Generation Debt

For those of you who don't know, I work at the public library. One of the perks of doing so is being able to see all the new books that come in before the patrons do. ;-)

Wednesday I was able to pick up a book that I think a lot of people my age (mid to late 20s) could relate to--I certainly can. It's called Generation Debt: Why Now is a Terrible Time to be Young and it's by Anya Kamenetz.

Here's a blurb from the jacket:

"The nature of youth is to question.

So when 24-year-old Anya Kamenetz started out as a freelance journalist, she began asking hard questions about her generation, for which no one seemed to have good answers. Why were college students nationwide graduating with an average of more than $20,000 in student loans? Why were her friends thousands of dollars in credit card debt? Why did so many jobs for people under 35 involve a plastic name badge, last only short-term, and include no benefits? With record deficits and threats to Social Security, what kind of future was shaping up for our nation's youth?

In Generation Debt, Kamenetz talks to experts in economics, labor markets, the health care industry, and education, and amasses a startling array of evidence that building a secure life, let alone surviving, is harder for young people today than it was thirty years ago. She meets young people from all over the country and all walks of life who are struggling to achieve their dreams despite layoffs, grinding low-wage jobs, and 25.99 percent APRs."
*****

When I graduated from college four years ago, I thought I could find a good paying job, have a decent place to live, maybe buy a car, and start being an adult. I was already living on my own, but hoped the degree would make things a bit easier for myself.

It didn't quite turn out that way.

Kamenetz found while researching her book that the main cause behind this trend is economic. What do you think? What are the reasons behind this generation's difficulty in finding their niche and getting their lives together? Is it economic? Societal? Or just plain laziness? Have you experienced this for yourself, or do you know anyone who is going through this?

I'd like to hear your thoughts.