They were wrong; uncertainty killed the cat

Before you jump to conclusions... Obama (the kitten) is doing okay. He's clean, he doesn't have fleas, and he only pees outside the litter box once a day.

Our generation needs one thing right now. We need to know that tomorrow we will have a nice place to live, justice, a caring government, a place to raise kids, or to know that we can just live in peace. But right now, we need to know if we have jobs.

I left the states on a prolonged vacation when my employer went under. And the employer before that left me victim to downsizing. I just graduated with my Master's and all along the way thought that if I study hard and earned good results and built a good resume I would have employers chasing after me. In the end I felt hopeless. I was uncertain where I would be in 6 months, let alone in 6 days. So maybe I made some quick decisions, just to say I made a decision.

I never wanted to be a statistic. An unemployed professional, or worst an underemployed one. When I finished my Bachelor's, I never left retail. And I know far too many people who have finished their Master's and never left waiting tables. Is that what my generation wants?

We want to know that we have a place in society and we can contribute to America's success just as our parents did, and their parent's did.

But hold on, uncertainty and fear don't only plague the kids at home. It plagues our generation around the world.

I'm currently working at a private University in Sinai. And with me I have seen many unemployed, underemployed, and underpaid. I currently work with an individual with a Bachelor's and experience and references galore who is making 600 EGP a month and working 8am to midnight, traveling with the boss and getting not a cent in overtime. Thats pretty much the story around the copy machine. Everyone is overworked and underpaid. 

So what are we to do? Not everyone can hop a plane to change their scenery and open up a new opportunity. And who is to say that is the best option anyway? I'm doing far more in my current position than I have in my entire life. I'm using every course I ever took at the Bloch school to do everything from handle student transactions to audit income and expenses to administer payroll to writing a budget for the entire University. But in the end my boss gets the credit. 

Okay, chalk it up to experience. But when can we stop doing things to get experience, and actually start doing things because we are good at it?

All this uncertainty is killing me. At first maybe I was curious as to see what would be next and what the future holds. Now I'm just scared. And I'm not scared just for me; I'm scared for a whole generation that is doomed to be overworked, overeducated and under-appreciated.

What a negative blog entry, my apologies. But its definitely on my mind and I think needed to be said.

I'll try to write something nice tomorrow.