Previously, JobsNHire talked about how Americans aged 19 to 24 are still living with their parents. After graduating college or highschool, the teenager will be filled with a sense of challenge. They think of doing something that will make a difference in the world. All this time the parents just want them to get a real job and earn a pay cheque. According to NYTimes, this is not a strange thing.

Most likely, according to psychology professor, Jeffrey Jenson Arnett, your teenager or young adult is entering "emerging adulthood" - a time where many different directions remain possible.

One such direction can come from Wanderers like Valerie Lapointe. She's a typical wanderer. She paused her job search and did what many recent college graduates are doing when they are stuck - they go back to school for another degree.

NYT describes the master's degree has become the new bachelor's degree. Lapointe says, "I have applied for jobs from here to kingdom come," she said. "When you are unemployed, you can apply for jobs all day." She likened her job search to dating. "You look great on paper, they interview you, but then they never call you back. You get used to the rejection."

She graduated with a 3.9 GPA in highschool but had no idea what she wanted to do with her life when she went to college. For Wanderers, a 4 year college course was the pathway out of highschool. She was unsure about her major and decided to take a general education course. By the time she figured out what she wanted (which was journalism), it was too late.
Wanderers tread the waters. PewResearch reported that new graduates are underemployed - working jobs that don't require a degree. Lapointe took on a nanny job while living with her parents. She will be encountering blocks along the way - everytime she realized something she wants to do, she will be competing with a new batch of graduates or applicants that have more skills and edginess. The longer Wanderers drift through their 20s, the harder it becomes to catch up.

Check out these JobsNHire Articles to learn more:

- Sprinters

- Stragglers