When my young people were finishing their degrees at college, they both came to me during their last semester and expresses disbelief, and some outrage and sadness that many of the people they had known over the last 4 years would be leaving school with no job and in some cases very little direction as to what to do next, let alone the rest of their lives.  Many were also leaving with a great deal of debt.  My one young person said, “They can’t get a job with their degree, they either don’t know what type of grad school to pursue next or they can’t afford grad school; they just seem to be giving up. What are they going to do?”  My young people were having a difficult time understanding why the school did not do more to help guide these students into, if not a career, then at least a job that would pay more than just over minimum wage.  One of my young people even went so far to say that the I were lairs.  They would tell you anything you wanted to hear, especially,”Yes, there are plenty of jobs in that field.”  How sad that something that began with so  much promise and hope would end with such disillusionment.  It almost seems like a waste of their time and money; many will end up in low paying jobs that they probably could have gotten without a college education.   Many will be trapped by the debt that they incurred when they were working and hoping for something better in life.  Why does this keep happening?  I don’t believe for a second that many young people just go to college for the freedom or experience of it all, some may but I believe most don’t.  I think that young people get into trouble when they work very hard and still don’t get into the program of their choice, due to very limited openings.  This usually happens 2 years into their 4 years at school.  They take all the prerequisites and then due to limited openings they don’t get in.  They work hard, they get the grades but there are just not enough openings.  Now what do they do?  They can’t wait to try again next year.  They can’t switch to a new program,  because the prerequisites are different, in some cases they may end up having to take an additional year of classes or more to qualify for a new program, it’s like starting all over again, without any guarantees that they would get into a new program.  So they go to their advisor who suggests a  less popular program option, which usually means less attractive job opportunities and less pay.  So they pursue this new area in the hope of still completing their degree and getting a job.  My question is why does this continue to happen, why can’t the schools help the students when their career path hits a dead end?  Why aren’t they working with the students to have a plan B if plan A doesn’t materialize?  Maybe the schools goal for each student should be to help prepare the student to obtain a job that is worthy of their education.  One of the problems facing the school in this endeavor may be in the design of their curriculum.  They could possible make prerequisites for similar types of programs basically the same, so if a program is only accepting a limited number of applicants each year, a student would have some options, if they did not get their first choice.  This would also mean that there would have to be staggered application opportunities.  Why do these young people only get one shot at their future?  Remember these are young people with limited life experience who need guidance and support.  Stupid Things Young People Do and Have To Endure!