Where have all the jobs gone?

Joe Heigert is preparing for finals for what will be his second to last semester at SIUE.  He is a good student, “Mostly A’s a few B’s here and there.”  He’s ready to be done with school and get out into the “real world.”  When asked what he wants to do when he gets done his answer is simple and pretty much the same among most students preparing for graduation.  “I just want to get a job so I can start paying my student loans.”  Just like most students he couldn’t imagine investing all this time and money and not being able to find a job when he finally finishes his degree. 

I’m almost done with my degree at Benedictine University and it hadn’t even occurred to me that I might not be able to find a job when I’m out.  As of late though I have been hearing more and more from recent graduates that they have been unsuccessful at finding a job in their field.  This is almost a nightmarish scenario to those that are up to their neck in student loans.  I decided to start asking around and see how recent graduates I know have been faring in our current job marker. 

The first person who brought this issue to my attention was my sister, Laurie McPherson.  Laurie was in national honors society in High School and went to Eastern Illinois University for 4 years.  She got a Bachelors degree in Psychology from EIU and then moved back home to Springfield to begin her job search.  “The first two or three jobs I applied for just didn’t me call back, so I got a job as a bartender to pay the bills in the mean time.” This seems to be what happens with a lot of recent college graduates.  “Soon I was being told that they either found someone more qualified, or a Masters Degree was required for the position.”  Soon after this she decided to go back to school and is now getting her Masters at UIS. 

After hearing this I began to think that maybe it was just the field that she was in.  Could it be that the field of Psychology just has more positions that require a Masters Degree, and less that require Bachelor’s degrees?  I decided to ask some people in different fields about their job search after recent graduation. 

Timothy Baker Jr. spent two years at Springfield and then transferred to Western Illinois University where he graduated in 2009.  Tim earned a Bachelor’s degree in criminal justice. “I was really excited to get out into the workforce and start my career.”  Tim started applying for jobs immediately after graduation.  “I was working at the pizza place I had been working at since high school, and just waiting to find my new job.”  He had interviews here and there, but never got the call back that he was waiting for.  “After six months, I decided that I needed a job that paid more than delivering pizzas.”  Tim went on to work for Allied Waste picking up trash for awhile, and now sells windows.  “It pays the bills, but it doesn’t require a degree and isn’t what I want to do for the rest of my life.  Tim is still on the lookout for a job that will utilize his degree. 

It was obviously not just the Psychology field that was hurting for jobs; there were lots of graduates in all fields that were having trouble finding a job after graduation.  This is a very scary thing to think about considering the fact that with most student loans you have to start paying back within six months of graduation.

 After talking around to some people I decided to get some more facts.  I came across an article from the New York Times that was all about the struggle recent graduates are having at finding a job in their field.  The article opened my eyes to a shocking statistic.  In 2010 only 56% of graduates had a degree by the following spring.  This doesn’t say too much until you see that in 2006 and 2007 that number was 90%.  It is incredible to me that in a matter of two years the number of college graduates finding jobs dropped by 34 percent.  As if this wasn’t bad enough the article goes on to discuss that even if you do find a job the average starting salary for a four year college graduate is down 10% from 2006 and that is without factoring in inflation.  The next person I talked to showed how real this statistic really is.

I talked to Kate Valasek next. Kate went to ISU for four years and earned a Bachelor’s degree in political science.  She graduated in 2009.  It took her almost a year to find a job in her field.  She worked as a bartender and a waitress during the time before she found her job.  In 2010 she finally got a job as a state employee here in Springfield.  “I was really excited to finally get a job that had something to do with my degree.”  That was until she started getting her pay checks.  “I had recently moved out of my parents house, gotten a new car, and was paying my student loans back.  So I had plenty of bills to pay.”  Her salary at her state job was so low that she recently started waitressing again at nights and on the weekends and says that she is making more money waitressing than she does at her career.  “It would feel like a waste of a degree if quit my state job and waitressed full time.”  So in the meantime Kate will wait and hope for a promotion, raise, or another opening in her field. 

This lack of a job market could probably be blamed mostly on our current recession.  I’m sure the market is also flooded with degrees seeing that more and more people are getting their degrees every year.  It is still something that is hard to digest for the students paying extremely high tuition every year. I just hope I will be one of the lucky ones and not fall victim to this shrunken job market. 

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Michael Lewis

Michael Lewis’ new book "Boomerang: Travels in the New Third World", takes a look at the financial crisis in Europe that appears to be looming over the U.S.  According to his book it started in the United States, then moved to Europe, and now appears to be looping back to us.  Hence the title Boomerang.  For our assignment we are to look at articles from Vanity Fair written by Lewis talking about a certain nation involved in the crisis.  These stories are about Iceland, Greece, Ireland, Germany and California.  These are all places effected by the crisis.  Lewis calls them all a part of a financial disaster tour. 

            The first of the articles I read was called “California and Bust.”  Obviously it is about California.  The beginning of this article features a Wall Street analyst named Meredith Whitney. According to Whitney who correctly predicted Citigroup having to cut their dividend back in 2007 said that this crisis is something that the people of the United States should be worried about in the next 12 months.  Everyone is afraid that the U.S. won’t pay back the money they’ve borrowed.  According to Whitney there isn’t much of a chance of the actual states defaulting because they can always just pass their problems down to the county and city level.  Everyone freaked out in response to this and the municipal bond marked completely tanked.  According to the article from 2002 to 2008 the states debts had doubled.  According to the article “they had also systematically underfunded their pension plans and other future liabilities by a total of nearly $1.5 trillion.”  Underfunded health-care plans, a reduction in federal dollars available to the states, and the depression in tax revenues caused by a soft economy also contributed to the debts the states were amassing.  Each of these things was creating multi-trillion dollar deficits.  According to Whitney it wasn’t the states who would default it, because they had the option to get the money from the individual cities.  From what I can gather the problem is that in America we tend to borrow as much money as we can, without worries about how we are going to pay back.  The way we look at it the more money we borrow the more we can make.  According to Whitney the states would fair differently after the crisis really hits the United States.  She said that the companies would obviously head to the stronger cities because that would be where they would flourish the best.  If the companies moved, the people would follow for the jobs.  All the people leaving the weaker cities would only make the problems worse.  The people who could not afford to move to the stronger cities would really suffer.  This makes it so that the common people would suffer the most for the mistakes made by the states.  The article said that the states that hurt the most would be the ones that borrowed the most.  Whitney said that the scariest of all the states was hands down California. 

            The next part of the article moves from a normal boring article about finance, and changes the style to more of the travel writing style noted on the assignment sheet.  Lewis begins speaking of his meeting with Governor Schwarzenegger.  He paints this vivid picture of his meeting with the governor and their bike ride.   Before he even gets into their discussion Lewis gives you this great description of their bike ride, the people of Santa Monica beach, and their discussion.  Lewis’ talk with the governor revealed a lot.  As before the issue is how Americans borrow in order to live life a certain way, with disregard as to how they will pay it back.  This was shown perfectly when Arnold talks about how in 2011 the average Californian was in a debt of $78,000 up against an income of $48,000. 

            The next person interviewed was Mayor Chuck Reed.  According to Mr. Reed, San Jose owes city employees so much money that if it cut its debt in half it would still end up being broke.  Reed showed a little of glimpse of what the future would be like.  There are two solutions to San Jose’s problem default or drastically cut back on their public services.  This was shown by a few figures.   Reed told Lewis that when he came into office the cities pension cost was $73 million.  This year it would cost $245 million, and in three years time it would cost $400 million.  In order to afford this San Jose cut its city employees from 7,450 to 5400 employees.  This dropped the figure down to the number of people it was employing in 1988.  This doesn’t seem like that big of a deal until you read on to realize in 1988 the city had a quarter of the population.  Reed goes on to say that by 2014 the city will only be able to afford 1600 public employees.  Lewis even quotes him as saying “There is no way to run a city with that level of staffing.”  When asked if he could raise taxes Reed says no way.  He explains that this problem happened as a result of the city spending all the money that was there without any thought as to how they were going to keep it up.  No one wants to pay the money back so rather than doing this they just keep cutting public services such as days the library is open and laying off firefighters and police officers.  The interview with Mayor Reed really opened my eyes to what is going on and why this is such a hard problem to fix.  How can you make an entire culture of people change the way they live? This article was really well written; I especially liked how he put it into blocks, one for each interview.  It was almost like a compilation of a bunch of smaller stories. 

            The next article I chose to read was Wall Street on the Tundra.  This article is about Iceland.  According to the article, Iceland went bust on October 6, 2008.  It has apparently gotten so bad its debt is 8 and a half times the GDP, the people are hoarding food, and there are even reports of people blowing up their cars for insurance money.  Mr. Lewis interviewed a man who had been flown into Iceland to decide whether or not money could be lent to them, even though they are a bankrupt nation.  The man is used to doing work in countries in Africa that were somewhat 3^rd world countries.  For this man this was a whole new experience because unlike the 3^rd world countries he was used to Iceland is extremely well to do, well educated, and very rational nation.   The article says that Iceland’s three biggest banks had assets of only a few billion dollars, about 100 percent of its gross domestic product. Over the next three and a half years they grew to over $140 billion and were so much greater than Iceland’s G.D.P. that it made no sense to calculate the percentage of it they accounted for. It was, as one economist put it to me, “the most rapid expansion of a banking system in the history of mankind.”   From 2003 to 2007 the U.S. stock market doubled, while the Icelandic stock market multiplied itself times 9.  This figure alone is startling.  A professor at an Icelandic University was talking about how hundreds of students moved from studying whatever they had been studying to studying finance.  This doesn’t seem like that big of a deal until Lewis goes on to say that Iceland that has a population about the size of Peoria.
            I felt a strong correlation between the problems of the two places discussed in these articles.  It is a bunch of intelligent people who got caught up in making as much money as possible and didn’t think about the consequences.  This is one of the problems of capitalism, the human error.  It is human nature to be greedy and to keep grabbing up as much as we can without regard to how it is going to impact our financial future.  Lewis does a great job at writing.  This is a topic that seems to be somewhat boring at best to most people, yet the way he is able to put these stories together and to show what could come from this really makes for an interesting read.  Between his vivid descriptions of the culture of the places he is, or his ability to really open your eyes to what could happen as a result of the mistakes that were are making, Lewis is a very skilled journalist. 

Analysis: "Germany: Grappling with the Euro, and with Its Own Complicated History."

I think that Mayer put together a pretty good article for informing the public about how much of a vested interest Germany has in the European Union’s current debt crisis.  Before reading this I knew that Germany was kind of the ringleader of the European Union, but I wasn’t aware of how much this could affect the Germans.  As I interpret it, what is going on is that after emergency bailouts for Greece, Ireland, and Portugal; there is a fear that the Euro could fall.  Basically everyone is getting sick of bailing other countries out and our contemplating leaving the union and bringing back their own, independent currency.  I believe the article was well written, and paints a pretty vivid picture of what is going on with our friends on the other side of the pond. 

            One thing that I thought Mayer did a good job at is getting a wide variety of people who have already been or potentially stand to be affected by the current crisis.  The first person interviewed was the former head economist of the European Central Bank.  This made sense because who would know better about the Euro than the man in charge of keeping track of it.   The next people interviewed were small business owners in Frankfurt.  This paints a picture of the angry Germans who are working the grind every week busting their butts, and left with a bad taste in their mouths when they hear about people like the Greeks who are being bailed out with German taxpayer’s money.  The next person interviewed was the CEO of the second largest financial institution in Germany.  This guy also was talking about how the German’s are worried that they won’t ever get this money back that they are lending for the bailouts.  This is showing how the big financial institutions are concerned, but so are the little guys.   The story also talked about a family owned Glassworks Company who exports their products to museums all over the world.  This was to show the other side of things.  If Germany went back to its own currency it would appreciate and they would lose a lot in exports.  I think her selection was a great way to add to the story.  I think she brought a broad spectrum of people in order to represent different parts of the German society.

            I would call Mayer’s lede, a soft lede.  She introduces the story with a description of the city of Frankfurt.  She just gives a brief backdrop of how the city differs so much from the traditional German City.  She gives a good description of how unlike the typical quiet old fashioned city in Germany, Frankfurt was a hotbed of economic activity and was the obvious choice for the European Central Bank.  It actually sounds pretty positive until you get to the second paragraph.  This is where the picture of what is going on is really put on the table.  Because the real story isn’t put out right off the bat is the reasoning why I would consider her lede to be soft.  As for the story itself, I would definitely consider it to be hard news.  We live in an age where a global economy is a real thing.  Germany and the other European nations will not be the only ones affected, everyone who trades will.  The fact that this story has the potential to affect all of us is definitely a reason I would call this story hard news.    Not only does this story have to do with the present but it also could affect our future as well. 

            I had an appreciation for Mayer’s tone in the story.  I thought she had a great way of conveying the way that everyday German’s feel about this issue.  There were two examples of this that made me understand how the Germans felt.  One was when the man said “I'm fed up with working hard so the Greeks can sit in cafes and drink coffee with brandy all day,” The other example of this was when the second man said "We're slaving while Greece parties," When I read this I thought of how it would make me feel if I was put into the same situation as these guys.  I would say that she did in fact do well at showing both sides of the issue though.  There was a lot of negativity towards Greece but she did show the impact that dropping the Euro would have on Germany’s huge exporting industry. 

            As far as art and craft is concerned, I believe the line between the two is quite grey.  An interesting form to contemplate this in is one’s writing style.  I would say the artistic element to one’s writing would be their creative talents.  The ability to find the right words and ways to tie things together would be the largest artistic element to me.  One’s craftsmanship would be more of the things that have been drilled into your head over and over by teachers throughout the years.  Things like grammar, sentence structure, and punctuation. 

            I believe that Mayer did a great job at conveying the people of Germany’s feelings regarding the current debt crisis in the European Union.  She got good quotes from a wide range of people. There did seem like there was some negativity towards Greece in the story, but then again she was just quoting the people she interviewed.   It’s a current well written story with the potential to impact all of us.  She wrote it in a manner that kept it interesting to read.  For these reasons I would call this a good article. 

Voice - What Do You Like To Read?

                                                                           

 I chose CNN’s “This Just In” for my blog to follow for COMM 337.  I chose this blog for a number of reasons.  One being, I like to keep up with what is going on in the world.  This blog is updated regularly. Whenever breaking news occurs, you can be sure that it will be on the blog.   Not only does the blog have the breaking news, but it also has a number of other articles that I find interesting and/or entertaining. 

I can appreciate the bloggers’ voices throughout this blog.  There are a number of writers who write on this blog which gives the readership a good variety.  It allows for the style of writing to be mixed up.  I think this is refreshing.  The first article I read was about a republican college group at UC Berkley, and their bake sale.  They wanted to protest reverse racism, regarding the cost of tuition being more expensive for white students than for minorities.  They charged $2.00 for Whites, $1.50 for Asians, $1.00 for Latinos, $0.75 for Blacks, and $0.25 for Native Americans.  This is an odd article that I wouldn’t have probably seen if not reading the blog.  They also allow for reader comments.  I don’t normally have much of an affinity for this concept but then I read this comment regarding the bake sale story; “ Cobbscout said, "I'd get one Native American woman to buy all of the cookies for free ($.25 for Native American – $.25 for being a woman = $.00 or free), thus shutting down these jerks. Then set up my own table and resell all the cookies for $1.00 each to anyone who wanted to buy them. That's American enterprise at its best."” I wasn’t expecting a CNN blog to have any content on it that was going to make me laugh.  The next article I read was about SNL’s spoofs of politicians.  This was another well written article in which the writer’s told you about something they thought was funny, and showed the video clips.  This was a good example of the writers using their voice to show you how they feel about something that makes them laugh. 

The next post I read was about Fidel Castro coming out from behind closed doors with an essay about President Obama’s speech regarding the United Nations.  Castro accused NATO of monstrous crimes in Libya.  The post was 5 paragraphs long, providing a brief summary of what happened with a link to a longer essay.  This is a great structure for a blog so you can see all the articles, and still find the articles you are really interested in.  When you choose a certain article the blog will recommend similar articles that it might think you might have an interest in. 

            My biggest problem with the blog is the fact that it pulls in articles from Nancy Grace.  I absolutely despise Nancy Grace.  I think it is almost insane that CNN uses her as an anchor on one of their networks.  Almost all news on cable has some sort of bias to it.  The worst thing about Nancy Grace is that she doesn’t try and hide her bias whatsoever.  Not only is she biased, but her show covers stories that aren’t really what I would consider newsworthy.  Her show is all about people dying and being murdered.  Nancy is a retired lawyer and she jumps at the chance to point the finger at people even when they haven’t received a trial yet.  She doesn’t care about the idea of a person being innocent until proven guilty.  I look at her “voice” is the essential of what I would not want to read. 

            Although Nancy Grace is affiliated with CNN, I think their “This Just In” blog does a great job at staying away from her style.  The blog is great about giving you the facts on all the stories.  I can appreciate this.  When it comes to the big issues the writers do a great job at eliminating a bias.  While keeping out the bias in the news, the writers are still able to show you what they like and how they feel about things.   They show you what they think is funny; they pick the articles that they believe are interesting, and they use their own writing styles.  I really think this is a very interesting blog and a good way to keep up with what is going on in the world. 

"How to write a great news story"

The difference between hard and soft news is the immeadicy.  Hard news according to Sutees is news that is breaking and can't wait for publication.  Soft news is a story that can be published whenever.  On the part about suprises, I think it is human nature to want to learn more and a good suprise is usually something that you don't know.  Murray is the guy who wrote the little green book that never goes away.  I really liked the part about finding your voice.  I hadn't ever really thought to try and write in my own voice, although I'm sure I have.  If people like your voice they will continue to read your work. 

9/11 video

I really thought that the video about the Greek shop owner really painted a vivid picture of how everyday Americans were affected by September 11th.  I think it took a different look than most of the stories we see regarding that tragic day, in that it looked at how he was indirectly affected not just how he was directly affected.  Just like we normally see the man lost many friends and customers in the attacks of September 11th.  What was different though was how over the course of the next few years fear took its toll on his business.  Everyone was too scared to come out and patronize his business.  No matter how bad it got, the man stayed where he belonged and would not be beaten by the terrorists.  I think he showed a great example of the resilience of the American people.  It was a good insight on how everyday people were affected by the tragic events of September 11th.