Da Techguy's (no longer backup) Blog

By Christopher Harper

If I were giving a commencement address this year, it would go something like the following:

Graduates:

I want to congratulate you on becoming the least-educated class in recent history.

During the past four years, you have made excuses during COVID for missing class, turning in late assignments, and failing to meet the requirements of many courses. 

You have learned to make excuses or blame someone else for your mistakes.

Since COVID has ended, you have honed your skills for making excuses. 

Then, you decided to protest for much of your senior year.

Fifty-two percent of you will be underemployed a year after graduation, meaning you are working in jobs that don’t require the degrees you earned, according to a recent report by the Burning Glass Institute, which analyzes the job market. Five years out from school, the report said about 88 percent of you who are underemployed will be “severely” underemployed.

Peter McCoy of The Wall Street Journal wrote recently: “Here is a brutal fact for the college class of 2024: There aren’t enough college-level jobs out there for all of you. Some of you will snag them. Others will have to settle for jobs that don’t require a college education. And history shows that many of those who start out in a job that doesn’t require a college education are still toiling in that kind of job a decade later.”

Also, you have amassed an enormous debt to pay for your degree, and it may take decades to pay the money back. 

Nevertheless, the federal government recently decided people don’t have to repay their loans. That’s one of the few upsides you have that others didn’t.

As you head out into the real world, I recommend improving education for your families from the beginning of school through college and beyond. 

Otherwise, my sobering message will be given time and time again.