, I created opportunities for myself.” While the National Association for Business Economics predicts that the end of the recession may be in sight, for students like Allen, it’s not soon enough. “Recession makes competition more fierce for job opportunities; with many more people applying for a single position, students need to step up their game if they want to remain contenders,” says student Alicia Hayes, a junior from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. The recession has created a downward cycle, with freshly laid-off professionals taking up jobs typically reserved for college students. College students in turn have begun seeking jobs that normally are occupied by high school students. Northeastern University’s Center for Labor Market Studies stated that American teenagers face the weakest summer job market since World War II. CareerBuilder.com reports that only 23 percent of U.S. employers plan to hire summer workers. Shawna Mullins, a recent high school graduate, worries that her inability to find a job this summer will prevent her from going to college in the fall. “Without a job, I won’t be able to pay my tuition for college in the fall, and if I can’t get to college, I’ll never get a job, so I almost feel hopeless,” says Mullins. To ease the burden of unemployment, Mullins offers babysitting services in her neighborhood. “It's something I can do in the mean time, but everyone is financially hurting, so my rates have to reflect that because many people aren’t willing to hire someone right now,” says Mullins. Unemployment among the age group of 16 to 24 increased by 1.2 million people between April and July in 2008, double the amount during the same period in 2007, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The president of the National Association of Business Economics panel, Chris Varvares, is hopeful that the “pace of job loss will narrow sharply over the remainder of this year,” and that employment will increase by 2010. Until then, students like Richard Allen are looking at alternate means. Allen plans to create his own business offering golf lessons to younger golfers. “Even though it won’t be a big business venture or prestigious internship, I hope that by being proactive it’ll show to future employers that I take the initiative and can come up with solutions,” says Allen. 2009-06-13 17:06:01 UTC 2010-03-11 11:03:25 UTC