The Struggle is Real: Minimum Wage Blues and the Job Hunt
Hey there, future college grads! Feeling the excitement about graduation creeping in yet? Awesome! But let's be honest, there's probably a tiny voice in the back of your head whispering about the "real world" too. Headlines scream about unemployment, minimum wage woes, and a potential recession – enough to make anyone sweat a little about finding that first apartment and landing a decent job. The truth is, it's getting brutal out there. We've all seen it – minimum wage jobs in major cities can barely afford a shoebox studio, let alone a decent apartment with a roommate. A 2024 study by the National Low Income Housing Coalition basically said "good luck" to anyone hoping to afford a two-bedroom on minimum wage in a major city. Even grabbing an internship or part-time job to build that resume seems like a fight these days. Why the struggle? Well, it's a tangled mess. COVID messed things up big time. Companies went on hiring sprees, then came the i...