agreed. American colleges are some of the greatest scams anyone.

"“Nearly eight-in-ten of these 25- to 34-year-olds say they don’t currently have enough money to lead the kind of life they want,”"

In other words, they've been sold the American Dream hook, line and sinker. Our world isnt the same world our parents and grandparents grew up in, where companies showed loyalty to employees, and job security was practically guaranteed as long as you did what you were supposed to do. A world of labor unions, that have been busted up, and opened up a world of dog-eat-dog and lower wage fights. It's also a new world where college doesnt guaranty riches and comfort the rest of your life. Quite the contrary; college education costs more than ever, burdens the student down with great debt, and there's no guaranty of a job awaiting them in the world. Our world isnt filled with corporations who believe in America and Americans. It's filled with greedy elitist executives more concerned about appeasing stockholders and board members with a penny on the bottom line, rather than the razing of whole American communities.

I've got quite a bit of student loans and while I have to manage my money I can still afford several things that would be considered luxury. I might not be able to go out and rack up a huge bar bill every weekend. Also, there's not chance in hell I would move back in with my parents (Don't get me wrong, they're great parents) or move back to my hometown. I'm a very independent person so I like living on my own.

agreed. American colleges are some of the greatest scams anyone.

I wouldn't call it a scam. My degree will certainly pay for itself, but had I picked another major like say...English, I'd almost certainly be in massive debt with terrible job prospects.

In other words, they've been sold the American Dream hook, line and sinker. Our world isnt the same world our parents and grandparents grew up in, where companies showed loyalty to employees, and job security was practically guaranteed as long as you did what you were supposed to do

Well not only that, but as a member of this recent college grad generation, it seems we want everything and we want it now. So the "I can't afford to live the life I want" quote can be pretty misleading.

I want to live in a 10000 sq ft house on the lake, but hey I can't afford to live the life I want.

American colleges are some of the greatest scams anyone.

I's not a scam if you go with true intent and looks for real world application you succeed better. it just schools are pushing out some poor quality.

it just schools are pushing out some poor quality.

Also, I believe most students don't get very much guidance on creating a career from their opportunity to go to college.

Well said Evita.

What is always ignored in denigrating the College education system is the fact that those making the most noise are the ones that picked the easy majors, banking on the fact that simply having that diploma would open whatever door they wished. Then the reality that a degree in Theoretical Comparative Religions doesn't make you a prime candidate to become the next CEO of Apple. Now of course, these poor indebted minions have found like minded support in the OWS gangs, and of course in groups there is assumed power and enforcement of the perceived correctness of their cause.

Sad and pathetic.

Evita,

Germany also has many apprentice programs as opposed to years and years on the books. It makes a huge difference to learn how to function in a work environment as opposed to a college campus.

Article writer:

Even more surprising is that 77 percent of those still under their parent’s roof have high hopes for their economic futures.

Usually moving is with their parents is a last resort to avoid a finical nightmare, I would hope. To get to the point of making that choice things must be pretty bad for that person. The only way for someone to see things, when they are pretty close to the bottom, is up. To say thats a surprise implies that they shouldn't have any hope.

Article writer, don't be an @!$%#

Not b/c of college debt:

Gen-Y have always depended on their parents for many things they should have learned to do themselves. Moving "back" in with their parents is just another one of those things. They don't have to worry about the responsibilities of maintaining a home, utility bills, lawn care, rental/lease contract, etc. that a young adult must contend with if out on their own.

And many Gen-Y parents either needed help keeping up with their home, apt, etc and so welcome their kids back home to help offset costs; or some Gen-Y parents have become so accustomed to "taking care of everything" for their kids, they happily usher them back into their home so they can still be needed & make all the 'right" decisions for their kids.

And of course, there is a great many that welcome their kids back home out of necessity - kids can't find work or salary level high enough to sustain independence. They do it reluctantly, but they all find out it's not so bad - with an understanding that this situation is temporary.

Just read my previous comment.. can't believe I misspelled "financial"

Doesn't change my feeling on what the article writer wrote.

"Even more surprising is that 77 percent of those still under their parent’s roof have high hopes for their economic futures."

Wow. They are even dimmer than everyone thought. Yet, another testament to our failed education system.

Hopefully this is just another attempt by the liberal media to put lipstick on a pig and the kids are not really this naive.... like the story about how Libya is now a great vacation destination.

Moving back into my childhood room with $30,000 after college.... YES!!!

College is a scam--depending on the college. Most humanities departments are pure scams--the professors do not teach lower division courses; lower division courses are taught by TAs. The professors do not start teaching undergraduates until they are in upper division courses and have been culled and/or properly indoctrinated. They groom the juniors and seniors, telling them they would be great graduate students--not telling them that people who graduate with a PhD in humanities have a 1 in 10 chance of ever getting a full time job in higher education (and I am including community colleges).

Humanities departments exist mostly to train graduates and postgraduates who teach the lower division courses--and those graduates ultimately do not get jobs. Well, the females don't. Females wind up as adjuncts, permanently--teaching part time at two or three institutions, experiencing servant-like conditions (and that's no joke--one works three jobs, with no benefits, no ability to negotiate a better contract, and is fired the minute one looks sideways at a full time faculty member).

It's actually kind of a joke among adjuncts about how many humanities professors go on and on about the slave-like conditions of the poor workers at WalMart, when they themselves perpetuate and benefit from an even worse set of conditions for the adjuncts in their departments. At least at WalMart, you don't have to pay tens of thousands of dollars and waste ten years of your life training, just so the department can treat you really badly.

When engineers or medical researchers in a lab that is paid for by a university invent a product, the product is registered in the name of the university (well, it depends, but generally this is true). When a humanities professor writes a book (on the public's dollar), the professor keeps the change. Physicians work seven days a week, and sometimes 24 and 36 hours in a row. Professors drag in to the department at around 9AM and are gone by 3PM unless there is a meeting--and they whine about attending meetings because they need to be home doing "research" (reading books, for the most part).

Yes, humanities colleges (whether separate or part of a larger university system) are a scam. They lie to students about their chances of getting a job; they lie to people about contributing to the community; they lie about how "hard" they work. Most of their "work" is self-imposed, being mostly committee meetings made difficult by narcissistic personalities who don't play well with others. They get students to major in their fields by pretending that there are jobs--and have no sympathy when students come back and complain, as the decision was "the student's." The students wind up with crippling debt they can never pay--and no job prospects. A graduate degree in humanities, in fact, looks bad on a person's resume and can keep him/her from getting an entry-level job in the corporate world.

But, this isn't every college--there are issues in other colleges (engineering colleges notoriously flunk out US citizens because international students pay more money--lots more money--and can be paid less as TAs), but I wouldn't use the word "scam" for it. Humanities, though--yeah, that's a scam.

I doubt the word "scam" would apply. "Scam" means that someone was suckered with false promises. I don't think anyone was offered anything false. Humanities students choose this field knowing full well that they won't get engineer salaries or jobs. They assume the risk.

As someone else posted earlier, why should these kids dislike living at home? They are covered, they don't have a raft of responsibilites which living on their own would entail. They aren't forced to take a grunt job just to survive, hell, they've got it made and the folks, well, the folks get to live with their children forever and ever and ever...wonder what would happen if the folks ran out of money?

beanathome,

Did someone hold a gun to your head and make you get a degree in the humanities????

I moved out as soon as I graduated high school...I moved back 2 times but only because of other people and education reasons...but when I was 25, I owned my own house (engineer)

I have sympathy for the young people...times are really (really) BAD

I am 44...I can't touch my 401K without penalties...I put my money in there...It's my money...I know when the system (SUCKS)

When we boomers were young, college was affordable and jobs were plentiful. I didn't even know anyone that had a student loan.

Do I blame the kids? No, but I hope mine don't read my post.

DunkinH:

Anybody who visits this vine knows that I spend a good deal of time and effort criticizing the "current administration". But somehow, I fail to see why they are to blame for the failure of the currrent crop of lazy young people who earn useless college degrees

I was listening to Dave Ramsey the other night go berserk after he hung up with the third person with OVER $100,000 in student loans had called to get help. They have come out of school in a field that interested them, and can't get a job with the degree and didn't have a plan "B".

I tell my kids all the time, have at least two courses of study that will, not might, but will get you a job. And have the fields unrelated enough that if the jobs dry up in the one, you can still get work in the other.

I have 4 degrees in 2 fields. My main field is in bad shape yet, so I'm working in a field related to one of the other degrees to make ends meet.

Parent's need to help with this decision, even if they are 21 or 22! Too many kids are making a wrong decision because they don't understand historical trends.

This bit, and not all the bluring of the lines by the media in treating unemployment stats and "joblessness" as synonyms; without actually delving into the specifics of how the stat is derived, and what it DOESN'T COUNT, all the "things would be great, the DOW is up, except when Greek debt issues come up (but don't bother looking at the US debt), etc; tells exactly where things are for main street.

But then again, when it's all said and done, with a system of fiat currency, it all comes down to public confidence in that dollar; and so when things aren't great, the confidence games can begin. All so people will ignore the situation around them, remain positive, and show the sort of confidence that will keep them spending (what they don't have, and many times on credit), so those sales figures can remain high.... I'll leave Goldman Sach's response, of "the former exec was just self rightious, the investor (and the customer) has always been, and ever will be muppets" out of the mention now. But ask many a person in banking what the money system comes down to; and mantaining the public's confidence in the medium of exchange, and having them hold a positive outlook (even if/when they're being fleeced, or taken for a ride per chance?) is a top priority... Without backing to that dollar, if people held little faith in the value of that dollar, or in the monetary system in general...

But aside from all that, this article shows what main street (and outside much of the Wall Street rhetoric, and rhetoric from politicians) is actually going through. People aren't chosing to move in with their parents in their late 20s to mid 30s, because they have that good job, which is raking in a decent salary. They're doing it, because they're hard up, and the job prospects aren't very good, against the cost of living and the amount of inflation (such as at the gas pump and at the grocery store), we've been seeing of late.

For Gen Y, moving back with their parents is a LOL

OH HELL NO!! You are out..Stay out!! pleaseeeeeeee...........

well how do you like that free trade job exporting now.export the jobs that pay enough for your kids to live on their own and this is what you get.lol.but hey you get things cheaper and the rich get control of our government.and all the wealth that should have been in the hands of our adult children goes to the rich.what a country of gullible boobs.

beanathome,

I think you're placing waaay too much blame on the schools. They are institutions for the accumulation and dispensation of knowledge, not a job finding service which is what many people wrongly seem to expect of it these days (yeah, I know some of them help with job placement). By the time someone graduates from college they should already have aimed themselves in a direction that will provide them with some kind of a job or opportunity for self employment. They're adults for christsake! They may be OK with moving back in with mom & dad but I doubt that the moms & dads are very happy about it, no matter what this article says. They sent them to college to learn and settle into their adult status. Moving back in just says "Thanks for the multi-year party and all, but I'm still such a baby I can't even improvise a job for myself. In fact, I'm so incompetent I can't even manage to find some roommates and share the expenses of an apartment."

I'm a sympathetic person when circumstances merit it, but this is simply accepting sub-par efforts on the part of the "kids". UGH! I hate even saying that about college grads except that I know that 18-19 yr old MEN & WOMEN in the military shame them and their lame efforts. These grads seem to be unable to endure circumstances that are even a little bit trying or leave them in a little bit of want.

I left the house when I was 19,

Never went back but to visit the parents, at 27 after 8 yrs of working experience I put myself back to school and finished 2 associate degrees, today I own my own business(for the last 23 yrs), and never been unemployed, nor collected food stamps, or any unemployment check.

Spoiled parasites is what this parents are brewing on their homes.

Today's Generation Y job expectations are as follows:

60K/yr job behind the Air conditioned desk with no degree, nor job experience whatsoever, e-mailing and texting all day long, and no week-end work, all while living off their parents.

A girl maybe, but a 30 yr old grown man living off the parents at their home?

What a Lazy and sorry ARSS generation!

A "scam" could also mean that they are OVERCHARGING for a good or service. Another way to describe a scam is as a "confidence trick". Is this not what most colleges are trying to sell? What about the "accreditation" aspect and what do they say about non-accredited schools? What about internet colleges? What other word would you like us to use for an institution that is profit driven, overcharges for its services, and puts profit above education? Do we even need to talk about college sports and all the money that is generated there? Where does all that money go anyway, I bet the majority does not go to the teachers or "education".

What happened to all the good jobs? I forgot that all the profit driven companies shipped our jobs overseas since they can pay them less over there. What did mom and dad do to stop the jobs from going overseas? Who did mom and dad vote for? Who supported this system while we were growing up? Way to pass the blame to your kids for your mistakes.

I also blame the dumb CEOs, managers, HR people, etc. that require people to have these degrees because they cannot tell their a$$ from a hole in the ground. They can not judge or rate an employee at all, they are incapable of doing so. That is why they need people to have those pieces of paper, it makes them feel good. Did Gates, Jobs, etc. need to get that piece of paper and did they need to show it to anyone? Maybe if you did not need a piece of paper to judge or rate someone then you would not have so many problems. Pros recognize pros, skill recognizes skill, we know and do not need a piece of paper to make that determination.

I paid for my degree as I went and worked a 30+ hour a week job too. I had a nice townhouse, GF that was 12 years younger then me, got a cat, and was happy until she wanted MORE. She was one of those that are brainwashed into thinking that she had to have a degree or else she was a loser. She already had a B.S., was working on her Masters, and was thinking of taking more classes after she got her Ph.D. That was when that I realized how dumb and stupid this game we play is. How I was not making myself rich, but others. She was not the first that thought like that either, they all want MORE, and are never happy for long. I am not your donkey or your dog, I am a man, 50/50 my a$$.

I am thankful for my family and enjoy the time I get to spend with them. There are some benefits to having multiple generations living together. I have never been paid 60k a year for my degree in electronics, the most I have ever made is $21 an hour. Bet over 90% of the population could not do my job, but I could do theirs. Yeah I am lazy...I am just not stupid and refuse to work for the chump change you are offering.

As someone who has taken and taught a great number of college courses. It isn't the education that's a scam. It is the plethora of unmotivated students that hold everyone else back who are there to make something of their lives.

The mentality that, "I've paid for this so give me a good grade".

Generally speaking, the only person anyone has to blame for their lot in life is themselves... generally (because there are certainly hard-luck stories out there). Sure there are people and situations that hold you back, but there are usually more opportunities than their are setbacks.

You think education is expensive? Try ignorance!

"Nearly eight-in-ten of these 25- to 34-year-olds say they don’t currently have enough money to lead the kind of life they want" - Welcome to the real world. I am almost 50 and have nver had enough money to live the life 'I want'. Most of my generation for the most part will never be better off financially than their parents were. It is always our hope that our children do better financially than we did but in reality it just hasn't happend for me and my Dad refers to me as "The Family Success Story" I am deep inside the 99%. However, life is not about having what you want, its about wanting what you have. Good friends and loving family trump expensive houses, cars and vacations all day every day if you ask me. I find alot of these kids in the age group studied have no real work ethic either. Having a work ethic is a thing of the past it seems. Every now and then you 'll come along and find a young person willing to work their way up but most of them expect to start as CEO. Education alone isnt enough. You have to pay your dues at work, too. IMHO

Mighty Moe - You are so right. People are acting like this is the first recession we've ever endured. The economy is always going to be tough on people who are lazy. I am a high school dropout that left school early to go to work. I worked hard at everything I ever did and I never depended on anyone to support me. I have endured a serious industrial accident, layoffs, business closures, chronic illness and yet I still manage to pay my way and pay my significant debt without declaring Bankruptcy. I started my own business and risked much so I did not have to accept disability, unemployment or welfare. Student loans are a real joke compared with paying a mortgage and other peoples salaries. If you cannot find a job in your field of education - take a job with the potential to earn a living based on working harder than the guy next to you. I am so sick of listening to the pissin and moanin about student loans and higher tuition fees - like we should have to pay more taxes so you can continue your education - get a damn job already and make sacrifices along the way. What the heck is wrong with the parents who continue to support these little darlings? Quit bitchin and solve your own problems - that's what responsible adults do.

If you really want to go back to the way of things, people used to live in extended families where the older generation was available for baby-sitting and the youngsters could help look after the old folks. Now we have retirement homes and strangers looking after our kids.

Should we be proud of our self-sufficiency or long for the multigenerational family units of yesteryear? Hard to say.

LMAO..of course they are happy..free-loaders..lazy good for nothing bums!

I agree, AG99. Many of our modern problems are due to the outsourcing of family functions. Nursing home care accounts for a full 1/3 of Medicaid spending, and daycare takes a huge toll on families.

There was a time when many families could support themselves with one income, and a stay-at-home parent was the norm. Now it is more common for both parents in a cohesive family to work, and there is often that stay-at-home grandparent from the previous generation available for childcare. But today's children won't have that luxury. They came from a family where both parents worked, and will likely continue to work when they are grandparents, leaving no one except the very elderly at home. So I don't see the "boomerang" generation being viable for very long.

Yes and in many countries...this is how it is.

At least these "freeloaders" families are giving them room and board. Better than living off the tax payer dime...............

Yes, and back in the day, a lot of people didn't participate in the economy. They lived off the grid, hunting for food and doing gardening, and like the Amish were mostly self-sufficient. Multi-generational families, however, still live together in some areas--mostly among Hispanics and Asians, though Native American and African American to a degree.

There's something to be said for moving out of a city area, buying a plot of land, and just having a subsistence-level life. It's better than trying to hang onto a house and job-searching forever and a day--exhausting one's resources and winding up penniless and homeless.

If I were facing this situation, I would try to auction off the house for what I could get, pay off what is left of the mortgage--or if the bank wouldn't cooperate, just walk away--and hope that I had enough left to get a little plot of land out in a very rural area (where land is cheap and self-built homes are common). A hard-scrabble rural life is better than homelessness in an urban area.

But, young adults living with their parents? This isn't even worth talking about--it was commonplace before the 1950s, became uncommon in the boom years of the 60s to the turn of the century, and is back again. It's very common throughout the world--I fail to see why it's an issue.

@ John-Williams-Nam-Vet:

Um, sorry. In some cases this is no where near the truth. Some of us live with our parents to help them because our beloved government gave them the short end of the stick. My dad served, he's a vet just like you sir.

I stayed to help. My sister had no choice, and she pays her fair share as do I and my brother. My brother's going to school, and trying to get a good career. Although I am currently living at home now, I will not be in two months time. It is a scary leap in today's shaky economy. You'd be crazy to say otherwise.

It has nothing to do with student loans but it is part of raising a family. Just because your kids go to college and graduate does not mean they cannot or do not come back home. My kids came back home several times, they did not make that much money starting out and sometimes it got really tough. As soon as they were making a little money then I would charge $200 mo rent and they put money away for the next move. It's called raising your children.

Among natives, living on a reservation, this isn't uncommon. And if some are thinking all native Americans are just lazy bums who do nothing; perhaps they should visit some of these reservations, first hand.... And i don't just mean on the tour bus...

On the other hand, with how many jobs have been outsourced (in many cases the entry level jobs to various professions; like in the computer industry, all the tech support jobs that are now in India); take many a minimum wage job (or near minimum wage), which these days tends to be part time, due to all the downsizing. Now take someone working 2-3 jobs, but around $8-$10 an hour, then take out tax witholdings (of which at the very least SS and medicare witholdings, if not more won't come back), rent, gas, and everything else, and see where that leaves people. There's reason many are making the hard choices to try to get on their feet, in a job culture where the concept of job security is dead, and without much notice one could expect more outsourcing to countries where companies could pay $2 a day to people who lived under Mubarac's regime, about that under people unfortunate enough to live under Hugo Chavez's government, etc...

Oh, and a small legal technicality, which isn't always mentioned quite as such (the sort of civics classes we got in high school and the like weren't always the most accurate); but the 13th Amendment didn't exactly prohibit Americans from holding slaves. It did prohibit slavery as existent inside the US. However if a US citizen holds a slave overseas, and never brings them into US territory, they aren't in violation of US law. They simply can't bring the person inside the US or a US territory, because then the 13th amendment would apply. Is it any wonder some multinational companies can seem to be "hiering people" under conditions we would consider slavery, and yet.... Check it up to another legal loophole if you will; but what Congress ratified, was pretty much understood to not apply to what US citizens do in other countries....

You make a good point about Native Americans and this can be seen as good news for families today. In the old days a couple of generations of families lived together and took care of each other. Today brothers/sisters and/or parents may live in different countries and only see each other once a year or even less. Maybe things happen for a reason. If the adult children are helping out and doing their fair share maybe it's not such a bad thing.

Speaking as A gen yer moving back in with mom and dad would be a fml not lol.

If you take a course of study that has real job potential, like engineering or business, one should have no problems fidning a job. Those who take "basket weaving" are the ones who will not realize the value of their education.

My, what profound advice. Tell us, Esteban, what do you consider to be "basket weaving"?

There should be alot more young adults following your example. I'm generation X, was on my own at 19, and haven't asked or accepted a dime from my parents - even if they are the greatest parents in the world.

slackers. I was on the curb at 18. How are kids supposed to grow some steel if they are in diapers until 30.

I agree. When I turned 18, it was a matter of pride to leave home. I still stayed with my parents during the summers when I was in college, but I worked 12 hours a day during those months to support myself the rest of the year. I spent four months living in my truck one summer after college, eating Ramen noodles twice a day, and I don't regret it one bit. It was uncomfortable, but it was liberating, and now I have the confidence to handle almost any financial situation, because I know how to stretch a dollar and go without extras.

My parents were loving and supportive, and would have housed me for years if I had wanted. But once you taste independence, it's hard to go back. It's a curse to be addicted to comfort... I suggest these Gen-Y-ers get out at any cost. Build your independence first, then it will be much easier to build your dreams!

JLM, Joker, you do realize that it's expensive to live on ones own, right? I'm living on my own for the first time at age 31 because back home I couldn't afford to do so on my pay. I literally had to move a third of the way around the world to find a job which would cover all of my living expenses.

People my age don't have job security or a pension to count on when making career choices the way people used to. What's more with the rather blatant age discrimination which commonly affects younger workers, it's really poor planning to live on ones own.

Then again, you got yours so to hell with anybody else.

Jolly Joker--when you were 18, health insurance didn't eat up over 50% of your income (you probably didn't need it, because doctor visits were not as punishingly expensive). When you were 18, an apartment wouldn't eat up 50-75% of your income. When you were 18, inexpensive housing was commonplace.

If the world today were like the world was when you were 18, then you wouldn't see young adults moving back home. The few who do not either went to work right after high school, and have no debt, or have landed a steady job (hard to find a steady one with benefits these days).

Just as a PS, if you were caught living in your truck today, you'd probably be arrested as a vagrant. One used to be able to live in a converted chicken coop--you can't do that anymore JLM--the world has changed.

Well Frank, I'm 27, and when I started out completely on my own at age 22 with a college degree, I worked for $8/hour and spent more than 50% of my gross income on rent in a 400 sq ft cabin without running water. It can be done. You prove yourself at work, work your way up, and hopefully OUT of retail/factory/fast-food/whatever and eventually upgrade your life.

Life isn't as expensive as you think it is when you learn to give up certain luxuries or even non-essential basics.

Just as a PS, if you were caught living in your truck today, you'd probably be arrested as a vagrant. One used to be able to live in a converted chicken coop--you can't do that anymore JLM--the world has changed.

Tell that to the hundreds of thousands of homeless. You just have to know where to park!

I love the way all these pompus baby boomers are boasting about how they were out of the house at 18. That was at a time when jobs were plenteful and the dollar was actually worth more than the paper it was printed on. But thanks to those older generations living high on the hog for years and running up trillions in debt the newer generations are stuck paying the price. You hypocrites aught to look in the mirror the next time you talk about "freeloaders."

at 18 I didn't take health insurance and didn't worry about it either. I figure if your 19 and male you shouldn't bother with it or get a single plan. It doesn't take up 1/2 check like some would lead you to believe. I also borrowed money for college and worked full time. I was in pure poverty and couldnt afford a pizza so I bought a bag of rice and threw it in the corner. I lived with 3 other roomates. Also, I left home with 200 dollars and a suitcase. The only difference is I see less jobs for the young to find. But, then you wash dishes and do the retail and suck it up. The big thing is to get an education that lands a job in the end. If you want to be reasonable successful you have to know what occupations pay and apply yourself. Do what it takes. Not run to mommie and daddy when times get tough. that should be a last resort, not a first resort.

I'm 18. I just started college last August. My problem? I can't a find job!!! I've applied at 26 different places since August without a call back. I don't have an arrest record. I have a few high school teacher references as well as 6 hours of college credit from a Vocational Technology class I took.

The only reason I can think of why I can't get a call back is experience. I wasn't able to start applying for jobs until I was 18 because I didn't have a car from 16 to 17 years old. I lived in a small town. All of the places to actually work at were 18 to 20 miles away. I could've gotten a job after school, but I wouldn't have had a ride home since both my parents worked (and still do) night shift.

I can't even apply for the work-study program because I don't qualify for it.....You pretty much have to be dirt poor and completely independent to qualify.

Geez, Stellar. If I had to guess, I'd think your post was driven by loneliness - specifically "empty nest" syndrome. Being independent is not about being desperate and becoming bitter about it. Although difficult, I look back fondly on my rough years. I learned a lot. I feel like I can face a lot of things without getting overwhelmed.

And it's certainly not the position my parents envisioned for me. They nearly had a heart attack when I started working 12-hour shifts at a factory, because to my dad, that was not something his daughters should ever have to do. (Though he forged his life under much rougher conditions.) But I found their hospitality to be stifling, and I wanted to build my own life. And I'm glad I did. Ever read "Into the Wild" by John Krakauer? That particular story is tragic, and I won't pretend to have embarked on a journey as intense as his, but it describes the fulfillment that a person feels when they start at rock-bottom and achieve everything on their own.

In contrast, my younger brother never left home, can't bring himself to "start" anywhere (and yes, it might mean minimum wage for him, because he dropped out of school), and is generally unhappy. Having all your basic needs met isn't enough in the long run. And I suspect that my parents' doting on him - which makes it so tempting to stay - is driven by their own "empty nest" feelings. I just hope he doesn't forfeit his future because they can't let their children go.

~Married mother of 3

Sounds like you harbor a lot of jealousy towards your brother JLM. Maybe you should seek some help for that?

You are what? 27? LOL! I guess in that VAST amount of years you would know better huh? Having 3 kids at 27 indicates to me exactly why you left the nest so early.

I didn't even start having kids until I was 28! Yes, I too was out of the house at 16 but because of different circumstances although promiscuous woman could have been a contributing factor.

I worked at the age of 7 for .25 cents an hour for family. I learned a trade that ultimately saved me from falling victim to the many bitter people who were there at every turn willing to take advantage of my innocence and inexperience. Since I worked with people at such a young age I fared a little better than the average person, yet there was never a shortage of people who were willing to take advantage of me.

Into the wild takes place in a time period way before your time, so quit dreaming already. Many things have changed since that time and now and for good reason. It's just a shame you took it so literally given your age.

I only hope you do better by your kids and dont cast them off into the wild. I only hope you are not so bitter that you would think it's the "right" thing to do. Then again this is America, and you are free to do as you feel fit. Just know that you made your bed, now you must lye in it.

But for gawds sakes, don't go around so bitter. Take what you have learned and hold on to them kids. Don't kick them to the curb, or they will end up in the gutter when total strangers get a hold of them.

There are two sides to this issue. One is definitely Failure to Launch Where the children are so impressed with mom and dad lifestyle they fail to see how we got there. What a child see at thirty years old is the accumulative results of their parents labor not where they started out even with a degree! We had apartments before we had homes and not the plush apartments our kids have watched on tv. Now the expect to come out of college and start at the top. Both my sons went to college married and live comfortably but with a price. Many times in order to get that job that compensates you must move and that why there is not that generation helping the other generation because for those who do leave home they are too far away. Many of my friends who are either retired or close to retirement who children have come back home are not happy about it. These grown thirty somethings with a degree have jobs that are comparable to what we had, yet they are making no attempt to change their lifestyle of their twenty something years where their parents shoulder the bills while their money is expendable for playtime, clothes and such. To the person who commented that three children at 27 was a bad thing what are you thinking. This young woman sounds responsible to me. The fact that she has identified her brother as a freeloader is accurate. Most children will not act responsible until they are out on their own paying bills for their selves. I have observed that when a parent says they will help their grown children that help turns into the parents responsibility like pay car notes and unending babysitting. Help means to assist not take over.

I am not sure what element of my posts offended you so much. I was single during my car-living noodle days, and I wasn't the only one at that factory doing it. The article isn't even about adults who stay home to avoid "being taken advantage of" and whatnot. It's about ones who stay there and think it's "gr8." And I suspect that some empty-nesters might think it's great too. But a résumé of perpetual childhood isn't going to make it easy to get a good job or even credit later. How many employers are really going to make a good offer to someone who hasn't done any kind of work in years? Who is going to make a loan to someone with no history of credit? My brother has neither.

I started a family after college. My sister went to grad school after college. Different choices, both satisfying. If starting a family at 28 is what worked for you, then great. We have our own place, decent income and enjoy our children immensely. The best piece of advice we got in premarital counseling was to move away from the parents. I see families who stayed nearby, used grandparents for childcare, and ultimately don't really have a life of their own. Everything is dictated jointly by their parents, the kids are spoiled, and they have no real authority in their own families. No thank you!

Good for you, Kid. Wishing you good luck will not be necessary - your strong constitution will help you prevail!

Agree 100%. I am a 40 year old man and very proud that I do not have to depend on my parents for anything except love and support. I don't know about the rest of the world, but when I visit my parents, I still do their household chores for them.. I figure its part of the way to pay them back for all they gave me.

But look at the prtable skills they have. Thumb dialing and Grand Theft Auto. Surprised people aren't beating downtheir (parents) doors offering them a job.

I am the oldest of three; my younger sister and myself forged our own lives, but our baby brother stayed home, holding out for that perfect opportunity to be on his own. Now he's 25, hasn't had a job in years, and didn't complete his degree. On paper, it may save money and time to stay at home and pool resources, but in reality it just keeps you from forging onward.

I think the reason my brother hasn't succeeded is because he never truly "needed" anything. My sister and I got whatever crummy job we could find because we needed food and shelter, and from there, we upgraded as opportunities arose. It's harder to work for $7.25/hour when you have a roof over your head and a meal every night without it. But it's also harder to get anywhere better without starting somewhere awful first.

Move out! You can't achieve your dreams until you've achieved independence.

And there is no apartment or living situation that I've ever heard of that 7.25 an hour could cover.

Lets say that you actually get lucky and your manager gives you 40 hours a week every week

7.25 isn't enough for an apartment+a vehicle+health care

The reason we stay home is because we cannot afford the BASE LEVEL THINGS.

Its not that we cannot afford to live on our own because we have a weekly bill of alchohol or HAVE to have the latest phone. Its simply because nobody is willing to pay a 18-26 year old a wage that is large enough to afford an apartment+utilities+transportation.

Hell, we have a 50% unemployment rate for people 18-26, so even if they DO want to get a job, they probably couldn't get one. Took me 1 and a half year of sending 250 applications a month, calling places, speaking to managers in public, etc JUST to get a minimum wage job.

@!$%# is different now, and the "same old" solutions will not work.

kick the kid to the curb. ! fast. If they can't figure it out than they need to tough it out. It builds character for life. ALso, theodore - suck it up and live with a group of roomates. Drive a car thats worth about 50 bucks and figure it out. I did. I survived. Best thing that ever happened. The only thing different now than "then" is the were more jobs but they paid about the same as now. Believe me, rent is not that expensive if you roomate it up. I don't blame kids for taking the gravy. I blame parents for not kicking them out. They are gonna have a hard time succeeding their entire life.

I may have to concur about $7.25/hour not paying rent IN SOME AREAS. Five years ago I moved just outside of town (no building codes) into a run-down little cabin without running water. Shared it with the spouse who was going to school. It was one of the only places within 30 miles that we could possibly afford, except for subsidized housing. We were committed to live without public assistance. But you know what? Most people who need it, nowadays apply for it. About 90% of our friends did at some point. If that wasn't available, you know what would be? Affordable housing! Because there would be a market for it. It may not be beautiful, but it would exist. With most "poor" people jumping into subsidized housing (where you get a better value than you pay for) it is more lucrative for landlords to upgrade (charging more) and accept low-income renters.

It is hard competing with subsidies. Companies would HAVE to pay more if their employees couldn't get food stamps, WIC, section 8 housing, etc. because NO ONE would work for a wage that didn't feed them. But with all these programs, people can get by with $7/hour and so it happens.

Took me 1 and a half year of sending 250 applications a month, calling places, speaking to managers in public, etc JUST to get a minimum wage job.

SO what did you do wrong? IT just took me one hour to find my first job offer for both2009 and 2011.

Joker and his buddy JLM + his sister are the kinds of people who took out these massive loans for homes dying to prove themselves only to be a burden on the tax payers when they cant cut the mustard.

So proud, yet these bums will live in their vehicles making the neighborhood trashy. Meanwhile they will steal and cheat anyone in an effort to survive on their own... I got news for you people! You aren't living on your own if your taking out more debt than you can afford!

With the exception of people who were drafted, many of the people in the armed forces are living off their Uncle... err... Uncle Sam. Now days we have bombs, drones and soon robo-troops. Don't try and act like your making it on your own, because your getting paid to do a job and often times it's just to fulfill the power thirst of some politician, who by the way is no better than someone living at home since they too are sucking off the nations teat.

Best these people stay at home a little longer, because they too are a big reason this nation is in such debt. Calling someone who collects a government paycheck a civil servant is a joke! They are employees of the hard working people of this nation who by the way pay the ultimate price when your returned home dead, or they do a poor job in office and only think of themselves. Had they had family values NONE of this would be a problem. But no, they had to get out there and show mom and dad. Who cares who they had to cheat or kill to get it. We can all be animals, that comes natural.

Too much government! Not enough unity and family values. 90% of politicians should be FIRED and 90% of the military should be working here in the US to further this nation, not some sand pit half way across the nation! I hope my kids NEVER join the military as it wont make me proud, it will make me sick! Damn any bastard who would draft my kids to fight a war that did not break out on our soil! Damn them to HELL!

Do you see any other civilized nation in this day and age sending their children to be slaughtered? In this day and age sending our children to war is as out-dated as the British who would march their soldiers and allow them to be slaughtered like dominoes.

It's high time this nation wake up! We are a super power because of technology, not because we are stupid. Anymore ground war-fair is akin to population control. I support our troops, but I don't support sending them to distant lands, taking them from their families! They need to be HERE, living on their own, with their family or with their parents, it doesn't matter!

For the people that do want to persue a carrerin the military, well there you go! Make a difference, figure out a way to prevent our nation from having to sacrifice it's greatest asset... Our Children! Weed out the power hungry people who make a profit off seeing good men go to war for bad people!

It took me 18 months to find a job in my field, and that job literally came out of nowhere 6 months after I had initially applied. Thankfully I am on my own now (living with a roommate so I can afford to do so) and paying all of my bills, which at bare minimum total about $1200.00 a month. I was making $8.25 an hour at my previous 'placeholder' job and could not afford to pay everything and still have enough money for food / gas / emergencies.

I lived at home for about 12 of those 18 months because I couldn't even find a job delivering pizzas. No retailers were hiring, no local shops...nothing. I was able to make enough to pay for my own food by freelancing, but even that was spotty at best. Things are hard for everybody right now. I have to worry about my younger sister and older brother since they are both hurting due to the lack of jobs. I consider myself very very fortunate to have found the job I currently have and I will hold onto it like I have never held onto anything before.

The good news is, it seems like things are starting to look up a bit. Not 6 weeks after I started my new job, a friend who has been struggling just to make enough to eat by working 3 minimum wage jobs found full time employment for a good starting salary and full benefits. If you are still stuck in the nightmare that is the job hunt, listen. Opportunities do exist, don't give up hope and keep trying. Take that crappy job in the warehouse down the street but keep sending out those applications and you will eventually hear something back.

To anyone saying that we as a generation are just lazy, I will leave you with a challenge. Quit your job, cancel your pension, or give your retirement money to charity and move 2,000 miles away from where you currently live. Now find a job and pay all your bills. Good luck with that.

To anyone saying that we as a generation are just lazy, I will leave you with a challenge. Quit your job, cancel your pension, or give your retirement money to charity and move 2,000 miles away from where you currently live. Now find a job and pay all your bills. Good luck with that.

Did that not a problem.

Lots of assumptions here about how Gen-Y-ers make it without living with their parents. I didn't take out any student loans and didn't qualify for any grants. I did have a scholarship that covered 1/3 of my student expenses (which amounts to almost all the tuition, so I really only paid my living expenses). I lived with my parents over the summer after my freshman year of college, working for $8/hour. After my sophomore year I moved to different city so I could pull overtime at a factory, working 12 hours at minimum wage for 3 months. I knew what my college expenses would be, and I couldn't make it if I wasted money on rent, and I didn't see the point in renting a place where I would sleep for maybe 6 hours at most, so I lived in my car. Lots of people did. In the factory parking lot the first year. The next year I did basically the same thing (but parked elsewhere for safety reasons), but my college expenses were higher, so I also took a job during the school year (part time grunt work). Got married the summer after my junior year, moved into a little shack without running water and continued school, worked retail on the side. Graduated at 22, hung around while hub finished the last of his credits, had a baby at 23. Hub went straight from college graduation to his first job (prearranged) and I stayed home for the baby's first year. We didn't buy a house until the second was born, and it was on one income. Now we have two incomes, and the mortgage is about 25% of combined incomes. Not a lot of debt, no student loans on my part, and a small loan on hub's part that was paid off completely a year ago.

This is not at all to say that everyone can or should do what I did, or that everyone's life will play out similarly. But the notion that Gen-Y-ers "have" to live with their parents, or that working for minimum wage is never an option - not even if you're just starting out - is a cop-out. You have to start somewhere. Maybe that does mean living with Mom and Dad for awhile while working, but staying there perpetually with no plan for independence and being "happy about it," as this article suggests, is just ridiculous.

Way to go JLM! You showed pluck and determination. Your folks have every right to be proud of you. Hard work and not having all you wanted, just what you needed, never slowed you down and you are to be commended.

Good for you! Your hard work will pay off in the end.

Yes they are paying for their parents social security just as their parents paid for their parents.

The rest of your comment is complete hooey. Social Security is invested and solvent. The problem is Congress which insists on borrowing from it.

And "their" parents paid in their entire lives to the huge ponzi scheme that has been Social Security. At least you did not get informed half way through your career that you had to consider putting away addtional money into something called a 401k even though there was a government program that was supposed to secure a minimal support system when you reached retirement.

You knew from the day you started working that Social Security was a massively failed government effort, because the politians could not keep their hands out of the trust fund and changed the parameters of the program to include disability (Which it was not originally designed to do and was never adjusted <deposits> to accomplish)

Just wondering how much of the money robbed from social security is used to pay welfare, unemployment etc for the gen y folks you are feeling so sorry for. As long as the gov keeps juggling the books it is all just a matter of conjecture. The simple truth is that we are all in deep trouble and it is time to hold tight to the things that work. Not parents supporting kids or the reverse but FAMILY working together because we are about all we can rely upon. I would be glad to have any of mine home once their time in the military was up. (I just worry my standard or housekeeping would no longer measure up - lol) The thing is I doublt they would need to come home as much as I would like to have them so perhaps I am not the best judge of the situation. I guess it all depends upon the kid and the parent.

The only SCAM is the republicans telling everyone it is bankrupt because congress for the last 50 years has looted it. Congress needs to put the money back.

PJ, to answer your question about how much of the looted SS funds go to Gen Y entitlements... it would have to be less than 8%. Congress spends 8% of its budget on non-Medicare, non-SS entitlements (including food stamps, section 8 housing, daycare assistance, WIC, its portion of Medicaid, etc.) with the majority of that coming from Medicaid. Seniors on Medicare account for 1/3 of Medicaid spending, mostly in the form of nursing home care, which is not covered by Medicare. So of that 8%, 1/3 of the biggest chunk is going to seniors, and also 11% of the population living below the poverty line and using public assistance are seniors, so there's a rough estimate to answer your question.

Today's seniors double-dipped when they paid into Social Security (or more specifically, their government did), so none of that money is there anymore. I tire of hearing the argument from seniors that "we paid into SS all our lives," because it got looted, so they might as well not have. That can't be taken back. So the Generation Y-ers really are paying for both theirs and our Social Security, and in that sense, Kurt has a very good point.

Congress needs to put the money back

It has already been spent. So the only way to do that is to charge today's workers for it (in addition to whatever they contribute to their own SS).

Your argument is weak on two counts. First, rather difficult to opt out of paying SS. Second, it has always been a slush fund for politicans. They tossed in an IOU or two and now, guess what? Those IOU's aren't worth dirt and the clock is ticking. Being forced to pay into something that may not exist when it's your turn, well, that is something I face and I'm closing in on retirement age.

I figured a long time ago that SS wasn't going to cover me and never looked to it for a fallback.

JLM, you're pretty hateful, and a moron to boot. You need to be over at Fox where noise spewed as fact is the daily norm. You have no clue what you're talking about. But it is really clear that you are bitter about people older than you. You wanted your free cake and found out you're not going to get it. Too bad. Grow up and work for it. Social Security is paid into the general fund, there never was any "dipping". Why don't you try a little research instead of continuing to make a fool of yourself. "They spent social security" is a myth perpetuated by politicians who would like to privatize it and risk it like you do your 401k. Were the older generation failed was in buying into the whole 401k thing so wall street could play with your retirement money for 30 or 40 years.

There's nothing "hateful" about my post; it's raw numbers. I got the figures from the Heritage Foundation, but would gladly look at different figures if you have another source you prefer. The "double dipping" refers to the fact that politicians borrowed from the SS fund as a way to save money on interest versus borrowing from other countries. The key here is that money for government spending was borrowed at all. IOUs aren't money. If the money was borrowed, then it's not available to pay back as Social Security to retirees. Instead, it's the contributions of younger workers (including myself who has paid into it for 12 years) who are making those payments now. What are we going to do, keep passing the bill down generations? You can't borrow forever. Or maybe you can, according to some economists, but I suspect one generation is just going to have to eat it.

I'm not sure where this denial is coming from, to say that SS is solvent. I received a letter from SS Administration itself a few years ago stating that the fund was predicted to start paying out more than it takes in starting 2012, and would be insolvent by 2032. I assume every working individual got this letter.

They are probably the same kids who all got trophies regardless of performance. I am afraid that the "kids" described in this article have never been allowed to fail.

Starlight:

Not that I disagree with what Go USA said, but also keep in mind you are talking about the mid to late 90s, the high point of economic expansion.

Recent college grads have a nasty recession to deal with, it's slightly different :)

Married, started my own family, etc...who are these 30-somethings that still live with mom and dad...good grief!

The only time we lived with the in-laws was when we PCSed to her home state 2009. it lasted about 1 week We got an apartment the second day and on the third I looked for a job and got one in 4 hours with 4 other offers. And we were so happy to be out of that house.

@Starlight:

25 year old college grad here, living at home with my parents. I have a job in the exact field I studied for, and make a decent living (30 grand/year). The reason I live at home still is because I pay more a month on student loans than my parents do on their mortgage. On top of that, cell phone, car insurance, medical bills (lung surgery), I barely have money left over for my own groceries (I don't eat my parents stuff, I provide my own food). I would love to move out, but I literally don't have the money to do so because of my loans, a $300/month rent plus utilities, would have me spending more money than I bring in, and would leave me in the negative in a few months. I have been trying to get my loans consolidated to lower the payments, but a low credit rating (hard to build credit up, but I'm getting there) prevents me from getting approved. I know I'll be able to move out soon, but I'm sure there are plenty of people in my position who don't get anything handed to them, and want to be independent, it's just that it is financially impossible at the moment...

@C'mon Man - I commend you for paying rent to your parents and paying your own way for food, etc. and I certainly didn't intend to make a blanket statement on ALL people living with their parents. Living with roommates isn't for everyone. And at 25, you are doing the right things...my comments were more directed to the college grads that camp out at mom and dad's in order to shirk the responsibility of becoming an adult - you clearly do not fall into that category. You sound like you have loads of motivation, so you will be on your own well before you hit 30 :)

@Ruken - I absolutely agree, today's graduates have a much steeper hill to climb. But today's graduates are in their early to mid 20s at best...the 30+ crowd in this study clearly had the same type of prospering economy that those of us that graduated in the late 90s did. The recession didn't hit until 2008.

Where does it say they want to? You think they can afford a house on $10/hr average job out there?

We seem to forget we don't always know the reasons why people move back home, its easy to slap a label on it and lump everything together but everyone's circumstances are different. I'm a gen y moved out of the house and 1500 miles away at age 20 put myself thru college w/o the 'rents help less than 8k in loans the rest I paid as I went, worked a full time day job went to school full time in the evenings had a roommate and apt, car payment, bills you know life!

Moved back home at 25 to help the 'rents and a huge disservice to myself. I had to give up my job and my life, I went months without a stable well paying job before I found one all the while helping my mom take care of her house and help her with my father who is very ill. Culture plays a part too, my parents did so much for me as a kid so its time to repay it. Being latino we have very strong family ties I would never imagine sticking my father in a home to convenience myself that would be selfish. Here I sit 27 going to grad school working in my field but as some would call me "boomerang" I would like to think of myself as responsible. I am just one but I wonder how many other people are in similar situations...

I went to college a state away, had a great internship and thought that would open some doors through networking, but unfortunately things didn't work out. I worked seasonal and odd jobs because there was nothing available. After two years, I was finally able to obtain a full time position.

I live at home saving money and helping my parents out every day. Everyday, I search and apply for other positions that will enable me to move out. It's not for lack of trying that we can't move out...

"I got a job right out of college"

"I got a job right out of college"

"I got a job right out of college"

"I got a job right out of college"

Then rented a place on the moon where you have been living since?

LMAO!

My daughter, son-in-law and 2 grandchildren moved in with us after they both lost their jobs and then their house. They are both working now, but at greatly reduced salaries. They can't get a rental because of the foreclosure. Should I have let them live in their car? We worked out a division of jobs around the house. 95% of the time I'm happy they are here, but I do miss having extra closet space, haha.

Reply to San - exactly, plus roommates can be risky business (like in single white female), not always the best solution

you should have raised your kid better.....and apparently you are STILL coddling him....Apples and trees....

Mark, you obviously have a very narrow minded viewpoint. I live at home (temporarily, moved back in once i graduated college), but I have a great job in the field I went to school for and make a decent amount of money. It's the student loans that are holding me back. Once I get them consolidated, I can move out and afford it. Moving out now would be stupid, considering I would lose all my money very shortly, spending more in a month than I bring in, and would end up crawling back home broke and pathetic. I would rather live at home for two years, save up several grand, lower my loan payments, and then move out with a little stability under my feet (It's called responsible planning). I am a kid who never had anything handed to him, I've always worked for my own well being, and I still pay for everything myself even living at home (except electric and cable, obviously), but I'm also not stupid enough to just blindly jump into something without planning it out first, that's how people end up completely screwing up their lives. I would have hated to have you as a father, at least mine shows support to someone just starting out in the world. You my friend, are an @!$%#.

I truly think "Mark" was referring to not lifting a hand around the house. Now that IS ridiculous that they are living there & not helping out with the household "chores". You are very fortunate that you can move home and I trust that even though you "pay your own bills" you do help with the household chores.

You reap what you sow. They will take a mile for every inch you give them, and you do them no favors. My mother always said, "Tough love." We got that and never would any of us ever think to move back home after college. It never occurred to any of us. We moved into rental homes with multiple roommates. We did not dream of having our own place. We were the norm, doing this, not the exception. In fact, I cannot think of a single person back then who moved back home. It would be considered failure. And, we had student debt as well. We knew that it was all part of the deal of....GROWING UP.

MsMoxie--it is illegal now to rent a home with multiple, non-related roommates. Well, depending on the community. But, where I live, it's flatly illegal.

You also did not graduate with 20-30K in college debt, because college didn't cost that much back then. Back in the day, a person could easily go to college by working full time in the summer, part-time during the school year, and taking out a few low-dollar loans.

Not any more--the average yearly cost of a very cheap school is $17,000 per year. Mind you, that's a cheap school. The world is not what it was when you were young--try listening to the children instead of trotting out your anachronistic stories. Your life has no relevance to theirs.

I think it's great they live with you and you're doing the right thing, but they should be helping out around the house

Be assertive - tell them to leave and you will offer up all the moral support you can muster. Geeez! You're not helping them by coddling them and you are wasting the best years of your life together...formulate a plan with them and DO IT.

This is a perfect response from one of the group.

The problem is not so much the fiscal reality as the entitlement.

I am 55 and have worked hard to live within my means for many years. Made my own mistakes with Credit and had to work my way out paying back every nickel and not looking for a handout to fix "MY" mistake. If we each take our own inventory of both our decisions and resources we will find our Comfortable fiscal reality. If we do not like it, find a way to change something on either side of the ledger sheet, but take some Personal Responsibility !!!! Well said Theresa.

Applause Theresa. You are an example for your generation and one more should follow. Keep it up.

Fred, ItsAboutTime--if this person is 34 years old, then this person is not a twenty-something, Generation Y-er. Generation Y was born from 1977 to 1998. The oldest of them is now 35, like this person.

It means that this person went to college in the middle 1990s, when things were great, and graduated towards the end of the 1990s--when things were still great and before college costs skyrocketed.

This is slightly different from the 20-year-olds who started school a couple of years ago--during the recession--and are now unable to get more than $8 an hour jobs. Yes, getting started in the early 2000s would have been relatively easy. It's not what's going on with the young people today.

Theresa, I agree with you, all of a generation can't be painted with the same brush (it's what some people did with us boomers). My son is gen y, and among him and his contemporaries I see a lot of determination to be independent and have a better life, and they don't expect things handed to them, however, because it is so expensive just to live these days, I think it will be a little longer until they can really be as independent as was so much easier for us to be.

Sighh... I was there once... I have a double degree, got out of college, could not find work in my field an settled for minimum wage. I lived well within my means, forgone the new toys, vacations, and more so that I could pay my bills. I worked two jobs, clipped coupons, lived on Ramen noodles.. and more.

It worked.. I climbed out of debt, rebuilt my credit, and now have a professional job making a very good salary. The sacrifice is worth it.. and the college education will eventually pay off.

ItsAboutTime--no, you have not been there. We have not had a recession as bad as this one since Reagan, and even that one did not last that long (only until about Clinton). You can live within your means, work two jobs, clip coupons, live on Ramen noodles--and you will be exactly in the same situation as the young people today are already in. That's how they live. That's normal for them.

How much college debt did you have? Was it $23K? Did you have a student loan at a high rate of interest? I saw, above, that you lived in your truck--which would no longer be legal.

A person with a medical degree has about $60K in debt or more. Seriously, try listening to people to understand why things are different rather than trotting out your stories about walking to school 50 miles in the snow, uphill, both ways. You never had to be young in what is basically a depression.

Yes, the young people who did not go to college are better off than those who did--they don't have debt, they don't have a college degree making them look unemployable, and they can go and get a degree quickly when things improve. The children were sold the idea that they needed a college degree to do well--which is bull. Seriously--try to get out of your narcissistic little pulled-myself-up-by-the-bootstraps story and realize that the situation you lived in contributed largely to your success. That situation no longer exists--have a great day.

Bean, you have posted multiple times the same pablum. I graduated in 2004 with 95k in college debt and yet have still managed to pay my loans down, and buy a house and afford a car payment while getting married and having kids. Pretty amazing isn't it. Maybe instead of whining and making excuses you should be a a bit more productive. What is your degree in anyways? Did you really didn't expect to get a great high paying job with a liberal arts degree did you? I know it's easier to complain about how tough it is rather than try and make your situation better. Until you get it figured out , keep adjusting your hairnet and no I don't want to "supersize it" while I'm at your window.

They already have two or three jobs--they are all part-time jobs, all that is available. That's the typical thing these days. For heaven's sake--if you don't know what life is like for a typical 20-year-old these days, please stop talking and try to listen.

Who would be at fault for taking out a "bad mortgage" as you put it? Take responsibility for your actions. Home ownership doesn't mean you have an inexhaustible atm.

You do realize that times have changed, right. Rent back home is typically over $700 a month finding anything lower than that is downright challenging if it can be found at all. We don't have defined benefits pensions and social security to count on providing us with a decent standard of living in retirement which means maxing out IRA and 401k contributions and hoping that the money will be there when we retire.

The end result is that there isn't a tenable position for many of us to take without completely abandoning America for cheaper countries. I'm living in China and I can finally afford to live on my own. Even working full time with no debt I couldn't afford to live on my own back home.

proamerica--numbers out of context mean nothing. How much did you pay in rent when you were in the military? Nothing? Gosh, sort of like living with your parents, eh?

When you worked at the bank--how much did you pay for health insurance? Rent? Food? How much was a loaf of bread? When you were 25 years old--how much were these things?

How much are they now? Do the math and figure out that the world has changed.

This is what the Y's are contending with. Greatests, boomers, and X's that can't or wont imagine this screwed up position the Y's have been put into.

I am sure you did not incur debt from a ridiculous private university thinking it was a guarantee to a job. Apparently community college, city/state universities are not good enough for a lot of these whiners. I understand a crap job market, but when you get a resume from a college grad whose had no more than three internships who wants to be employed as an associate manager rather than an assistant straight off the bat, it is a bit ridiculous. These sacks of lazy filth have no sense of their place in the world or reality. READ THE JOB DESCRIPTION KIDDIES! They are not joking when they say 5 years experience....yet they complain. UNREAL.

Apparently community college, city/state universities are not good enough for a lot of these whiners.

These schools have a graduation rate of less than 10%, and are generally crowded as hell. If you think that worthwhile jobs exist for this group with or without education you are deluded.

Grow up. You can't have the best until you're able to afford it.

Agreed, Mark. I think all the partially or unemployed Y's would settle for a job that pays a little better than minimum wage.

Also, compassion is free. Pick some up.

Yeah, maybe if your generation did the same thing as the others, which is ROLL UP YOUR SLEEVES AND DO CRAP WORK to build character and gain experience, the way EVERY GENERATION (including the lazy GEN X'ers ) did before you, perhaps you could your own party the way we did. I guess when the party was going on you were too busy listening to mommy and daddy about how perfect and precious and special each and every one of you are and how you are all entitled to whatever you like simply because you earned a degree. Every generation before you knows that a degree is not a job guarantee. CHARACTER IS. Get some.

What WORK? Where is this work you speak of? Oh, that's right when all the 401ks took a dump you old heads decided to postpone retirement. Well, guess what; Now, that you decided to just accept wallstreet stealing your lifes work you must steal that of the next generation in order to retire with your current standard of living. I will gladly take your job MOVE OVER!

"Even more surprising is that 77 percent of those still under their parent’s roof have high hopes for their economic futures."

Wow. They are even dimmer than everyone thought. Yet, another testament to our failed education system.

Hopefully this is just another attempt by the liberal media to put lipstick on a pig and the kids are not really this naive.... like the story about how Libya is now a great vacation destination.

Moving back into my childhood room with $30,000 after college.... YES!!!

What WORK? Where is this work you speak of?

There are millions every month it is called looking you should try it. its easy to get a job.

Oh, that's right when all the 401ks took a dump you old heads decided to postpone retirement

Sorry my 401k has recovered.

I will gladly take your job MOVE OVER!

Why I love my job it took me a long hour to find it.

Mghall nailed it. Not all parents are bad, but if you get stuck with ones like mine, you've grown up watching them live like rockstars, so you went off to college like they did and racked up debt and did your homework, only to have to move back in with your parents again while they complain that you need to get a job and are a lazy money pit but you can't find a minimum wage job to save your life. All while they are eating out every night, vacationing in Bahamas, and going to the lakehouse every weekend.

austin21, quit whining like a baby. So what if your parents have and continue to live like "rockstars"? Guess what - they earned it! So you went to college and racked up debt? What was your major? Did you live away from home while going to school? Did you consider mitigating some of the cost by starting out at a community college? Did you consider going for an internship?

And, what are you doing while licing at home? Are you going out looking for a job? Have you considered getting a minimum wage job in the meantime? Have you actively tried networking with others who work in the field in which you wish to work? I suspect your parents are right - you may indeed be a lazy money pit.

Gumps, I am not whining, you are the one who is whining. I am providing an accurate picture of reality, sorry if it is not as rosy as celebrity apprentice. Maybe you are just angry that I am in no way motivated to pay back all the debt that the baby boomer generation has left my generation, or refuse to be a part of a system that rewards manipulating people and paper pushing rather than creating actual value?

If that were to happen, they are welcome in my home and live with my family as long as they needed to. It is called paying back a favor. My husband lost his job in AZ and we moved back to KY and lived my parents for 4 months till my husband found two jobs. He is also going to school too. I have two rules in my house: no smoking and no shoes on the carpet! I'm easy to live with.

Mr. Redding,

It appears you are now doing your share of the whining. If wallstreet stole your retirement go get it back or just consider it paying your dues...right?

Gen WHINE

Oh the irony...

Wow, Mr. Redding, way to stereotype AND slander an entire generation (actually, TWO generations ("lazy Gen X'ers"). I myself am a member of Gen Y, have both a B.A. and an M.A., no student loan debt, earned full-tuition academic scholarships the entire way WHILE working to help support my disabled MOM, who lives with ME to this day and who I will work any job I can to do make sure she has everything she wants and needs. I earn $80,000 a year working as an executive with a wonderful company, and for all the haters of liberal arts degree-earners, my degrees were in History. (Sorry to blow the stereotype of all us lib arts people spending our time daydreaming while everyone else learned something "useful".) I also spent 7 years post-grad working as a researcher in a major Washington, D.C. museum. So it's not so much what you study, or what generation you belong to, Mr. Redding, but how you apply yourself. Does that clarify things for you?

Howard, you should consider anger management courses or seeing a professional.

Collin from Earth,

Sometimes anger is appropriate.

I agree, Merlin. But only when it is appropriately directed. The young adults targeted by this article are the product of the parents by which and the society in which they were raised.

Generation Losers would be a more appropriate description!How about Generation pouters".Generation Whiners?Generation "the big bad companies won't hire me" ?How about " I deserve to better job" generation.Or how about"THey sisn't prepare in college for this" generation!How about I still love my moms cooking generation.Finally,I'm a big baby generation!

Maybe you should do a little experiment, look in your local paper and see what is actually available for entry level wages and cross reference it with rent, most likely 3 jobs combined would pay for your average apartment plus a car that people need to move out, or keep your head in the sand like many others on here and complain they can't work miracles that your generation wouldn't have been able to do either.

you should remember they advertise about 2.5-3.5 million and they hire about .5 more than that every month. Getting a job is very easy quit crying.

Auto 101, and how many of those jobs are full time? How many of them have benefits? How many of them pay a pension?

The point is that I had to leave the US to find a job I could afford to live on my own with, back in the US after I paid all the expenses that responsible adults paid I didn't have money for rent. It's not like in the past where I could find a job work there for 30 years and end up with a decent pension, these days I have to pay for my own IRA and hope that the stock market hasn't tanked when I want to be retired.

Auto, we don't have massive unemployment in general (expecially a 50% unemployment rate for young people) because it is easy to get one.

Sure they advertise 2.5-3.5 million jobs, but how many of those jobs are filled by Gen Xers or Baby Boomers or Mexicans or Foreigners.

How many of them where filled by 18-30 year old Americans?

Theodore your post is too rational for this board. Please refrain from posting your thoughtful, rant free discussions here. Thanks.

IT is mixed on who fills them. Most are More than $18 an hour and most are full time. Fell free to look into the Government numbers it is very boring.