Should The Age of Adulthood In America Be Changed

While proficiency in the use of computers does give Millennials an upper hand in white collar positions in America, it does little to help those who are entering the blue collar industries. In those fields, where post-secondary education is not necessarily needed, experience and a deep resume trump youth and a fresh slate. The lack of technological integration in most of the major fields of blue collar jobs reduces the need for technologically apt worker, and thus, technical skill remains the most important skill for said jobs. Because of the recent recession, many older, skilled laborers who had worked the industry lost their jobs. Desperate to find a job, many of these individuals turned to employment that paid less. Traditionally, these jobs were filled by younger Americans looking to find ingress into workplaces that could turn into careers. The older, but much more experienced and skilled, workers found themselves employed, leaving their younger, less skilled counterparts unemployed, a statistic observable in the Bureau of Labor Statistics, where the numbers show that people between the ages of 18-22 are at about 150% to 250% unemployment of the national unemployment rate for all age groups. What we are seeing in America is a widening gap in employment between the educated individuals who had the opportunity to go to and complete college, and unskilled labor. For many jobs, college degrees are required, and that is perfectly acceptable, considering that shows a development in the innovation of American jobs, a major contributor to overall job growth. Young Americans, however, are facing more and more stringent education requirements, as well as a massive spike in cost of attending college. When the previous generations were younger, a young adult could simply work for the summer and maybe the winter, and could take off work as they studied in college. In today's climate, however, that is nearly impossible. More and more, students in college must work full time just to pay bills and keep up with the costs of living. The increased expectations drives up the stress in college students, who feel at once incapable of keeping up with ever more difficult college courses, as well as feeling inadequate in maintaining financial security. This extra burden not only forces many young adults to leave college to provide for themselves, it also forces many of them into debt, leaving them with gutted credit scores due to absurd monthly payments. While, yes, these young adults would surrender adulthood in America, losing them the ability to vote among other things, giving them the chance to begin a career or seek higher education while they are still considered children would grant them the opportunity to develop themselves as members of the workforce before financial hardship and overwhelming responsibility set in. With the near universal demand for college degrees in most professions already, giving young Americans extra opportunities would benefit not only the Millennials, but also the job industry as a whole, by providing well educated, motivated, financially stable young adults. The future of America rests on the children and young adults of today. While the older generations may have as much or more say in the direction of the country today, they have less future to look forward to. Making a better environment for older generations today mortgages the future of their children's generations. If we want to start making America a better place, we begin by offering every opportunity to the youth of today, not by robbing them of a good start.