Part of ongoing series: How Millennials Who Gave up on Church are Redefining Faith and Re-engaging Community
With college debt at an all-time high and twenty-something employment at an all-time low, only 47% of Millennial graduates believe attending college was ‘worth it.’
by David Kinnaman • President, The Barna Group
As graduation season wraps up, newly minted college and high school grads are entering the job market, diplomas in hand, to make their way in the world. The traditional commencement speech platitudes that welcome students into the opportunities of adulthood—”the whole world is before you”; you just have to “follow your dreams” to “make a difference”—often ring hollow in this depressed economy.
Hundreds of thousands of graduating Millennials are discovering the world is not their oyster, and jobs are much harder to find than anyone had expected. Yet in spite of the bleak economic landscape, Millennials remain optimistic about their future prospects.
More than anything, this generation wants to be inspired. Finding a job they are passionate about is the career priority they rank highest. Barna Group’s FRAMES research reveals Millennials’ perspectives on the challenges they face as they join America’s workforce.
