My Great Recession: Can’t Get a Job, Can’t Afford School

Guest Columnist

My Great Recession: Can’t Get a Job, Can’t Afford School

Ed Note: We put out a call for stories from young people of color about how people are surviving this recession. “My Great Recession” continues with this submission by Angel Garcia. Want to contribute? It will also go on the “Race & Recession” report page www.arc.org/recession. Send your 300-word first person accounts, visual art, or video blogs to submissions [at] colorlines [dot] com.

By Juan Cortez

This post originally appeared in Youth Outlook for the Youth Media Blog-a-Thon.

I’ve been looking for a job for quite a while already, but for some reason it’s been real hard for me to come up with a keeper. No matter where I go and apply, for some reason employers never call me back. Maybe because I didn’t have a GED, but I remember applying at McDonald’s with a GED and they still wouldn’t call me back. I don’t understand why.

Is it the Economy?

Probably, because from what I hear there are people with degrees who can’t find a job, so what chance do I have when all I have is a GED.

When it comes to a college education I was supposed to start college this summer but unfortunately I don’t think that’s going to be possible since Financial Aid doesn’t want to cough up the funds. They informed me that I was eligible for an ACG (Academic Competitiveness Grant), but then they said that since I dropped out of High School and didn’t complete 2-3 years in certain courses, I wasn’t eligible.

This postponed any plans that I had for college because ever since I spoke with them regarding my High School education they haven’t e-mailed me about any type of funds that I might be eligible for, I guess I’m just going to have to wait until I have a job so that I can pay for my education myself.

I picked my major in Automotive Technology and when I did this I didn’t think about the money because I wanted to pick a major in something that I enjoy. I don’t think I would find a job quickly after I get my degree and automotive certificate because from what I hear Mechanics is one of the hardest jobs to get into, I know this because my mothers’ friend is a mechanic and he was just recently laid off due to the poor economy. This kind of makes me want to change majors, but I don’t know to what yet.

I think that there will be a lot more employment opportunities now that Obama has been elected for presidency. Obama is investing money in all the right places.

As far as the job market goes I’m a little nervous but it’s nothing that I can’t get used to.

Posted at 10:10 AM, May 19, 2009 in Race and Recession | Permalink | View Comments

Comments

Obama sure is investing money in all the right places. give this man applause for investing 1 bilion in the arts. I want to be an engineer, and I am sure because he invested in the arts, I can now afford Engineering school. Also the trillions to bailout failing companies, that just need to fail, I mean, the taxes from this are great. $450 a paycheck come out, so I am sure glad I can pay for everyone's failure, and for all those poor Americans who didnt know better then to NOT live above their means with a $2000 a month house payment...makeing a $60,000 income...helps me to afford my college now. I appriciate it. Now with all the inflation to make up for the newly printed fiat money, is great, I cant even afford a decent living let alone college. But these are just mundane details. And when he makes univeral healthcare live, I can kiss my education and future goodbye. Thank you Obama for knowing how to spend my dollar!