The following originally aired on KCBS

By: Chris McCoy 

 The months following graduation have been a precious time for me to reflect on what I want to do with my life. What kind of work should educated young people like me aim for and what wages must we expect entering the work force?

I am not returning to school in the fall for the first time in seventeen years. I don’t have classes to enroll in or textbooks to buy, but pressure is building up for me to move forward and launch my career--whether it be as a poet, public servant, actor or journalist.

Now I’m starting to post my resume online and submit applications to organizations I respect. I’ve been getting myself out there, volunteering for campaigns and media outlets to get more experience and to stay active.

But will all that, I know an undergraduate degree may not immediately translate into a high paying job. During this transitional phase, I’m making sure to keep my job search swag.

This story originally aired on 12/17/11, on WABE-FM, Atlanta.

By Barbara Dougherty

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In a few months, most of my friends will be graduating from college - without me. I dropped out last fall, half way through my junior year. But I still hope to finish my degree someday. I’ve heard the statistics that people with college diplomas will earn more money than those who don’t have degrees.

I also know the unemployment rate isn't good for people who don't finish college. On top of all that, the thought of so many people my age soon entering the job market, competing with me, is intimidating. But my mother has helped me calm my feelings of inadequacy. She always reminds me that I have been successful at getting jobs: from busing tables to managing a frozen yogurt shop.

And now, I have a totally awesome position at a successful startup business - making all natural bath and body products by hand! I sell them at weekend festivals and markets. It’s an intensely fun outlet for my creativity and I’m getting some really great retail experience.

Though I'm disappointed that I didn’t finish college, I’m proud of myself for effectively selling myself to employers in this tight market. When my friends begin looking for jobs next summer, I’ll be able to give them advice on resumes, impressing potential employers, and being a responsible employee.

Previously on WABE:

The following originally aired on KQED-FM.

By: Asha Richardson

Every day I check my Gmail, chat with friends on Facebook and tell my Macbook Pro how much I love it. But when I graduate from college next year, I’m not sure how much these companies will love me, and by love me I mean hire me.

Less than 1% of startups funded last year were founded by African-Americans. This year as a part of Youth Radio’s App Lab, I visited the headquarters of one of the world’s biggest tech giants four times and was never introduced to a single black engineer or executive. Maybe they were in a different building or all at a meeting?

That experience reminded me of visits to my father’s office in the 90’s. He worked at Intel for ten years, and I could count the number of his African-American colleagues on my little hands.

The tech industry argues that there’s a pipeline problem. In other words not enough African-Americans are entering the industry. And there’s some truth to that. Until recently tech was considered Steve Urkel nerdy, not Steve Jobs cool. Plus where are black kids going to gain exposure to programming? For example, In Oakland, only 2 of 20 public high schools offer classes in computer programming.

Assumptions about why unemployment is so high could be totally wrong, says a recent editorial in the Wall Street Journal by Peter Cappelli, a professor at U. Penn’s Wharton School of Business. According to Manpower Group, 52% U.S. companies report difficulty filling jobs and 47% of companies blame job seekers’ lack of hard skills. But Cappelli’s editorial argues that the problem doesn’t lie squarely on the shoulders of un-skilled job seekers or a lacking educational system, but on inflexible employers and out of date hiring practices. Cappelli writes,  “Finding candidates to fit jobs is not like finding pistons to fit engines…Jobs can be organized in many different ways so that candidates who have very different credentials can do them successfully.”

Among his proposed solutions:

•         Companies should work with community colleges and educators to tailor coarse work to the specific needs of employers.
•         Bring back apprenticeships providing on the job training to new employees at a significant pay reduction/cost benefit to employers.
•         Promote from within and create pathways for advancement within companies reversing the trend of filling more than two-thirds of vacancies from outside job seekers.

By Robyn Gee, Turnstyle News

The The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) announced last week that 244,000 new jobs were created in April 2011. As college students graduate and think about employment options, we wanted to know a little more about those 244,000 jobs, what industry they're in, and how much they pay.

BLS offers employment projections for the future. Below are eight of the occupations showing the most growth between the years of 2008 - 2018, as projected by the BLS, and their associated wages.

(Note to self: go for VH and highest percentages!)

[VH = very high median annual wages, H = high median annual wages, L = low median annual wages, VL = very low median annual wages]

1. Biomedical engineers 72% VH

2. Network systems and data analysts 53.4% VH

3. Home health aides 50% VL

4. Personal and home care aides 46% VL

5. Financial examiners 41.2% VH

6. Medical scientists (except epidemiology) 40.4% VH

7. Skin care specialists 37.9% L

8. Physicians assistants 39% VH

The following was originally broadcast on 4/23/11, WABE-FM, Atlanta.

By Barbara Dougherty

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I dropped out of college last year. I had completed two and a half years and my grades were alright, but my finances were complicated. In fact, money was a huge reason for my withdrawal from the expensive private Quaker school in the middle of nowhere, North Carolina. But I’d be lying if I said money was the only reason.

So now, I am going through what I like to call my “quarter-life crisis.” I’m living with my parents again and working at a job for less than I make babysitting. I am wondering with my hindsight 20/20 vision: why the heck I left behind my college experience. After all I had learned and all the time and energy I spent there. All the friends, all the homework, all the potential memories that could have been the rest of my college days are gone.

I hate that I’m already out of practice writing and speaking academically. I hate that I didn’t cherish every single moment of college while I was there. And I really, really hate that I didn’t finish what I started. The whole experience makes me feel flaky and undisciplined.

Whatever uncomfortable feelings I was going through, I realize I can’t change them by simply changing my surroundings. Now I’m taking things day by day, as I figure out a different plan for my life. A plan that may even include going back to school with a new outlook.

Previously on WABE:

* Free Speech To What Extent?

* From Making Noise To Making Music

* Prom And School Spirit: A Culture Shock For French Student

So, you’re looking for a job.  Consider this: unlimited vacation time, no set daily work hours, a company dodgeball team, and monthly fun field trips.  Sound good?!

Welcome to Mr. Youth, a marketing agency specializing in the youth market, that was just voted one of the best places to work in New York by Crain’s New York Business Magazine.

Not only does the company have a dodgeball and softball team, but they create a team atmosphere in the office. The payoff?  A high employee retention rate.  “Everyone at the company has respect for their peers, and they’re often in the office all weekend demonstrating their dedication to getting the project done,” said Doug Akin, Chief Engagement Officer at Mr. Youth. “You don’t want to let down your team- it’s part family, part team. Everyone is in it together,” he said.  

According to a study done by Mr. Youth, 37 % of “Millennials” (or those born around the 1980s) left their jobs because they just "needed a change.”   They also found that the average 26-year-old has already held seven jobs.  Mr. Youth works hard to make sure their young employees stick around.

According to Akin, between 60 - 70% of their employees are twenty-something, and no one abuses the flexible policies, like unlimited vacation time.  “People work weekends and nights, but that’s just part of the passion. It’s less about coming in at nine and leaving at five. We’ve made a fun culture where it doesn’t feel like work," said Akin. There are multiple opportunities for employees to socialize outside of work doing fun and meaningful things.  Akin points out that the younger employees often don’t have families outside of work, or long commutes.  “Everyone is still excited to hang out with the company.”

Some of the things they’ve organized for fun outside of work include:
- A trip to make wine, which will be bottled and given as holiday presents to employees next year.
- Karaoke night
- Gelato day
- Costume parties
- A Halloween runway walk-off

Hi, my name is Lolita Jenkins. I'm a student from Youth Radio and the topic I am talking about today is my struggle to find a job.

My struggle started at 16. I wanted a job and I was in high school so asked all my teachers "Can you help me get a job?" They told me that all I have to do is just go down to where I want to work and ask for an application.

It wasn't that simple. I went to get a application and the person who I asked for an application said that I was to young to work. At the time, I wasn’t trippin. I planned to go on about my days until I got to be 18.

But now that I am past 18 it’s still hard even though I want to be independent. It is hard because I'm shy. But the biggest difficulty is that I feel like I should be further along than I am, instead of asking people for help to filling out an application to get a job.

I will be more focused, eat healthy and find a job that I love. It's almost time for that New Years Resolution. People always say that they'll strive to find their dream job, they'd do anything to have a successful career. How far would you go? How hard would you work in your dream job? I found ten of the most dangerous jobs where people really risk their lives everyday just to do something they love. 4,340 people died on the job last year, according to new data released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That's a rate of 3.3 deaths per 100,000 workers -- the lowest ever reported by the BLS. Here's a look at how workers keep themselves safe. 

Fisherman

Fatality Rate: 200 per 100,000

Median Wages: $23,600

The most perilous job in the U.S. is held by those who fish the waters in cold-weather states. Freezing water and icy boat decks can lead to horrific accidents, and storms can swamp small fishing vessels, sometimes claiming entire crews.

Compounding the danger is catch rules: By limiting fishing seasons, fisheries management creates a race to fish, according to the Environmental Defense Fund.

That forces fishermen out in dangerous weather and keeps exhausted crews on the water. In Alaska, the season for halibut and crab has been, at times, reduced to just three days.

Even warm-water fishers face hazards. Wayne Magwood has shrimped the waters off South Carolina for 40 years and says the biggest danger is heavy machinery, such as the power winches and cables that haul nets and other equipment.

"My dad taught me to keep my shirt tucked in," says Magwood. "Your clothes can get tangled up and you can get pulled overboard. One guy broke his neck recently."

Magwood also lost a friend when the crewman was answering nature's call and a sudden roll pitched him into the water.

Logger

Fatality Rate: 61.8 per 100,000

Median Wages: $34,440

 What did you want to be when you grew up? Police officer, Doctor, Fire Fighter? I'm pretty sure Blogger wasn't on the list of dream jobs. In this day and age, it would be a dream come true to become a blogger, a social media manager, and even a go green marketer. Check out this list of new dream jobs, and the fields are booming. In the business field you can become:

Big Time Business Executive

1. Business continuity specialists plan and implement recovery solutions to keep businesses functioning during disasters and emergency situations.