The "Screwed!" branding is sticking nicely to Generation Y, that is, those between the ages of 18 and 35. NEWSWEEK's July 23rd double issue has that as its cover story.
Inside, no surprise, just as with every other top-tier media property, the author Joel Kotkin defaults into citing the lousy job placement rate and downsized salaries of newbie JDs.
Among the sad sacks featured is lawyer Bianca Kodzoman, 30. From the Class of 2009, that is, two years after the legal sector bubble burst, she does now have a job as a fire-department lawyer. Kodzoman is quoted as observing:
"I'm definitely overeducated and struggling ... It was horrible trying to find a job."
What this kind of article doesn't feature is the other side of the Generation Y stress. Creatures of the light they labor in the vineyards of digital properties like Mediabistro.com, Abovethelaw.com, and Gawker.com. They also have options. After burning out at Gawker.com, Ana Marie Cox bounced around mainstream media like TIME and GQ. She's now at GUARDIAN, which is trying to be the next British import as compelling as "Downton Abbey." There is also the new generation in public relations and marketing. Under-30 Kate Sirignano operates Image Marketing Consultants (IMC). Accounts Sirignano has worked on range from Cadillac to the American Red Cross.
Incidentally, we Baby Boomers are also depicted by the media as being a sorry bunch of overeducated underemployed who still feel entitled to the big bucks and corner office. There too, though, are the creatures of the light among the broken. Those who are in the light are the growing number of us who reinvented ourselves as hustlers. We live on opportunities, not according to career paths or past successes.
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