By Karen Southall Watts

First let me say thank you. Thank you to anyone who has ever dry cleaned a suit, washed dishes in a restaurant, cut grass or done any of the difficult and sometimes dangerous jobs that make life a little easier for the rest of us. Although I have always appreciated the services that make modern existence truly modern and comfortable, I now have a newer and deeper respect for people who do the thankless tasks of life as well as people who “just take any job” and succeed.

If you are one of the thousands of unemployed or underemployed you have certainly heard this advice, “Don’t be so picky, just take any job…and be grateful.” Within the community of disconnected professionals we know that it is easier said than done. Employers would rather hire younger and cheaper workers, balk at placing “overeducated” professionals in positions where they stick out or make their supervisors nervous and in general don’t warm up to anyone with a long gap or gaps in their job history. But, sometimes you catch a break. What happens when you do get the chance to “take any job”? For me it meant I got sick.

Walking distance to my home is a self-serve laundry with drop-off services. Feeling especially desperate one day I walked in and asked for a job. The owner, a bubbly divorced mom with a real drive to succeed seemed to like me. We had a great chat together and she offered me a job a couple of days later. The pay was minimum wage, but I figured the ability to walk to work and not needing a professional wardrobe would help make up for that. So I inwardly congratulated myself for finding a job in this disastrous economy and for being willing to “take any job.”

I received a day and a half of training before I was expected to come in and open the shop on my own. Little did I know that the owner was already short-handed and losing one of her regular employees to college graduation that week. She was desperate to get the hours covered. After less than two days of prolonged exposure to multiple detergents and bleach I was sick as a dog. The skin on my hands was raw and red—gloves were provided but in the one-person-show environment it was difficult to find time to put them on before every task. My throat was swollen and my eyes juicy and sore. I had to quit.

I came home after breaking the news to the owner, who had to come in and relieve me, took some allergy medication and went to bed. And there was no one to complain to, since I am living alone right now. Without child support or a steady income I had to let my teenage son move back to his father’s house. So there I was, sick and depressed and unemployed again…giving a pep talk to myself, and wondering how did I get to this point?

True I still teach on occasion, when schools and small business centers have the budget to pay for it. In this economy I still find lots of entrepreneurs who would like to hire me as a consultant or coach—far fewer who can afford to. I’ve taken to giving away a few hours of my time each month. And I wonder where our collective conscience is? Why aren’t we ashamed that pop stars and athletes make more money than teachers and managers? How do we justify corporate bailouts in the billions of dollars when student loan debt is crippling an entire generation of workers? When as a nation will we develop some real compassion as well as survival skills?

So what’s next?

For me the first step is my personal recommitment to be nicer and more considerate to everyone I meet, tip better whenever I can and never forget the trials and tribulations that may have brought someone to the job they find themselves doing. Secondly I want to encourage everyone to develop what the creator of Dilbert recently called “boss diversity.” Moving toward entrepreneurship can not only free us from the constant worry of being fired or laid off but encourage us to develop our creativity. Not every experiment will work—you may find yourself allergic to the environment. However I firmly believe we all have something to offer, the trick is figuring out what that magic thing might be. So maybe one day you will “take any job” or perhaps the next thing you do is create a job.

For years financial advisors and experts have lumped student loans into the category of “good debt” calling it an investment that would create future value like a mortgage or business loan. Ok, guys, knock it off! As evidenced by the thousands of unemployed and underemployed professionals in the US right now, a college education is no longer a guarantee of employment. The degree that once opened doors may not be worth the fancy paper it’s printed on.

No one is more surprised than I am that almost three years after completing a master’s degree in management I am still woefully under-employed. Perhaps the many counselors and advocates who helped me apply for financial aid would be surprised as well … I don’t know as I certainly never hear from them—ever. I had a very frank discussion two years post graduation with the college recruiting folks when they called to ask me if I would send new students their way. After giving them a piece of my mind I had myself removed from the mailing and call list. I could not in good conscience send anyone down this road.

Once we face the fact that it’s not “good” but just plain old debt, let’s look at the pre-loan counseling process. Colleges and lending agencies need a different script for dealing with students who are over forty or do not already have an employer lined up. Professionals over the age of forty face huge barriers to re-entering the workforce after parenting breaks. They have difficulty changing fields or avoiding aggressive cost-driven downsizing. Older adult students could be taking on thousands of dollars in debt they will never, ever be able to pay off because of age discrimination or other issues beyond their control. Students starting their education in debt without the promise of a job may find they start their careers under a cloud of financial gloom that entry level jobs can never help them escape.

Since March of 2006 I have aggressively sought work throughout the United States. I’m registered with multiple job placement agencies, public and private. Have networked until my face hurts and as I describe in another article have taken any and all jobs offered to me. Still I remain underemployed, and thanks to this (and divorce), unable to pay my student loans. So every few months I go online and once again apply for a deferment … hoping it will be the last time and I will finally land a decent job. Recently I decided to contact Sallie Mae and ask them the unthinkable, what would happen if I could never find work? Was there anything else I could do, some other program to provide relief to people like me who were suffering in this nightmare economy? Here’s what they said:

DEAR KAREN S WATTS,
Thank you for your inquiry and for your business with Sallie Mae.
You are solely responsible for the repayment of your student loans as per your signed Promissory Note. There are no programs available due to nightmare economy and your unemployment record.
If we may be of further assistance, please visit our Web site at www.salliemae.com.
Sincerely,
Customer Service

Short of taking to the streets with torches and pitchforks, what can we do in the face of such callous disrespect, in the guise of customer service? Much of Europe still offers free higher education to citizens, though this system, which is supported by very high taxes, seems to be crumbling. The debate about whether or not a college degree is worth it has become more heated and pointed than ever before. The Internet is flooded with stories of bright college graduates who can’t obtain work, and certainly not the kind of salaries required to pay off the thousands it cost to become graduates. While a small segment of the population seems to be benefiting from accessing the technical school system—carving out careers in two years or less, those of us who already jumped off the higher education cliff can only send out a new pile of resumes and wait for the next nasty form letter from Sallie Mae.

I am a full-time Ph. D. student, in my very late thirties. I am presently very underemployed and underpaid as a part-time private music instructor. As a result I am having to rely on my mother for nearly half of my financial support, which is extremely hard for me to cope with — I feel at this point in our lives the situation should be reversed.

She has chosen not to retire in order to help support me. I cannot get health insurance through my current employer due to a “pre-existing condition.” I have student coverage through my university but it is woefully inadequate — I exhausted my limit for prescription drug coverage in the first six weeks of this year. I have been searching for a full-time job with benefits for over a year now but have so far been unsuccessful.

This despite my having had a 4.0 GPA in my master’s program and having a 3.9 GPA to date in my doctoral program, and being a member of national honor societies in both music and education. It’s hard to tell if my lack of success in finding a “real” job is due to being considered “not a good fit” for those positions I have applied for, or if I’m simply “overqualified.”