For Millennials, a tough 10 years of scarce jobs
But many say their persistence has paid off
“I couldn’t imagine a better place to be in my career at this moment, but for some time, when you’re sitting at home on a mountain of student debt and nobody is hiring, that was an incredibly scary experience.”
Jenna Persons, 34
Brennan Whitley thought he had done everything right to score a job after college. His résumé was stocked with internships: two with the Fort Myers Miracle, one with the Florida Gulf Coast University athletics office, one his senior year with the Tampa Bay Rays, a stint at the Super Bowl and years of experience with the City of Palms basketball tournament. His problem, though, was timing: He graduated from the University of Tampa in 2010, a year after the recession officially ended but when the effects were still being felt. “My whole college career I had never really been said no to,” he said, but in his job hunt he was getting automatic responses of “no,” or no answers at all.
Whitley moved back to Fort Myers to live with his parents. “I wasn’t going to just go back and mooch off Mom and Dad. I wanted to be on my own.”
During the downturn, Whitley, now 30, was among the younger workers battling with older and sometimes more qualified workers for scarce jobs. Entering the labor force during a recession is not where one wants to be.
Studies of past recessions have shown that starting work during a recession can lead to lower earnings for about 10 years, according to a Russell Sage Foundation Journal of the Social Sciences article. What’s more, such an experience can negatively skew a worker’s view for life.
A 2009 study found people who experienced a recession in their formative years were more likely to believe success comes with luck rather than effort. Non-white workers without college degrees face more challenges. Younger, less-educated and minority workers were more likely than whites to lose their jobs, said another study.
A decade later, Southwest Florida younger professionals say they learned persistence and resiliency, career-building skills.
“If anything, it hardened me and some of my classmates in law school,” said Chris Lopez, public policy director at the Royal Palm Coast Realtor Association, who considered leaving law school during the recession. “When we came out in 2010, we knew we needed to make our own path.”
Aysegul Timur, senior vice president of academic affairs and dean of the Johnson School of Business at Hodges University, said it’s hard to draw definitive conclusions because of unresolved, complex social issues at play. However, anecdotally, she agreed that students grew in character.
“In the classroom, we heard about people losing their homes and how it changed their lives, but one thing I saw was that they gained an incredible skill: They learned how to adapt to the situation and be a fighter.”
For two years, Whitley worked internships for the Boston Red Sox, clocking up to 70 hours a week. In June 2012, the team hired him full time. He is now the manager for Florida business operations for the Red Sox.
Jenna Persons, 34, ran unsuccessfully for mayor of Fort Myers after graduating from law school in 2008, acquiring a job and getting laid off.
“I took some risks and I couldn’t be happier where I landed,” Persons said. Her run helped her build contacts and understand the community. Soon after, Persons founded a firm with Fort Myers attorney Bruce Strayhorn. “I couldn’t imagine a better place to be in my career at this moment, but for some time, when you’re sitting at home on a mountain of student debt and nobody is hiring, that was an incredibly scary experience.”