Young and out of work

The Guardian has an article made up of young people (under 25) talking about their experiences of looking for work. now, I'm not that young any more, but I was once, and to be honest, the challenges I face now as an unemployed person are still very similar. So much of what they say rings true for my own experience.

For example:

The job-seeking system isn't really set up for graduates, or people with a lot of previous employment like me. All the training and support they have is fantastic if you're 16 and haven't many qualifications. But the jobs they point me towards – and I have to apply for them – often aren't particularly suitable.

You get to the point where you get up every day and you've got nothing to do because you've got no money to go anywhere, and you sit in the house all day. You lose energy and drive, even though I've always been quite ambitious.

There's too much negative stereotyping of unemployed young people. They say we're lazy and slacking – and the constant barrage gets you down. I'm looking for work, and I'm getting constant rejections. My friends are all so downhearted because we can't get a job even though we've got all these qualifications and experiences.

I could copy-paste a whole load more passages to show the situation and why the system is basically setting the unemployed against each other and those who already have jobs. But you can read it for yourself, you can see the intellect and eloquence that the people have (even the ones without formal qualifications) and make up your own minds.