Millennials

The Good, The Bad, The Millennial
By Alyssa Schwartz

The Millennials, one of the most studied generations, are the offspring of the Baby Boomers who grew up in a time of technological advancement and were raised with very different ideals and ethics than their parents.

It would seem that being a Millennial, one would have more going for them than against them. The Millennial, also known as Generation Y or the Echo Boomers, seem to be more studied and criticized for growing up in a new era than welcomed and accepted for the new ideas and knowledge that they can offer society.

Millennials appear to be defined by the fact that they were raised in a time when technology was thriving. According to the CBS News 60 Minutes report “Echo Boomers,” this generation is “a reflection of the sweeping changes in American life over the past 20 years. They are multi-taskers with cell phones, music downloads and instant messaging on the Internet.”

Is this attribute a positive factor or a negative slam at the generation?

Maria Lagis, a student at Stony Brook University says it is “100% positive.” She believes that because the Echo Boom generation grew up with all of these technologies and the ability to multi-task it will ultimately help them in the long run.

“I think we are lucky to be able to multi-task. If I wasn’t brought up knowing how to multi-task, I honestly don’t think I would make it through college,” Lagis says. “It’s necessary.”


Maria Lagis, right, and her mother.

Lagis believes that her generations’ technological skills will prove useful throughout college and into the work force.

“I feel as if the business world is changing and demanding that employees be technologically advanced. It’s a requirement for so many jobs these days,” says Lagis. “How lucky are we that we got a head start in being able to understand technology and survive situations where we might have to handle various tasks at once. I think we have the advantage.”

Steven Schwartz agrees that the Millennial generation is becoming necessary for the survival of business. He is the owner and manager of a Long Island mortgage company, and is part of the Baby Boomer generation. Schwartz finds it necessary to mix part of the Millennial generation into his company.

“It is essential to survival,” he says. ”That these people who are now entering the work force with this in depth knowledge on technology – they are necessary. They have a huge understanding of new computer programs, they know quicker and easier methods of doing work and they get the work done just as efficiently and effectively as my older employees who actually find it difficult to learn new programs and adapt to new methods.”

Schwartz admits that the idea of hiring younger people was not something he was always opened too. “Having children myself who are part of this generation, I know firsthand that they can be a little bit lazy and would probably rather be on “Facebook” than doing actual work,” he says. “I’ve learned though that people in this generation will complete any task I ask of them, even if on “Facebook” while doing it.”

Technology is not the only aspect that has contributed to shaping this generation. The way their parents raised them plays a large role in this generation’s relationship to the workplace. Marian Salzman in the 60 Minutes report “The Millennials Are Coming,” notes “that while this generation has extraordinary technical skills, childhoods filled with trophies and adulation didn't prepare them for the cold realities of work.”

The Millennial generation grew up on praises and teamwork, something that is not always a reality in the business world. Schwartz agrees with Salzman’s ideas. He realizes that he and his wife raised their children on teamwork and praises such as, “you did the best you could and that’s all that matters.”

Schwartz says, “we probably did shelter our children a lot, and it may hurt them in the end or help them. Ultimately I believe raising good and honest people is more valuable then raising people who can be tough enough to climb to the top of the workforce.”

Lagis feels that the way her parents raised her has been a positive attribute rather than a negative.

“Sure I was part of soccer teams and everyone won and life was great. That doesn’t mean I’m not capable of handling myself in real life,” Lagis says. “My parents pushed me to be the best I can be and that is something I will take with me into real life. I will always have that motivation and drive, that will help me - not hurt me.”

Millennials

An Impatient Generation Full Of Team Players
By Adriana Lorenzo

They can listen to their iPods, instant message online, watch television and reply to a text message all at the same time. They share files, blog and spend hours online a day.

The above portrayal may sound like a description of a robot, but it is actually the routine of the typical member of the Millennial generation. These individuals born between 1982 and 1995 are the quintessential ‘multitaskers’ and are one of the most studied generations in recent times due to their large population and buying power.

According to two recent CBS News 60 Minutes reports, “The Echo Boomers” and “Here Come The Millennials,” this generation is of great interest not only because of their large size and spending power, but also because of their belief systems and attitudes. Also called “Echo Boomers,” this generation differs greatly in their goals and priorities from the group they echo -- their parents, the Baby Boomers.


Christina Gloria says her generation is very impatient,
but is also innovative.

While Baby Boomers were taught the only way to excel was to work extremely hard, the Millennials have been constantly praised and awarded simply for effort. “You now have a generation coming into the workplace that has grown up with the expectation that they will automatically win, and they'll always be rewarded, even for just showing up," said Mary Crane in the 60 Minutes report “Here Come The Millennials.”

The report presented members of the older generations’ concerns about the Millennials entering the workplace and their abilities to handle not only responsibilities, but also criticism. If the Millennials have been told they will always succeed, how can they handle the real world of disappointments, deadlines and critique, the report asks.

Jennifer Wright, the mother of a 16 year-old Millennial believes her and her husband’s parenting may affect her son’s career in the future.

“We have always told Connor it was OK if he didn’t get an A in a class, as long as he was trying his hardest,” Wright said. “We definitely praised him more for his efforts growing up, and even do up to this day. But in the real world, your boss isn’t going to praise you simply for participation if you aren’t working up their standards.”

The Millennials beg to differ, and even Connor had a few words to say against his mother’s concerns. “I do think we have definitely been babied too much and told too often that we did a good job when we didn’t, or won a game when we really lost,” he says. “But, we are really great at teamwork and supporting each other, and getting what we want when we want it.”

Connor’s sentiments reflect another angle of the 60 Minutes specials: the Millennials are more interested in teamwork than in the individual, and strive to do all that is required of them. CBS research showed some results: violent crime is down 60 to 70 percent among teenagers, five out of 10 Millennials trust the government, and tobacco and alcohol use are at an all-time low.

Christine Gloria, a sophomore at North Carolina State University believes her generation will accomplish great things because of their unique attitudes. “I think our parents’ generation had more of an attitude like, ‘I want to do well and I’ll take down anyone that stands in my way’,” Gloria says. “With our generation, it’s like, ‘I want to be the best, and I want all my friends to do amazing things too so we can celebrate together.’”

This generation that longs to support each other in achieving major goals, also wants to achieve them quickly. The Millennials are used to receiving whatever they want at the exact moment they want it. Unlike their parents, the Millennials do not read through endless books for research. They search the Internet and have thousands of hits on their topic in the fraction of a second. They hear a song on the radio and can download it right away.

The Millennials are accustomed to instant gratification, an attitude that will likely benefit them in the workplace.

“I think we are really impatient as a generation. I get so frustrated if my Internet connection is even a little slow,” Gloria says. “So I am confident that as a generation we will get things done quickly, but also in innovative ways.”

Millennials

Millennials On The Market
By Alexandra Gardell

Millennials could possibly be the first generation to be less financially well-off than their parents. This is a fear and a reality this generation, particularly those getting ready to graduate college, are facing and trying to find ways to deal with.

New York Times columnist Bob Herbert cites reports in a column titled “Here Come the Millennials,” describing the hardships facing this generation, who range in age from early teens to their early 20s, that include worsening job prospects, lower rates of health insurance coverage and higher levels of debt.

Elis Estrada-Simpson, 21, a model student and job applicant, aspires to become a broadcast journalist. She’s near the top of her senior class at Marymount Manhattan College, and is graduating this spring with a major in Communication Arts. She can rattle off a list of internships that she has completed: ABC’s The View and One Life to Live, VH1 Productions for MTV, Resource Magazine, and NBC Nightly News.


Elis Estrada-Simpson is taking the social networking skills she picked up in college and
applying them to her job search through sites designed to help students find placement
in today's shaky market.

Estrada-Simpson plans to attend the CUNY School of Journalism in 2011 to pursue her Master’s degree in Journalism. “Undergrads usually don’t go into grad school for journalism because they already have the training, but my school did not provide that curriculum, so I want to prepare myself for grad school,” she said. In the meantime, she’s looking to gain any experience or paying jobs that she can in the field.

Lindsey Pollak, author of “Getting from College to Career: 90 Things to Do Before You Join the Real World” says students in the job search process under today’s economic conditions must “take action every single day.”

Millennials like Estrada-Simpson looking to land jobs now need to do more than the basics of finding listings online and firing off resumes. “In addition to the basics you need to show that you’re hardworking and eager. It’s what you do surrounding the bare minimum,” Pollak says in her book. That extra effort is what’s going to make the difference during these challenging times.
Below, Pollak offers an insight on how Millennials can brand themselves to compete and ultimately succeed in today’s trying job market.

Tips Tailored For Millennials
Everyone has heard horror stories of Millennials’ infamous helicopter parents, or parents who are always present, and sometimes become too involved in their child’s affairs. When it comes to the job hunt process, it’s easy for young people to want their hovering parents to back off. But Pollak suggests using their help and resources.

“The trick is to keep them in the background,” says Pollak. “Ask your parents to edit your resumes and cover letters and to practice mock interviews with you, but make them invisible to employers.”

A lot of people aren’t comfortable asking their parents for help, but if your mom or dad can introduce you to people who may be able to help you, then Pollak says to take their help. “Nobody can get you a job, but they can get you an opportunity. Let them make a phone call or send an email to make an introduction and then you can run with it. There’s no shame in that.”

Something that Pollak cannot stress enough is the importance of networking. She says to use the relationships you have with your parents, friends, your parent’s friends, professors, college alumni, college career centers, internships you’ve done. Have business cards printed with your contact information on them and carry them at all times because you never know when you will meet someone who can help.

“When you meet a recruiter at a job fair give them your card and have a conversation about a recent article you read to make yourself memorable. Send them an email that night with a well-written, targeted cover letter” says Pollak. Once you’ve made a connection, you need to follow up. “If someone at a networking event says they can help you, send them an email right away saying, ‘Thank you! Here is my resume.’”

Pollak reiterates that in this competitive environment you need to be extremely proactive, and you need to be doing more than what was acceptable in the past.

“Use all of your college skills of being on Facebook 24 hours a day and apply them in a professional environment,” Pollak says. She adds that LinkedIn is more comfortable and targeted than Monster.com or Recruiter.com. Pollak warns that sitting behind a computer is not going to get you a job, however, and reminds students of the importance of going the extra mile.


"Getting from College to Career: 90 Things to Do
Before You Join the Real World" offers practical job
search advice.

Another must-do is to immerse yourself in your desired field to keep current on happenings and learn the vocabulary. Sign up for the email list for trade publications in your industry, and do your homework on companies you would like to work for. For example, Pollak blogs on http://www.pwc.tv/, the Big Four accounting firm PricewaterhouseCooper’s site developed to give career help to college graduates. So, if your dream company offers resources like this, make sure you take advantage of them.

And don‘t forget to clean up your Internet profiles. Potential employers, colleagues, and everyone else have the ability to search you online, so make sure that you present yourself in a way that you wish to be viewed. You don’t want those Saturday night frat party pictures to come back and haunt you while you’re looking to land your first job out of college.

Using Those Skills
Estrada-Simpson says she had a full-time job offer as a production assistant come from one of her internships, but she could not accept because she was still in school. “The timing wasn’t right,” she said. Now she’s registered for job search social networking sites like LinkedIn, MassMedia.com, and MonsterTrack hoping to connect to those who can assist her in jumpstarting her career. “I haven’t sent out emails and resumes to the people I’ve met through my internships, but I’m starting that soon, letting them know I’m graduating,” she says.

Estrada-Simpson is optimistic and driven, but knows she will have to persist and work hard to make her goal a reality. “The job market is more difficult right now, but in the industry I want to get into even in good markets it’s all about being in the right place at the right time. I’ve seen several well-qualified people not do well and it all boils down to timing, luck, and who you know. I’m hoping that my timing and the connections I’ve made will work out.”


New Grads: Use Your Assets
Although it can be intimidating to compete in the job market with seasoned professionals who may have been recently laid off or are returning to the job force, students do have some advantages. Pollak says that those advantages fresh-faced grads have include enthusiasm and the fact that they’re not jaded.

Pollak says students on the prowl for jobs need to be “smarter, faster, better.” She says that they need to use all of their assets including their relationships with family and friends, their school professors and career centers, professionals they have met through internships and networking opportunities, as well as their energy and eagerness to work. They’ve got to show potential employers that they are hungry to start their careers with their follow-up and networking.

Millennials

Millennials Inhabit A Different World
They have not had to confront the sins of the past
By Thomas Ford

As a generation that was born into, and has actively grown up in a largely desegregated US society, it’s probably not too far off the radar to expect a growing support for multiculturalism. Members of this generation, sometimes called Millennials and Generation Y, are said to have a growing subconscious appreciation for diversity and equality.

According to the report, “Adults of Generation Y in the US: Hitting the Demographic, Lifestyle and Marketing Mark,” by MarketReserarch.com, they are the most ethnically diverse generation in US history. So, it would only seem natural for the newcomers permeating the various ethnic communities in society to grow more accepting of one another.

Maybe.

Maybe these new attitudes should be attributed to the Millennials’ upbringing and not directly to the fact that they were born into a different type of society than previous generations.


Charlene Thomas, third from the left in the back row, with a diverse group of her friends.

One thing is for sure: these people have been born at a critical time in US history; a time when things are certainly changing. Because they are the future leaders of this country, it’s absolutely necessary that we, as a nation, take a look at how and why they are changing as human beings.

Charlene Thomas, a 20 year-old student at North Carolina State University, attributes her more accepting and culturally appreciative perspective of others to both society and the way she was raised. “I feel like I was so immersed in a diverse (school) community that I barely even realized that I was," says Thomas. “It was such a big part of my life that it had to be important.”

Thomas says when she meets someone, she sees more of the person and less of the color, but recognizes that not just the school community has contributed to her open-mindedness. “My family didn’t really teach me tolerance but practiced it so much that I never even really knew there were different types of people until at least elementary school,” she says.

Throughout her education, including middle school, and high school, Thomas lived in Maryland, a state with strong pockets of liberalism. But for college, Thomas moved to North Carolina, which is more conservative. However, Thomas found that in her transition, her peers’ outlooks were not much different than her own.

“The culture is different in North Carolina, but the people aren't, really. I get treated differently, but it isn’t because of my race or background; it's just how people treat each other down here.” She jokes, “God forbid if a boy opens the door and walks inside before (a girl!)”

It would seem that this shift in attitude and perspective is more generational than circumstantial. It’s possible that the way the Baby Boomers, the previous generation, raised the Millennials is a result of societal desegregation efforts and the change has become widespread.

In fact, many Baby Boomers have noticed a change in both their children and in themselves. Gerald Ford, 57, is a director at TSA Homeland Security with three children, ages 37, 25, and 19.

Says Ford, “(the Millennials) have grown up with little realization of racism as those in the past have. For example, they are very accustomed to interracial marriages. They did not go to schools that were consciously integrated. They were integrated because their neighborhoods were already integrated.”

Ford also believes that the current administration would not be possible without the Millennials growing up in the existing environment. “President Barack Obama is the product of an interracial marriage, but no one even notices,” Ford says. “He is president, in my opinion, because we, and in particular white America, to a great degree, have moved beyond (issues of racism).”

Of course, the Baby Boomers were a major part of this election, too. President Obama wasn’t just elected by the Millennials; the older generations had a part in it, as well. So, were they, at any time, really that different than the Millennials? Are their worlds really that different from one another?

Ford, who grew up in the 1950s and 60s, argues that the differences are vast. “If you grew up when I did, you constantly, yet unconsciously measure many things done by white Americans as to whether it is racially motivated. (Younger generations) likely do not think about that at all,” he says. “Same, I think, holds true for sexual considerations. There is much less despising towards same-sex relationships.”

If what Ford says is true, and there really are such vast differences between the two generations, then the older generations aren’t the ones leading the change; the Millennials are. They are helping to teach their parents to be more accepting, and to embrace all cultures and ethnic backgrounds. This may be because, according to Ford, “…the Millennials have not had to confront the sins of the past to a great degree.”

Says Ford, “Bottom line: it's a different world for the Millennials.”

Millennials

Technological Trauma: Generation Y In the Workforce
By Heather Bates

There was once a time when people listened to music on compact disc players, used land lines to make phone calls, and dressed in professional attire to go to work. Those days are over. We are in a day and age where technology is growing every day, and there is no doubt that millions of people depend on it to get a job done.

The workforce is changing rapidly, and while Apple releases another version of iPod, businesses are becoming flexible on the types of attitudes they condone in the office. Who is responsible for these changes? None other than the “Millennials,” or Generation Y who are forcing changes in the corporate workplace.

In the past few years, CBS News 60 Minutes aired two reports centered on this generation. In 2005, the program aired “The Echo Boomers,” which was followed in 2007 by “The ‘Millennials’ Are Coming.” Both programs focused primarily on the incredibly large group of individuals that will take over where their Baby Boomer parents and Generation X left off. Businesses are being forced to adapt to the changes that these tech-friendly people are creating.


Jeremy Morris believes Millennials will need to work harder to prove themselves
in the workplace.

Some people blame Millennials’ outlook on parents who raised these demanding youths, certain that as children, constant coddling and reassurance caused them to become too spoiled and too demanding about what they are looking for in a work environment.

In “The ‘Millennials’ Are Coming,” J. Walter Thompson ad executive, Marian Saltzman said, "These young people will tell you what time their yoga class is and the day's work will be organized around the fact that they have this commitment. So you actually envy them. How wonderful it is to be young and have your priorities so clear. Flipside of it is how awful it is to be managing the extension, sort of, of the teenage babysitting pool.”

How do these young people in question view the workforce that is evolving to meet their ever-changing needs? Jeremy Morris is a sophomore business major at The University of Akron and has a lot of ideas about the world that he will enter after he graduates.

"With all of the new business graduates coming out into the job market, it is going to be a different environment in the future,” says Morris. “We're coming into an unsteady economy, and our mindset is that the market is completely different than what it was for the generations before us. Because of the situation that they put us in with bad economic decisions, we will be expected to work harder to create more progress and to turn the economic situation around," Morris says.


Melissa Rosenthal says Millennials will be expected to be technologically experienced
when they enter the workforce.

With the economy in its current messy state, many college graduates are desperate to find a job that pays the rent and guarantees them the experience they need to move up in their selected fields. Marymount Manhattan College senior Melissa Rosenthal is worried about where she will work when she graduates in the fall.

"I think that many companies have much higher expectations of graduates now than they did before,” Rosenthal says. “Even without any prior experience, they are expected to know a lot more when entering the workforce. Technology has a huge influence on that because we have grown up with it always readily available to us whenever we need it."

In "The Echo Boomers" report, the generation is said to be "totally plugged in citizens of a worldwide community." Is technology to blame for the outlook that Generation Y has on the business world today?

Morris says, "Our technology changes every single day. We're at a disadvantage because the technology that we're using now in our schools and our personal lives will be outdated by the time that we graduate. It's impossible to keep up."

It seems that some "Millennials" are worried about the changes that they are inadvertently causing. "My biggest worry now with our generation is that the next one coming up will outdate us even faster," Morris says. "I do have a lot of faith in our generation, though. We may have somewhat of a bad reputation, but we have to work much harder to prove ourselves. And we will."

Millennials

Millennials Grew Up With The World At Their Fingertips
By Raquel A. Castillo

It's 1993 and you’re kicking back after school while eating your Lunchable and drinking Capri Sun left over from snack time. You plop down in front of the TV after surfing past little Michelle from Full House saying "You got it, dude" to uncle Jesse then on to the next channel where you stop to rap the entire opening theme song from the Fresh Prince of Bel-Aire.

Suddenly, you know you can't go wrong with the Nickelodeon channel because there is a loud buzzing sound blaring from the TV. But you saw this coming all along. You know the buzzing only means one thing -- that kid "is toast." Anxiously anticipating his fate you slurp the last drop of juice from the silver Capri Sun pouch and then it happens, the moment you have been waiting for. That "total loser" gets splattered in slime! "Boo-ya!" Everyone got "slimed" on Nickelodeon.

If you can't relate to the story above then you are most likely not a parent of, or a member of the coolest and most popular generation to hit planet earth, the Millennials, also known as the Echo Boomers. According to the CBS News 60 Minutes report, “The Echo Boomers” there are about 80 million people in the generation born between 1982 and 1995.


Jeff Aldna (left) and Chetra Nhem. Aldna says his values differ from the "traditional
spoiled American kids."

Jeff Aldana, a 22 year-old Echo Boomer says that his favorite things about our generation are fruit-roll ups snacks and the Internet. "The Internet has impacted our generation big time and has provided us with originality,” Aldana says. “We literally grew up with the world at our fingertips" When asked, what he would like to change about our generation, Aldana said, "I wouldn't change a thing." He stopped to think about it again, and added, "well except for our current recession, I would definitely change that!"

Aldana’s confidence and pride in his generation is admirable, yet eerily consistent with the studies that have been conducted on the “oh so hot topic” of the Millennials. The 60 Minutes report said that, "they were raised by doting parents who told them they are special, played in little leagues with no winners or losers, or all winners."

Although Aldana says that statement could not be further from the truth in his case. Aldana says that being the first generation of his family to grow up in the US has affected his "Millennialism" a bit. Good grades needed to be the best grades, and a better life for their family was the eye on the prize while maintaining strict cultural values which Aldana says differ from those of "traditional spoiled American kids."

The 60 Minutes report boasts tons of valuable information that proves that the Millennials claim to fame is going to be more than just 15 minutes. The documentary states that although, "only a small percentage are eligible to vote, they are already one of the most studied generations in history by sociologists, demographers and marketing consultants."

Why the scientific interest? Sociologists are interested in Echo Boomer’s numbers because they make up nearly one-third of the US population. Marketing consultants are very interested in learning about Millennial lifestyles because they spend $170 billion a year of their own and their parents' money.

Along with Aldana's echoing voice booming with praise for the Internet’s impact on creating a savvier, well-rounded generation, the impact of instant gratification could be one reason for the perception that Millennials have had it a little too easy.

We will be the first generation to not have to wait for our 25th high school reunions to catch up and see how old friends and foes ended up. Within a couple of minutes on Facebook.com, one can pretty much find their entire first grade class if they really wanted to.

Joanne Morton, an entrepreneur and artist living in New York City, and a member of Generation X, says, "10 years ago, the only face books we had were books about faces."

Now that the era of the year books are gone, even non-Echo Boomer generations are benefiting from the new social networks.

Are there just as many disadvantages to instantaneous information and instant gratification that we receive as there are perks? According to Aldana who just logged into his Facebook account from his Blackberry and became the 337th member of a group called "The Fruit Roll-ups Fan Club," the answer is no.

"Life just doesn't get better than that."

Millennials

Your Fear Of Millennials Is Not Our Fault
By Gabriella Calabro

While many people in today’s society worry over terrorist attacks, illegal immigration, and the downward spiral of the economy, CEOs and managers have something much more serious to focus on — Millennials.

The generation of people under 30 is graduating college and entering the workforce, and although their main worry is how to find a job in today’s market, their future bosses have other fears.

This generation born between 1982 and 1995 causes so much concern that CBS News 60 Minutes did a report in 2007 titled “The Millennials Are Coming,” that warned people how this generation would affect the workplace. As the Millennials get older and more of them are graduating college, the fear of how managers should handle them also grows’ according to the report.

Dozens of books and articles have been published that advise older generations how to work with Millennials. Although the 60 Minutes report tries to portray this generation in a negative light, they don’t do a very good job. They warn future employers that, “They multitask, talk, walk, listen and type, and text.” How horrible that must be.

The website for Generations at Work lists the characteristics of Millennials as, “Confident, hopeful, goal- and achievement-oriented, civic-minded, and inclusive.” As a part of this generation, it may be more difficult for me to understand, but do the Baby Boomer and Gen X CEOs and bosses want unconfident, unmotivated, lazy employees? That’s what it seems like if these are the traits they are complaining about.

Wallace Fischer, director of operations for The Boston Group of Northwestern Mutual Financial Network, , who has two children and an assistant who are part of the Millennial generation also does not understand the worry. “The limited exposure I have had is positive,” Fischer said. “I sense that this generation has a work ethic that has been missing in previous generations.”

Although he is exactly the audience that the 60 Minutes report tried to target, the message of fear seems to have missed him.

The “anti-Millennials movement” seems to lack clarity and structure. We are being penalized for being a generation in which trophies and rewards were given just for participation, and for being a generation who often never heard “no.”

Interestingly, it is not the Millennials’ fault. The children of the generation should not be getting blamed for something that they had no control over. The parents, teachers, coaches, and leaders of the Millennials, all of whom are part of either the Baby Boomers or Generation X, are the ones who encouraged the behavior, and are now the ones who are criticizing the effects of it.

So are they really blaming themselves? Are only people of the Baby Boom generation without kids, or without kids in this generation, writing these articles? This certainly is not clear when reading the articles.

While some people are enraged about what is being said, others seem to understand. “I think people have always been kind of scared of us,” says Lindsay Dowling a 19 year-old college student. “I remember being in middle school and teachers would be intimidated by us. We have an upper hand on technology, and ultimately there’s more of us than there are them, and it makes sense that they’re scared, but that’s not our fault.”

It is natural for the previous generation to be nervous that all their hard work will be disregarded and replaced, but the way they are handling it makes them look childish. They are projecting their fears onto the newer generation and making the younger people look as though they need to be tamed and have no idea what they are doing, when in reality the older generation just does not know how to handle themselves.

Fischer does not show any fear about the new generation. “I’m not nervous, every generation has to learn to lead, and there will always be capable leaders, it’s just finding out who they are,” he said.

It’s comforting to know that some Baby Boomer business people are confident in the Millennials.

Millennials

Echo Boomers Versus Baby Boomers
By Katy Berninger

You're watching TV, browsing the Internet, and texting your friends at the same time. If this sounds familiar to you then you are most likely an Echo Boomer. According to CBS News 60 Minutes report, “Echo Boomers” there were of 80 million people born between 1982 and 1995. They are called Echo Boomers because they are the offspring of that other famous generation, the Baby Boomers.

Echo Boomers have grown up in a digital age where they are surrounded by technology, and multitasking is their way of life. However, they fascinate many researchers not for the unique way in which they have grown up, but because they are the biggest consumers, influencing product development and the way in which companies advertise. And because they are a new breed of workers who are entering the workforce.

The power that Echo Boomers have is changing the way in which corporations are thinking about demographics. A 2008 article from Fortune Magazine discussed this new phenomenon when the auto industry began to decline. The car companies’ ray of hope has come in the form of this new technologically savvy generation. Companies like Toyota and General Motors are focusing on Echo Boomers with sleeker, cooler designs in the hopes that they will purchase their vehicles and save the auto industry from it's slump.

While Echo Boomers are being seen as a highly influential group of people, there are some who look down on the young generation who, some say, have different priorities than their older counterparts. People like Marian Salzman, who was featured in one of the 60 Minutes reports, have noticed that some Echo Boomers walk into offices believing that they deserve to be the best without putting in any effort. Salzman says she notices an attitude from her younger employees where they think that anyone over the age of 30 is, “old, redundant, and should be retired.”

While Salzman does mention that there are plenty of Echo Boomers who are hardworking and willing to pay their dues, it's important to take a look at why some employers might see their younger employees as careless.

When asked whether she thought Echo Boomers were lazy or just misunderstood, Ana Caruso, 22, says, “I think we're misunderstood. By no means are we lazy. I think what older generations don't realize is just because we don't think or work like they do doesn't mean they we don't have goals or ambitions.”

Caruso touches on an important difference between a younger generation who is used to getting what they want quickly, and an older generation who had to work harder for their information. Just because Echo Boomers can gather data swiftly does not mean they aren't taking their jobs seriously.

In response to the negative comments made in the 60 Minutes report on Echo Boomers, Bobby Harold, 19 says, “When I think about it, I see why older people would find it hard to understand us.” When asked why he believes that, Harold says, “because, they grew up going to the library and spending hours trying to find one piece of information while I Google something and I immediately have pages and pages of resources in less than a minute.”

Harold is right, and one has to realize this difference before immediately criticizing, whether you're an Echo Boomer or a Baby Boomer. Caruso says, “maybe what needs to happen is the Echo Boomers should walk a day in the older generation's shoes, and vice versa. Maybe a respect would develop from that.”

Sixty Minutes is quick to point out the differences between the two generations, but what we need to do is see the similarities. Echo and Baby Boomers may work differently, and think differently but everyone wants to be successful and happy. If the Echo Boomers and the older generations can come together, then maybe there can be less of a misunderstanding and a thriving workforce can develop from their unique experiences.

Millennials

Guilty, But So What?
By Sydney Zarp

Getting dressed every morning for work I base what I wear on how I feel that day. Sometimes when I’m tired I wear plain blue jeans with tennis shoes, while other times I may feel energized and wear a flowery spring dress. Whatever the decision, it is not based on what I think the boss or the company expects me to wear.

Some people may think I have an attitude problem, or maybe I am revolting against society by my making my own dress code. These two conclusions would seem like reasonable explanations, but after much discussion and research it turns out that I am a victim of my generation.


Bridgett Ryan, 20, believes Generation Y should
rewrite the corporate dress code.

This process of only thinking about my personal feelings when getting dressed is a defined characteristic of the self-absorbed ‘Echo Boomer’ who are also known as Generation Y. Defined as people born between 1982 to 1995, we have become a highly visible generation, according to researchers interviewed for the CBS 60 Minutes report, “The Millennials Are Coming.” With more than 80 million of us populating the land, we have given older generations something to think about.

Jeans with flip-flops, iPod headphones in our ears and the cell phone within reach is how most of us twenty somethings grew up. Being a part of this well-studied generation, I find I am worn out by the overload of information from other people telling me how “we” act. Researchers and psychologists are picking apart and analyzing every detail of our soon-to-be meaningful lives in the business world.

Well, I am tired of everyone telling me how I should act in the workplace, or how I lack face-to-face communication skills, because I was raised with e-mail and text messages. So my question is, what is the point of all these researchers warning everyone about the supposed dysfunction of our generation. Can’t they just sit back and enjoy the Gen Y?

Change is going to happen no matter what information they find, even if it is about our unconventional childhood. Every generation has brought uneasy change to the stubborn elders. Yes, we may be the biggest generation yet, but that doesn’t mean we are the most controversial to hit the workforce.

Being shuttled around from one activity to another planned activity is how the majority of Generation Y’s grew up. Our stay at home moms focused all their attention on raising confident and self-assuring children. Every child felt as if they were special, getting awards and ribbons for simply participating, without actually trying to excel. But, we realized quickly that if we put a little effort into things we got big rewards. Our elementary classes were small, with teachers focused on our happiness and offering individual attention. We are the kids of Baby Boomers, and our relationships with our parents couldn’t be better.

Looking over the supposed facts Generation Y, I still wonder what the older generation thinks of us. When talking Barbara Colby, 83, who is a parent of three Baby Boomers, the somewhat negative tone in her voice clearly shows her feelings about the younger generation.

“The population in general was smaller back then, making it all around less competitive,” says Ms. Colby. “The kids today have a different work ethic, they didn’t see anyone working for the luxuries, they just got them.”

Ms. Colby also believes that it is insane that households have more then one TV and computer. She feels that the drive for materialistic things is to blame for our demanding attitudes. Even so, she still offered some lighter moments.

“Although what do I know, maybe the kids now will have happier lives always full of constant entertainment.”

Ms. Colby’s insights are very different than those of Bridget Ryan, 20, who is an avid blog reader and has her own blogspot.

“I always work hard and am enthusiastic about going to my internship,” says Ryan. “A lot of the other interns are so eager to please, and I see myself following suit.”

Ryan believes that technology is a blessing in disguise. She says she is constantly checking her work e-mails, even after hours. “I love being in constant contact, but sometimes I wish I could turn it off.”

Her fondest hope for Generation Y, she says, is that they will rewrite the corporate dress code. Her blogspot is all about fashion and shoes, and she feels what better time than now for change.

Generation Y may be the most researched generation yet. But without reading the reports we know that the competition is higher and the toughest it has been in years, and a college education is standard, including graduate school. With our non-traditional dress code changes, and the variety of ways we communicate, I’m proud to be part of biggest and most driven generation yet, regardless whether researchers have anything positive to say about us.

My only fear is what they will say about Generation Y’s children in the coming years.

Movie Reviews

Who’s Watching You?
Movie Review
By Gabriella Calabro


Watchmen is still playing in nearby theatres.

Taking a break from the usual nonsense of stereotypical "romantic comedies," I found myself enthralled by the action-packed, reminiscent love story and hero adventure film, Watchmen. Having no prior knowledge of the storyline from the graphic novel, published by DC Comics in the late 1980s, following the story was pretty easy.

The first few scenes were filled with visually amazing flashbacks from "the way things used to be" for superheroes. This part of the story is similar to Pixar's The Incredibles, in which a group of superheroes who the public no longer deemed helpful and were shunned, still try to make a comeback to save the world. These first few scenes of Watchmen were not only historically based, but also rather provocative for the period they represented. Shot as pictures that come to life, the aesthetic quality of the first few scenes is definitely unique.

The music features songs written by Bob Dylan, Paul Simon and Phillip Glass, and performed by Jimi Hendrix, Tears for Fears, KC and the Sunshine Band, and others. Although not what you would expect for this type of movie, the songs help illustrate the passage of time and identify the decades shown in the film

Once back in the present day, the lighting dims and the sets become drearier. Having directed both Watchmen and 300, director Zack Snyder exhibits offbeat lighting, and distinct cinematic styling that adds to the high action-packed scenes in the film, and made the romantic scenes that much more intimate. Following the love triangle of Nite Owl, played by Patrick Wilson, Laurie Jupiter, played by Malin Akerman, and the ever-glowing Dr. Manhattan, played by Billy Crudup, kept hopeless romantics engaged in the otherwise superhero action movie.

Fighting against an unknown enemy, the superheroes reconnected to keep each other, and ultimately the world safe. Rorschach, the name matched the mask that simulated the famous ink-blot tests, played by Jackie Earle Haley, was the primary leader in getting the group together, and became the character audiences loved to hate. Yes, he forced the team to fight against their will, but their teamwork saved the world.

Having gotten mixed reviews at the box office, people should go see it and make up their own minds. Be sure to clear your day, because the movie runs a little over two and a half hours. Although some parts of the movie do drag, it clearly explains what’s going on and answers any questions the audience may have. No matter what has been said, the movie made more than $55 million in just one weekend, according to chacha.com, and has so far grossed nearly $100 million. I say watch the movie, become part of the phenomenon and join the Watchmen debate.

City Life

Acting Through The Hard Times
By Alyssa Schwartz

Entertainment is often seen as recession proof. Even in bad times, people still want to watch their favorite television shows and see the next big movie. However, with big companies, such as NBC Universal and Disney cutting their budgets and laying off people, it’s easy to see how college students pursuing an acting career believe they are entering an extremely risky job market.

According to Time.com, NBC Universal is cutting $500 million from next year's budget and Viacom's Paramount Pictures is shrinking its slate from 25 movies a year to 20. Even if one is fortunate enough to book a paying acting job, there are many factors that make an acting career increasingly difficult.

Like most college students, actors leave college with a significant amount of debt. If they want to jump into their acting careers, they will often be required to move to a big city, pay large amounts of money for a talent agent, get great headshots and look fabulous, always. So, how does one manage these expenses, while still paying off college debt?

Rachel Cohen, an acting major from Boston University says she has a plan to succeed. “I will not sleep for the next 10 years,” She says. With the cost of living in a big city such as New York or Los Angeles on the rise, Cohen’s plan includes a lot more than just not getting sleep. With graduation rapidly approaching, Cohen has calculates she will have to pay off almost $40,000 in student loans.


Rachel Cohen wants to move to New York
to pursue acting in the theater

“I am worried about it. I’m going out, hoping to book a job in this unstable economy and I already have this huge burden on my shoulders,” Cohen says. The debt will affect Cohen in many ways. She plans to make the move to New York City to try a career as theater actress.

“Realistically, I understand that my ultimate dream of getting a job on Broadway is probably not going to happen right away,” Cohen says. “So, I want to find a job in which I can work at night; therefore I can go on auditions all day.”

Getting a job as a waiter is a tip that Cohen received from friends and peers who have graduated before her. The pay is good, the tips are better, and it would give her the time to go on auditions without missing an opportunity to bring in money.

Cohen is not the only actor who has been hit by college debt. Ariella Klein, who graduated from NYU last spring, continues to struggle to make it as an actor living in New York City. “It sucks, but there are ways to make it work. We’re [actors] creative people; we should be able to find creative ways to succeed in the business,” Klein says


Ariella Klein is a struggling New York actor.

One of the ways in which Klein has been able to get around the costs of being an actor is by through her contacts. “At NYU, I had a friend who was a photography major. She took my headshots. It saved a lot of money because I didn’t go to some industry professional. They look just as good, if you ask me.”

According to Cohen, using the resources you have at your disposal is not only a great skill to have in life, it will also help save a lot of money in the beginning stages of your career.


Peter Allas says despite hard times, actors
should follow their passion.

Peter Allas dealt with all of these concerns when he graduated from Fordham University in 1983 and now with the current economy, he is dealing with similar issues all over again.

“After graduating I lived in New York and worked various jobs as a waiter and a chef, which was a large source of income,” Allas says. “I paid off debt slowly as money came in. It’s tough at first, but worth it.” Allas believes that becoming an actor now is harder than it was 25 years ago. And it was hard then.

“The Screen Actors Guild is now debating a strike. There would be thousands and thousands of actors out of work. It would be real bad for the industry. I mean, look at last year’s writer’s strike. It cost the industry millions and so many jobs were lost,” Allas said.

The problems with the industry combined with the fact that students will need to pay off loans and pay for their career needs in the midst of a recession makes the road to acting success much more difficult. But Allas offers beginning actors a word of advice.

“If acting is your passion, nothing should or will stop you. You have to push through. It will be hard, but it will be worth it in the end.”

College Life

Looking For A Way Around Debt?
Why not just take on more
By Holly Dougherty

There are the lucky few that get to go through four years of college debt free and when they get out the world is their oyster.

Then there are the rest of us. Those of us who are leaving college four or more years later with an almost useless Bachelor of Arts degree have what could easily be over $100,000 in debt in an economy in which professionals are getting laid off.

So what is a 22-year-old unemployed educated person to do? Stay in school. When there are no jobs, some people feel that the best thing to do is continue their education and rack up more debt.

Evan Schapiro, a 2007 University of Pennsylvania graduate, says, “I worked in advertising for a while but I wasn’t happy with my job so I decided to quit, and when the economy went south I was not able to find a new one.”

Schapiro says after a slew of odd jobs he decided that the only way to strengthen his resume was with more education. “In the fall I am going to NYU for a Masters in Spanish Secondary Education,” he said.

New York University isn’t known for its financial aid so Schapiro will likely pay for his degree in student loans. “I know that I am taking a financial risk going back to school, but I also don’t think that more education is bad thing,” he says. “If anything, I will be able to get a good job that I like with a master’s degree from a school like NYU. I am not too worried.”

Schapiro isn’t alone. Jared Bardugone, a 2008 Marymount Manhattan College graduation is in a similar situation. “I graduated MMC with a BA in Theater Arts. Not the most lucrative degree,” says Bardugone. “It also didn’t help that I fell out of love with acting around the end of my sophomore year. I took a year off to record with my band and figure out what I really wanted to do. I realized that I always had a passion for writing, but since I did not have much experience I decided to go back to school for a second BA in Journalism.”

Bardugone was actually one of the lucky, the debt free graduates. So why ruin a good thing? “I was still living at home and not making money,” he says. “I was going absolutely no where with my degree because I didn’t want to use it. I can actually transfer most of my credits to the colleges I applied to so I am actually only about a year and half away from a BA in Journalism, and am looking into state schools that would also save me money.”

Their tales are not uncommon. I’m also one of them. I am graduating MMC with over $100,000 in loans. Come August, I begin Seton Hall University Law School, which will cost me $28,000 a year plus living expensive (close to $15,000 a year). All of this is after you subtract my $10,000 scholarship. So why the mounting debt? If I am to try and get a job in May the most I will probably make is $32,000 (if I can even get a job). After I receive my law degree, a starting salary for a law firm in New York is about $160,000. It’s a gamble but it’s a much better option than my other option.

We all know that we are not guaranteeing a better salary in two to three years. But we are buying time -- time for the economy to bounce back and for the job market to pick up. When we get out in a better place than we are now, we will be more educated than many of our classmates who took odd jobs, were on unemployment for extended periods, or took administrative jobs to get by. We are improving our resumes, but maybe not our bank accounts.

But then again, who is, but AIG executives?

College Life

College Costs: Debt Or Delay?
By Heather Bates

It's no secret that the cost of education increases every year. Due to tuition rates constantly rising, and the horrible state of the economy, students are finding it harder and harder to fund their college education. It all comes down to a choice: is it worth the money? Various students have different opinions about what the cost of an education is truly worth.

In fact, nineteen year old Frank Pietrangeli, a struggling photographer, was forced to postpone his goal of moving to New York City for college because he couldn't afford it. When asked if financial reasons were the cause of him waiting an extra year to attend school, Pietrangeli replied, "Yes, it seemed like just when I had saved enough, and I felt confident to support myself, I'd look at the cost of rent for one month and tend to reconsider. I'd keep saving and saving."

According to Finaid.corg, on average, a college student's tuition tends to increase roughly 8% a year. This means that a student attending a private college can end up paying over $1,500 dollars more every other semester. Because most colleges do not lock in their tuition rates, this means that by the time a student graduates, he or she could owe close to $8,000 dollars more than when they started their freshman year. Collegeboard.com estimates that private four-year colleges and universities average around $25,143 dollars yearly.

For a student paying this much money to attend a school, such high tuition increases are hardly welcomed. Not only are tuition rates rising, but the cost of other financial necessities, such as books and computers are also more expensive than many students can afford. Is a college senior prepared to enter the workforce with so much debt to worry about?


Stephanie Aubel questions whether the price of pursuing her
dream of becoming an artist is worth it.

College sophomore Stephanie Aubel decided to attend the Art Institute of Boston for a degree in the Fine Arts regardless of the cost, but she questions the amount of debt that she's amassing. The school that the young art student attends costs her almost $40,000 dollars a year including room and board. “I don't understand why I ever believed that this kind of debt was worth it," says Aubel. Sometimes, I realize the weight of my so-called dreams."

With such expensive school bills, where are students and their parents coming up with the money? It all comes down to loans. Some students are forced to take out both private and government funded loans just to afford their college or university of choice.

These come with an even higher price, as most loans have interest rates of 8% or 9%. This means that a student can practically double the amount that they owe by the time they finish school. With a mere six months of room to breathe after graduating before beginning payments, college graduates are forced to come up with a way to start paying their loan companies almost immediately.


Frank Pietrangeli says descending into
a pit of debt may help create respect for
an education.

When asked about the cost of education and how it is worsened by today’s economy, Pietrangeli says, “I think it's ridiculous. No one should have to plummet themselves into a pit of debt for an education. But at the same time I also feel it pushes those who have the strength to better themselves. It gives you a sense of respect for what it is that you're doing."

Ultimately, the question is, do students feel that the money they are paying for an education is worth it? Aubel can only hope that it is.

“My opinion of debt and dreams constantly shifts, Aubel says."I am always crushed under the cost of my choice, but I know there's no backing out now. I've already put myself in so much debt that I need to work as hard as I can for my future. Is this money worth it? God, do I hope so.”

City Life

Struggling To Benefit From Financial Stress
By Thomas Ford

The thought of any person or business actually benefiting from the current economic crisis and the subsequent debt of struggling Americans is repulsive to most people. But what many do not realize is that those who are now benefiting were not too long ago the ones struggling to stay afloat in this time of severe financial difficulty.

It was just ten months ago that Tamara Strickland, 37, was on the brink of filing for bankruptcy. Her house payment had skyrocketed from $1,500 a month to about $4,800/month. With two children, a new Lexus and new Escalade, money was running low. “(My husband and I) stopped paying on our credit cards in order to maintain our mortgage and the household bills,” says Strickland, a Silver Spring, Maryland native. “We were scared of losing our house.”

Advised by her parents, she and her husband filed for bankruptcy on all of their credit cards. They felt defeated and helpless until their lawyer came up with an idea to salvage their wellbeing by covertly exploiting the current financial crisis. “Our lawyer threatened our mortgage company that we were going to include the house (when filing for bankruptcy),” says Strickland. The mortgage company, frightened by the amount of money they would have lost if Strickland and her husband had filed bankruptcy on their house, “…reduced [their] mortgage payment (by) $1,700.”

Although, their financial situation has seemingly returned to period in their lives when times were much better, she advises others: “If you can help it, do not refinance your house numerous times. That’s what got us in trouble in the first place.”


Thrift stores, like Housing Works are attracting new customers
that may be around for the long-term.

Achieng Radier, a 19 year-old resident of New York City, fortunately does not have refinancing in her track record, but she has surely felt the weight of America’s tense financial situation. Says Radier, “My mother got laid off in November of 2008. In my (hometown, Poughkeepsie, New York), a lot of the small businesses have closed. Even the small gyms have closed. Mom and Pop stores are gone. There really isn’t anything new opening (besides) huge chains or department stores.”

Radier has actually found refuge in these department stores. She has been taking advantage of many of them dropping prices on goods because so few people can afford them. “This is the best time to buy,” she says. “If you have money to buy things at the price that they are now, you just won’t need them when the prices go back up because you’ll have already purchased them for the same value just at a lesser price.”

Later, with a smile, Radier admits that she recently bought a Ralph Lauren sweater, valued at $98 for just under $40. A sophomore at City College of New York, Radier says that it is easier than people think to benefit from the state of our economy right now. “Just keep a look out for good sales,” she jokes.

Sales are popping up everywhere—from upscale boutiques on Fifth Avenue to small electronic stores in Times Square, and to thrift shops that permeate New York City, and particularly Housing Works Thrifts Shops. These shops are just one of the many faces of the Housing Works organization.

“(Housing Works) is actually a nonprofit,” says Melissa Carter, a 27-year old Brooklyn resident who is visual merchandiser for the thrift shops, located in Yorkville, the Upper East Side, the Upper West Side, Chelsea, Gramercy, Tribeca, the West Village, and Brooklyn. “All of our proceeds go to people who are dealing with two parallel issues: AIDS and homelessness.”

Unfortunately, they, too, have felt the effects of the current recession. Because everything in these shops has been donated, including the mannequins, it is difficult for them to prosper when people are not donating. And lately, that has been the case. Says Carter, “…people are donating less because they are getting rid of less. So, we’re down because our store is based off of donations.” She adds, “As far as the Gucci and Prada, we receive very, very less of that.”

Because so much less is being donated to the shops, Housing Works has had more sales than usual. “We’ve kind of dumbed down our prices a little bit,” says Carter. “We (also) have promotions, like three-dollar pants or fifty percent off on jackets and women’s suits.”

But even through all of this, Housing Works has, in a way, been able to take advantage of the current financial instability. Although they are not making as much of a profit as they once were, their sales have caught the attention of a lot of customers, especially working-class clients. There are presumably more people searching for sales and promotions now than there were before the recession.

So, when people hear of such low prices on such high-quality products, they tend to flock to these shops. In kind of a backwards way, Housing Works is creating a clientele that may not have necessarily known about them or been willing to feel as though they were compromising their integrity to shop at a thrift shop, had it not been for the recession. While the shops were once struggling and feeling the weight of the economic crisis, they have now been able to possibly attract long-term customers.

These thrift shops and a few people may be slowly getting back on their feet and can admit that at one point, times were tough and that they were struggling, but now, times appear somewhat brighter.

College Life

Confessions Of A Recessionista
Move over high fashion, recessionistas are on the rise.
By Adriana Lorenzo

New York City is considered one of the fashion capitals of the world. But looking good in the city has its price, and with the current recession the price tags are looking heftier than ever. The fashion industry has always been seen as a place where only the strong survive. But recently, even top names in the industry have suffered.

Saks Fifth Avenue is laying off people, Macy’s is shutting down stores, New York Fashion Week scaled back with many designers opting out, and LA Fashion Week disappeared completely. In this survival of the fashionably fittest, where even the most luxury names are suffering, how do aspiring fashion students even stand a chance?

Enter the recessionistas, those style mavens who still manage to make a fashion statement while staying on a tight budget during hard times.

College students in general across the country are struggling with debt, expensive textbooks and finding cheap meals. On top of this, fashion students are expected to purchase materials for endless school projects and dress a certain way, following trends to make impressions and get ahead in the industry.

“It is definitely not easy being a fashion student,” says Cristina Nuñez, a sophomore fashion merchandising major at the Fashion Institute of Technology. “Being a college student is expensive in general. But going to school in New York City is incredibly expensive.”

Nunez moved from Miami, Fla. to pursue her lifelong passion for the fashion industry. Nuñez was well aware of the more than $5,000 a semester tuition for FIT, that did not include housing. But she didn’t realize how much of a struggle pursuing her dreams would truly be.


Cristina Nunez found this bargain
outfit for a class assignment

Many of Nuñez’s peers share in her sentiments. James Murphy, also a sophomore at FIT, recalls joking with his family and friends about how as an aspiring fashion student he would likely be poor the rest of his life.

“Now that I am actually living and working in this industry, I realize how hard it is going to be to make it big and have money,” Murphy said. “I have to really balance my budget in order to have enough to buy clothes, materials for my projects, and oh yeah, occasionally eat.”

Various classes at FIT contain major projects such as creating life-size window displays, designing a seasonal clothing line, and as student Drew Tyndall recalls, “putting on a fashion show in class.”

The "A+" projects are typically the most detailed and creative, and likely required the most money spent on supplies. “My group decided to produce an Alice in Wonderland themed show,” Tyndall said. “We split the costs of the show’s programs, invitations, favors and the actual outfits on display. But it still ended up being pretty costly.”

In an effort to save money, students often get creative when making purchases for their school assignments, or even for their everyday wardrobe. For one of her class assignments, Nuñez was asked to dress up as a well-known style icon. She chose to dress as singer Katy Perry, and to stay within her budget, she found all the items for her costume at discount stores.

“I go to vintage shops or flea markets whenever I can and find great deals,” Nuñez said. “I also make my own clothes sometimes and hair accessories. Mixing and matching is also a big part of expanding my wardrobe.” Her entire costume cost under $20 and she got an A.

Despite the grim presence of a slumping economy in the usual glitzy world of fashion, most fashion students are not worried about their futures in the industry. Many believe that the key to their futures is making connections early on through internships or part-time jobs.

“The industry is extremely competitive as is, even without the current economic crisis,” Murphy said. “I have already interned for a top designer and worked my butt off for various fashion weeks. I am confident the hard work I put in now will pay off when I am actually hunting for a job.”

During these tough economic times, fashion lovers and college students alike can take pointers from these FIT students when looking toward the future. They are a prime example that one does not always have to have a large disposable income to look and feel good.

“Everyone is suffering right now, and all industries are hurt by this recession,” Tyndall said. “I am confident everything will turn around though, and in the mean time we can just find the best ways to be fabulous on a budget.”

City Life

More Than A Mortgage
By Alexandra Gardell

JoAnne Chernish, 26, lost her job as a receptionist when her company downsized and has since re-enrolled in college to complete her bachelor’s degree. She is now living with anxiety that she will be unable to meet her monthly condominium mortgage and association fees. “I might be living on the streets soon because I’m about to run out of unemployment and I don’t have any job opportunities until after I graduate this spring,” Chernish says.

Chernish lives in Beacon Hill, a New Jersey condominium community that was built in 1989. She is part of the “Mount Laurel Program” that provides affordable housing units with lower assessment fees to lower income residents. Chernish says that her current financial situation has forced her to put payments like medical bills on the back burner because her housing fees are a priority. “I need a roof over my head,” she says anxiously.


JoAnne Chernish has to decide which bills to pay each month.

For condo owners, it’s not just mortgage payments, but also association fees, or assessments that cover costs for maintaining common areas that come due each month. The current Beacon Hill association fee is $200 a month.

“We’re responsible for everything from the paint on the walls out. That monthly fee takes care of the landscaping, sidewalks, parking lots, the pool, and all common amenities,” says Carole Branin, the Community Association Manager for Beacon Hill.

Beacon Hill, like a number of housing communities throughout the US, is feeling the effects of the subprime mortgage bust. At the time it was built, people with limited incomes could qualify for adjustable rate mortgages enabling them to purchase homes that they really could not afford. In this case, the initial monthly mortgage rate started very low, making ownership appear within reach. A few years later, when these homeowners had settled in, their mortgage rates began to rise to levels that they could not afford.

Attorney Bill Singer, who has been hired by Branin’s association to resolve some delinquent accounts explained that, “Four or five years ago people were putting down 1% or 2% to buy houses they couldn’t possibly afford.” These skyrocketing rates caused many condominium owners to ask themselves the question of which was more important to pay off: their monthly mortgage or their monthly association fee?”

Singer says most people caught in this predicament opted for paying their mortgage every month, not realizing that the condominium association has legal rights to the money as well. The association then hires an attorney to handle the collection process. Owners will get a collection letter stating the amount owed. If there is no response, a lien may be put on the property, which means that the unpaid assessment will be documented in public records. The next step is filing a judgment lawsuit against the individual.

For condo owners who have fallen into foreclosure, either by the bank or the association, there’s a pecking order as to who collects money in the event of foreclosure: first is the bank that holds the mortgage, second is the association, next come any other creditors that may have lent money to the homeowner.

The worst case scenario is a person is up to date on their mortgage but very delinquent on their association fees. This can lead to the association foreclosing on the unit and not the bank. The association then gets stuck with the unit, spends money to fix it up, and then is unable to sell it.

“I have had some owners come to me and say they can’t afford their assessments,” says Branin. “I don’t want to see anybody lose their home, so I say, ‘Draft a payment plan that you will pay X amount on specific dates and present it to me and we’ll see what we can work out.’ We haven’t had to actually foreclose on anyone in my property yet, but there are some condo owners who are walking a tight rope,” he says.

Singer said that he has definitely seen increases of late payments in recent months, due to many people being dislocated from their jobs. “I work with about twenty condominium associations, and I tell those clients that it’s the most aggressive associations that protect themselves. When they tell me someone owes $6,000 or some other high amount I ask them, ‘Why didn’t you do something about this then?’ You’ll pay whoever puts the most pressure on you.”

Singer adds, “I find that condo owners respond to a threat of foreclosure, because it means there’s fear that they could actually lose their house. That tension makes them respond more than any monetary charge.”

What’s happening now?
President Obama recently proposed the “Making Home Affordable Plan,” in which the federal government would bailout homeowners who are delinquent in their mortgages and association fees to help people stay in their homes. “Taxes and utilities costs are all up now,” says Branin. “Who’s going to bailout all of these homeowners? Mr. Obama. I don’t know how, but that’s apparently the plan.”

In addition, association fees and taxes are being raised to help associations meet their demands. “If ten out of one hundred owners aren’t paying, then the other 90% need to pick to it up,” says Singer. “It’s easy to feel jilted, but the associations still have the expenses. It’s everything, shoveling snow, cutting the lawn, and they are getting the services but not having to pay for them. Let me just say we have a lot of people come in to pay on May 15 because they want to use the pool.”

City Life

Money Determines Your Level Of Medical Care
By Erin Maguire

Dillon McCarthy is a happy, healthy 20 year-old student at the School of Visual Arts in New York City. However, his whole life would have been different were it not for his family’s private medical care. McCarthy found this out at age nine. "I was sledding to one of my friends’ house who had a long hill type driveway, and I actually sledded down the driveway, into the street and got hit by a car," McCarthy said.

McCarthy was brought to Framingham Union Hospital in Framingham, Massachusetts suffering from a broken femur, which is the bone connecting his hip to his knee, and a cracked knee cap. Three procedures later, including a large operation in which a two inch pin was put in his leg, McCarthy was in traction and his wounds weren’t healing well.

"The doctor told me that my best bet was manual surgery, meaning that he wanted to go in by hand and put the bones together,” said McCarthy. “But the worst case scenario was they would have to put a metal rod in my leg and that I may be crippled for the rest of my life and have to use a walker.”

McCarthy says his family's first instinct was to get another opinion, which they did. “This doctor noticed that the pin had actually been placed in my calf, a foot and a half away from where it needed to be,” said McCarthy. “We were shocked. We never thought to doubt our first doctor who the hospital had appointed to us."

A year later, McCarthy had made a full recovery and today he walks normally. "If we hadn't have had the money to pay for private care, I would be crippled today, and that's pretty scary to think about. That's the main reason I support universal health care, I think that it's so unfair that you get better treatment based on how much money you have," McCarthy says.

Healthcare has become a growing concern in many family budgets. According to Web MD, "a recent Kaiser Family Foundation telephone poll of 2,003 adults shows that Americans rank health care as one of their top personal economic concerns. Nearly three out of 10 of those surveyed said they have had considerable trouble paying for medical care or health insurance, and they blame the problem on the struggling economy.

“We had a very well known business person from a wealthy family in Boston whose mother was brought in to Oak Knoll as a long-term resident,” Says Barbara Maguire, 50, who has worked at various skilled nursing facilities (nursing homes) for over thirteen years. One of her biggest concerns are those patients who come in with little money 'know how' and end up paying most of their savings to the nursing home. She agrees that certain people have the upper hand in medical care because of knowing how to pull the strings in the system.

Maguire says the patient had her Medicaid application filed and approved quickly. “Her son knew right away what expenses Medicaid would cover, like hearing aids,” says Maguire.” This woman was very hard of hearing and could probably have used hearing aids long before she got to Oak Knoll. Her son knew how to work the system, and how to get around the rules. All of this lady's of assets were protected because her son had it set up.”

Maguire cites the inequities in the healthcare system as one of the reasons for some of its failures. “You have families that don't have a lot ending up losing all of their family assets while others who have a lot more keeping theirs."

This unfair level of healthcare could seem disparaging to some, but Maguire has hope. She feels that the healthcare reform President Obama is working on is a step in the right direction and that the outlook for the future is hopeful.

College Life

How High Is Your Debt?
By Sydney Zarp

(For legal reasons, the sources for this article requested to use only their first names)

Before entering college, James, 21, had a fairly normal life growing up in southern California. He was a regular kid living in a suburban town, helping with chores around the house, and when he could, surfing with his dad on the weekends. James, blue-eyed and tanned, was living a relaxed California lifestyle, topped off with a ‘Barbie’ look-alike girlfriend, Stephanie, 20.

Today, James’s life is far from envious; he spends his days selling marijuana to pay for his schooling at a local community college. “Being in debt was never an option, and selling marijuana was the only thing that paid above minimum wage, and that would hire me,” James said. This however doesn’t mean that James doesn’t consider his dealing a full-time job. He worked hard to establish relationships with customers and suppliers. Since joining the freshman class nearly three years ago, James has become one of the top dealers in the area.


James says he can make $300 to $500 a day selling marijuana.

His daily routine consists of picking up and delivering drugs. For example, James is on call twenty-four hours a day, giving his customers full access to his stash as long as they have the cash. James describes that the calls come in continuously and that he’ll sometimes spend two to four hours just delivering his goods to faithful buyers. Stephanie often goes along for the ride to keep James company, and James jokes that she has become his ‘business partner.’

Neither student, however, likes to think about the potential complications of selling illegal substances. In 2007, which are the latest figures available, there were 74,119 marijuana- related arrests in California, according to the California State Department of Justice's Criminal Justice Statistics Center. That figure is up nearly 10,000 arrests from 65,386 in 2006.

By selling marijuana James has so far avoided the debt caused by the ever-increasing college tuition. But are the fears of college debt higher than spending half your life in prison?

“I feel like I’m ahead of the game,” says James. “You may think I’m crazy, but I’m not $100,000 in debt.”

James said he grew up with dreams of attending the University of Southern California, and kept that focus throughout his high school career. Always knowing that he would attend college, James said he just figured it would be easy. It was a shock and an eye opener when he first saw how expensive it would be to attend USC.

Thinking his parents would handle the burden he soon realized that was not the case, so he turned to a new direction. One year of tuition at USC costs $37,890, according to The College Board, a non-profit organization that provides college admission information and administers tests, such as the SAT. By contrast, at the community college that James now attends, one year of tuition is $6,000.

Paying for college is a struggle many young adults and their parents are facing. While the amount of financial aid and scholarships offered to students seems to shrink every year, students continue to struggle to pay school bills. While some take out student loans, others like James turn to a job on the side. As James has found, there is a different way to pay for education, which can help avoid debt all together, as long as you’re willing to take that risk.

James says he never imagined himself as the drug dealer type, and he still thinks it is funny that he has become one. James recalls the first time he became interested in selling drugs. “After seeing my good friend make thousands of dollars from two days worth of work, I knew that I wanted to know more about the pot world.”

James says he makes about twenty dollars on each sale and brings in roughly $300 to $500 a day. “About 90% of what I make goes to school, the other 5% goes to buying things for my girlfriend, and the last 5% is usually mine,” he jokes.

Reaching out to Stephanie about her thoughts on her boyfriend selling drugs, it was obvious that she is in full support. “I’m proud that he can get good grades and still sell weed at the same time,” she said. “Many other people I know have ended up dropping out of school, but he is gunna go somewhere.”

James still lives at home with his parents, but he says they have no clue about what he does, and thinks he has a full time job at the school as an office helper. He knew his parents would never accept this lifestyle, and said it was easier to lie.

Now in his final semester, James will walk away from three years of college and not owe one dime. He plans to transfer for his final year to a four-year university, something he has waited seven years to do. James’s three years at community college were far from his childhood dream, but he says it was his most affordable option.

James now plans to pay for his final year of schooling with financial aid and help from family members because he wants to give up selling drugs and become an ‘average student.’

“The day I graduate is the day I stop selling weed,” he says.

College Life

Coping With A Mountain Of Debt After Graduation
By Katy Berninger

The day you never thought would get here has finally come. You are now a college graduate, and you proudly admire your brand new diploma. You have never felt more accomplished in your life, and then it hits you: now it's time to pay for this diploma that you worked so hard to get. And 65% of your fellow graduates will have to do the same, according to Gocollege.com.

It's not enough that college students are already facing an incredible transition by being thrust into the “real world,” they also must cope with the thousands of dollars of debt that has piled up over the last four years.

College students from all over the country are finding ways to deal with this new burden, as well as coping with the change of being adults. Amy Myers, 21 has “mixed feelings” about leaving college.

“On the one hand, I'm really looking forward to having freedoms that I haven't had for the last four years, and pursuing other things. On the other hand, school has been what I've been doing for the last 21 years, and I don't know if I really feel like an adult yet,” Meyers says.

Myers isn't alone in her feelings. Julia Dorney, 21, feels the same way. When asked how she felt about graduating she said, “I'm really excited, but scared at the same time. Especially since the economy is so bad right now.”


Making money during a recession is becoming a burden
for graduates who are trying to pay off student loans.

Dorney is right about the economy. It is no secret that the current job market is the worst it has been in years. College graduates are facing some of the bleakest prospects in decades. The National Association for Colleges and Employers conducted a survey that found there will be 22% fewer jobs for graduates in 2009 than the previous year, according to Time Magazine. Some companies are not even planning to hire recent college graduates.


How are graduates supposed to pay off those loans when they can't even find a job in the first place? Some are going to have to turn to their parents for help.

Mike DeMarco, 22, says, “I'm planning on moving back home for the first year so that I can get on my feet and find a job. Hopefully living with my parents will allow me to save money.”


DeMarco is one of a few lucky students whose parents were able to pay for his college education with the help of loans. Talking to soon to be graduates it becomes clear that parents play a huge role in whether students are able to pay off the pile of debt that they accumulated. Many students who have this luxury are grateful for their parents’ support.

“I owe it to my parents because they have done everything for me,” says Meyers. “They have supported me for so long.” When asked if she felt more responsibility Meyers said, “ of course, more than anything I want to pay my parents back for what they have done for me. I feel like it's about time.”

The feeling of responsibility that Myers describes is not uncommon. Graduates are no longer under the umbrella of school and don't feel like they can get away with as much. “We aren't in a little bubble anymore where our only worries are homework and our part-time job,” says Dorney says. “We now have to worry about bills, and paying taxes, and supporting ourselves.”

Students are going to have to find different ways of going about this daunting task. Some like DeMarco will move back in with their parents hoping to save money. Others like Myers will try to work as much as they can to save money.

However, the current recession is always in the back of people's minds. Myers said that she didn't think she would be affected by the current economic situation. She works at Starbucks and didn’t believe she would face job uncertainty. But the company has announced store closings and Myers says she is trying to hold onto her job so that she can begin paying off those looming loans.

No matter what graduates will be doing to tackle the mountain of debt, it is certain that it won’t be an easy task. The transition into adulthood is rarely easy. As students enter this time of change, more than ever they will need to keep a positive attitude.

“I'm just going to keep chipping away at whatever I need to pay back and do everything that I can,” DeMarco says. “There is no reason why I need to be freaking out about it. I have my whole life ahead of me.”

College Life

Don’t Work, Just Study
By Gabriella Calabro

Debt is one four-lettered word that more and more college students are finding themselves repeating. With private school tuitions rising each year, more students are opting for public universities and community colleges.

While the media focuses on the large population of students who can’t afford college, no one talks about the smaller, more fortunate group of students that are largely unaffected by the financial stress that most other students face. Parents of these students do not want them to worry about paying for college so they take on the extra stress themselves. A student’s involvement in paying for college varies from family to family.

Louis Erazo, a 19 year-old freshman at a New York City private college said, “My parents had me do the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid), but that’s only because it’s on the computer. I do most of the computer-based stuff at home.”

While some students have constant fights and struggles with their parents about how the school bills will be paid, some students only have to worry about a small portion of the college tuition payment process.

“My parents don’t talk to me about numbers. They just always say that I need to do well because they’re paying a lot of money for it,” says Max Hirsch, 18, a college freshman.

Not having to pay for college is not only beneficial for the students enrolled, but is even more helpful for those who have graduated. Alexandra Yacullo, a 25 year-old graduate student says, “I don’t have a stable job. I’m also going to grad school and getting married this summer and there’s no way I would have been able to pay back those loans and been able to do anything else.”

Many young adults find themselves in the same position, or much worse off than Yacullo. For those recently graduated, finding a job could be extremely tough in today’s economy. And with loan payments due six months after graduation, many college-educated adults could find themselves working minimum wage jobs just to get by.

A poll by About.com shows that 24% of parents plan to pay for their child’s college education with the help of loans and grants, and 28% plan on paying with the help of scholarships and having their child work. Only 12% of parents said they would not pay for college because they could not afford it. Although the poll makes it seem that more parents are paying for college, the truth is that as the economy continues to spiral downward, so does a parent’s ability to help.

While most college students find themselves working one full-time or a few part-time jobs, there are others who get money just for being students. They may have the luxury of not having to pay for school, but what about other expenses? Erazo’s tuition includes a meal plan, and his parents have put him on a budget.

“They give me $300 a month,” says Erazo. “If I choose to work it’s because I want extra spending money. But my parents have never told me I had to get a job.”

Like Erazo, Hirsch also receives an allowance, “My parents put money in my account every month, probably about $500.” When asked if he was required to have a job, Hirsch laughed and said, “No, they’ve never told me I needed to work. I don’t have to have a job.”

Some young adults may find $300-$500 hard to live on, but it’s important to realize that this money is likely to be spent on shopping or going out. This money is not spent on phone bills or books because Erazo and Hirsch are given extra money by their parents to buy anything for school, or cleaning supplies or even groceries.

Unlike scholarships, parents often do not have a strict or clear set of guidelines that requires their children to work hard to keep getting their money. “My parents threaten that if I don’t do well they’ll stop paying,” says Erazo. ”But they know the reality is that a 19 year-old cannot pay for a private education in Manhattan, and maintain a social life, work life, and do well in school.”

Yacullo said that her parents wanted her to transfer after seeing that she was not performing well at her first college. “I originally went to Penn State, but I partied a lot, and didn’t really do well so my parents and I talked and decided it would be better to go a school closer to home and buckle down.”

Looking back, Yacullo offers some advice to students like Erazo and Hirsch. “Don’t take advantage of your parents. You’re a lot luckier than a lot of students. Work as hard as you can and don’t fool around. It’s one thing to waste money, but it’s completely horrible to waste an education.”