Overcoming Underemployment

Five things I hope will be scrutinized and re-thought: remote/flexible work, the 40 hour work week, wages, our live to work mentality, and boundaries.

We can overcome fear, impostor syndrome, and catastrophizing by acknowledging our privilege, leaning into our values, and questioning social influence.

The process of trying to figure out how to safely return to the office is layered, and while each employer has different things to consider, one glaring issue I see is trust.

On this episode I break down what MLMs are, give you some examples, explain why they affect women more than men, and why they're problematic.

How employers shortchange parents when they don't provide adequate paid parental leave, and why leave is important for women, parents, children, and families.

On this episode I talk about the significance of the PRO Act, which would be a very monumental win for workers everywhere, and I explain three work-related terms that get thrown around a lot that are not very well understood: right to work, at will, and exempt vs. non-exempt.

On this episode I talk about the history of the minimum wage, discuss alternatives to the minimum wage (like Universal Basic Income and Guaranteed Minimum Income), and break down common myths about raising the minimum wage.

Power is not like a pie. On this episode, I explain how power is usually allocated in the workplace, how it affects workers, and talk through some examples of how imbalanced power is currently playing out at employers like Kroger and Amazon.

"A common myth is that all people really have a wide range of choices when it comes to making a living." -Joanne Ciulla, author of The Working Life On this episode I talk about what makes this quote true and discuss 8 things to remember when you’re job searching: get clear on what you need, want, and do not want; utilize and build your network; ask for help; spread the word; remember that you are also interviewing them; stay organized; stay consistent; and take care of yourself.

On this episode I explain what a k-shaped recovery is, how it’s affecting Americans, and once again call for widespread change in every corner of the country.

From passive aggression to pay transparency, what I want for us in 2021 is to evaluate what we believe about work and how we can shift it moving forward.

The pandemic has exposed serious cracks, and let’s face it, crevices, when it comes to work. On this episode I discuss nine things 2020 taught us about work in America. 

On this episode I dig into Can’t Even: How Millennials Became the Burnout Generation by Anne Helen Petersen. Overall, a solid read.

Now that we have a President-elect in Joe Biden, I dig into what he's proposed on labor and unionization, the minimum wage, and student loan debt; three issues that have the power to drastically shape the future of work in the United States.

In this episode I talk about side hustles, the minimum wage, and why humans deserve a living wage. Wanting people to be able to exist without struggling and stressing is not a radical proposition. Pay people. Let them live.

Voting in any election is important but voting at the polls isn't the only way we vote. I discuss how voting is connected to work and how you can use your money to vote more ethically and with intention.

I talk about why making work a core part of your identity is dangerous, the effects of this, who it benefits, and how you can shift your sense of self away from being centered around work. Work can be a part of who you are, but it should not define you.

On this episode I talk about why work-life balance is an absolutely ridiculous ideology we can stop working toward whenever. I also introduce a new segment called "Don't Read This Book," and my first un-recommendation is the 1937 book Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill.

The global pandemic has changed a lot for people, and I am no exception. As I watched the unemployment numbers grow and the senate fail to pass legislation that would help Americans struggling to get by, I knew I had to start this podcast back up with a new direction. In this bite sized episode, I talk about what I've been doing since December 2018, my perspective and vision for this podcast, and how I'm feeling.

This is episode 13 of Overcoming Underemployment, and this episode is advice on how to keep going when you feel like giving up. In your underemployment, there will come a time (and quite possibly many times) when you feel like giving up. Things are sucking, nothing is working and you’re ready to throw in the towel. This episode is for those crappy days where all you want to do is crawl into bed with 45 different snacks and Netflix until you can’t Netflix anymore. And no, the answer isn’t to keep on keeping on and rub some dirt in it. The answer is to accept, rest, and reflect.

This episode is what I want every underemployed college graduate to know and is what I wish someone would have said to me when I realized this was going to be my reality for a while. What I want you to know: This isn’t your fault. No matter how you got here, it doesn’t change that this is where you are. You will be okay. The bad days don’t have to turn into bad weeks. Or months. Or years. It is of utmost important that you take care of yourself: physically, mentally, emotionally, and financially. Being underemployed sucks and I’ll always be the first one to admit that. I wouldn’t wish this experience on anyone, but now that you’re here, you have the opportunity to learn, grow, and expand yourself. Don’t just look at this time as a waste of your life and your potential. You still have a life and potential, no matter what happens. Choose to see this experience as a time of building your resilience, weathering rejection, becoming more gritty, and getting familiar with vulnerability. Don’t get too comfortable with where you are and resign yourself to life as it is now. Challenge yourself to see what’s good in every situation and know that you’ll be okay.

This is episode 11 of overcoming underemployment, the third episode in a series on how to cope with underemployment practically. You can find the first two episodes here and here. This episode will be all about dealing with relationships when you're underemployed. Not only romantic relationships, but friendships and family as well. When you're underemployed, one of the best things you can have is a solid support network. The thing about that is that when you're underemployed you're much more likely to isolate yourself and cut yourself off from people because you don't like the way you feel and you don't know how to deal with it. While it might be your natural instinct to isolate yourself and stay away from friends and avoid your family, those people are what you need more than ever. Topics covered in this episode: Why you need people in your life when you're underemployed What the research about underemployment says about relationships My experience with relationships while I was underemployed How underemployment strained my relationship with my parents What you can do to help keep your relationships strong while you're underemployed The best strategy I've found for navigating the negative feelings that come with underemployment and how to use it to strengthen your relationships How to talk to your friends about underemployment What you can do with your mind to help deal with underemployment

On this episode, I tell part two of my underemployment story, which blessedly came to an end in February 2018. I take you through my breakdown, and how I finally made progress toward exiting underemployment after years of stagnation.

On this episode, I share part one of my underemployment story! From my upbringing to choosing a college, finding a career path I actually liked, and getting my first job after graduation.

On this episode I talk all about self-care and your health care. When you're underemployed it is way too easy to neglect your health and yourself.From diet, drinking, exercise, and sleep, I give advice for taking care of yourself. Topics covered include: How underemployment can lead to health issues, binge drinking, and sleep problems How meal planning and healthy eating are important when you’re underemployed Why you should exercise when you’re underemployed How you can get better sleep when you’re underemployed

On this episode I talk about one of the many ways you can help yourself become gainfully employed. The focus of the specific episode will be on introspection and taking care of yourself mentally. Topics covered: One of the most detrimental things you can do to your mental health when you’re underemployed and what you can do about it Why therapy is necessary if you can afford it Why you should practice meditation and mindfulness Why you should practice gratitude Why you should read Brené Brown, watch her TED talk, and explore your vulnerability Why you should work to strengthen your resilience and persistence Why you should try this stuff even if you’re skeptical The best books to read when you’re underemployed: Daring Greatly: How the Courage to Be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead by Brené Brown Learned Optimism: How to Change Your Mind and Your Life by Martin E.P. Seligman Rejection Proof by Jia Jiang Gratitude and Trust by Tracy Jackson and Paul Williams Option B: Facing Adversity, Building Resilience, and Finding Joy by Sheryl Sandberg and Adam M. Grant Mindset: The New Psychology of Success by Carol S. Dweck You Are a Badass: How to Stop Doubting Your Greatness and Start Living an Awesome Life by Jen Sincero Positivity: Top-Notch Research Reveals the Upward Spiral That Will Change Your Life by Barbara L. Fredrickson Books on meditation and mindfulness: Meditation for Fidgety Skeptics: A 10% Happier How-to Book by Dan Harris Wherever You Go, There You Are: Mindfulness Meditation in Everyday Life by Jon Kabat-Zinn Why Can't I Meditate?: How to Get Your Mindfulness Practice on Track by Nigel Wellings Mindfulness: An Eight-Week Plan for Finding Peace in a Frantic World by J. Mark G. Williams,  Danny Penman, Jon Kabat-Zinn

This is episode six of Overcoming Underemployment and on today's episode I'm sharing Nathanial’s underemployment story. I actually met Nathanial over three years ago at a professional development conference that I paid for myself to go to when I was underemployed. We stayed in touch through social media and I was so happy to see his name on my list of guests for the podcast. We had a really great conversation and we talked about Nathaniel’s story, how he got to be where he is now, where he thinks he might be going next, and how underemployment affected him financially and socially. If you've been listening to the podcast and you're waiting for the episodes where I tell you how to get through underemployment... wait just a little bit longer because that will be the topic of the upcoming episodes. I hope you enjoy this episode and as always if there's something in it that you like or you don't like or you haven't thought about please let me know on any social media @jessicailutz and make sure to use the #UnderemploymentPod. How Nathanial ended up unemployed, and then underemployed after graduate school Doing slightly unstable contract work that led to his current position A hasty 3 AM cover letter led to his current position Going from underemployed to meeting his five year plan… In three years. How underemployment warped his sense of goal setting I am where I wanted to be… Now what? When he realized he was underemployed How underemployment affected his social life How underemployment exacerbated his stress about money How the money struggle mindset follows you even when you’re not underemployed anymore How strange and wonderful it is to have paid time off: sick time and vacation time How words of encouragement like, “Unemployment isn’t forever,” don’t feel real when you’re there You’re not special: underemployment isn’t just your problem The experience of comparing yourself to others on a similar path Being happy for others even when you’re miserable His advice for someone who’s underemployed right now Networking is just making friends “with a tie on.”

On this episode I dig into how higher education in America started, why the liberal arts are valued (or not), and what today's college students can do to combat underemployment after graduation. Jeff Selingo's tweet Allan Golston's tweet "The portion of incoming freshmen that cited "to be able to get a better job" as a very important reason for attending college reached an all-time high of 87.9 percent in 2012." College Disrupted: The Great Unbundling of Higher Education by Ryan Craig Higher Education?: How Colleges Are Wasting Our Money and Failing Our Kids---And What We Can Do about It by Andrew Hacker, Claudia Dreifus Designing the New American University by Michael M. Crow, William B. Dabars Reskilling America: Learning to Labor in the Twenty-First Century by Katherine S. Newman, Hella Winston Beyond the University: Why Liberal Education Matters by Michael S. Roth  

Today’s episode can only be described as inspiring. Seriously. After I finished recording this interview I was ready to go hug a stranger and do something I’d been putting off for a while. If you leave this episode feeling anything but elated and inspired, you can have your money back. Just kidding. But seriously. My guest, Shaun Howie, has a ton of great advice for navigating underemployment and really just staying a decent human being in the face of adversity. From the Navy, back to school, to retail, his advice? Stay positive and never settle. Topics discussed: From the Navy to Portland State University and a business degree in marketing Debt + $12 or $13 an hour, Expectations vs. reality Wages not keeping up with the cost of living Trying not to compare yourself to your friends Learning that your degree isn’t a death sentence The experience cycle Watching friends with debt struggle with finances The most challenging part of being underemployed The role of social media: it’s not always inspiring, it can remind you of what you don’t have Health insurance or the lack thereof How not getting vacation time negatively impacts your mental health Working multiple jobs to make a full time wage but not getting any of the associated benefits with working full time How Shaun’s attitude impacts his stress level and outlook Using reflection to battle stress and negative energy The kind of friends you should keep when you’re underemployed The ripple effect of random acts of kindness Using job listings to inform your job search Remembering what you’ve learned from every experience Building resilience: you have to try or you’ll never know How shame and vulnerability play a part in underemployment Daring Greatly*, Brene Brown’s book on shame and vulnerability Learned Optimism by Martin Seligman* Bored and Brilliant by Manoush Zomorodi* Note to Self podcast Let yourself get bored: put the phone down and be alone with yourself

This is episode three of Overcoming Underemployment and this is a very exciting episode because this is the first episode in which I share someone’s underemployment story. A big part of this podcast is sharing underemployment stories because if the research on underemployment has taught me anything it’s the experience of being underemployed is pretty consistent and I’m excited to share those insights with you. My guest, Hadar Spector, is actually a friend from college. We met when we were both studying abroad in 2011 and our shared experience of underemployment brought us back together all of these years later. I had a great time talking with her and we discuss everything from how underemployment affected her mental health and relationships, to coping with the experience of underemployment. Topics discussed: Hadar’s underemployment story: six weeks of unemployment, working as a hostess at a restaurant, working four jobs at once, then the restaurant full time, an administrative non-profit position, editorial assistant at a publishing house, a position that just wasn’t a good fit, quitting her job entirely, going back to being a hostess, to finally using her degree. Graduating a few years after the recession and facing a lot of competition Hearing, ‘You have to do something you don’t like to do something you do like,’ when slogging through a job that may lead to something you actually want The effects of underemployment: envying friends who were adequately employed, feeling inadequate, not having a social life, the uncertainty of choosing one job over another, making absurdly low wages, having to defer student loans, dreading having to tell people where you work when they ask, dating while underemployed and dealing with the stigma of being underemployed, having trouble being happy for friends, losing touch with friends, the effects of underemployment on mental health, not even getting interviews for positions, not even getting a ‘no.’ Navigating extended family gatherings while underemployed Expectations not meeting reality: why don’t I have the experience I need? The experience conundrum: need to get experience, but I can’t get experience without having experience first. Should internships and practical experience be a more integral part of college majors? Learning the hard way that getting a degree will not automatically get you a job Balancing the time consuming process of looking for a job and working full time only to get rejected Finding the silver lining in her underemployment College graduates need to adjust their expectations for life post-graduation Comparing our parents’ experiences and expectations and our own Follow your dreams or stay practical? Learning resilience as we went

The problem? Underemployment, and no one is quite sure what to do about it. In this episode I talk about the effects of underemployment, what it's like to be underemployed, and I ask some questions about what we're supposed to do about underemployment that admittedly don't have a simple answer to. Topics covered: The definition of underemployment from episode one Why no one’s talking about it The focus on unemployment numbers and why it isn't good How many college graduates are underemployed (probably) Why it’s scary that so many college graduates are underemployed The effects of underemployment* What makes underemployment so emotionally taxing Shame and vulnerability researcher Brene Brown’s books and TED Talk Students go to college to get a job, chief academic officers believe they’re preparing them for the working world, but business leaders disagree What it’s like to be underemployed How skilled trade positions go unfilled because so many young Americans are going to college instead of learning a trade and that this is a result of the public perception of the unworthiness of learning a trade Why today’s college students need to temper their expectations Why the job market is an employer’s market Research cited: “A report from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York found that the underemployment rate for all college graduates betweens the ages of 22 and 65 has hovered around 33% for the past three decades.” “Compared to the unemployment rate, which fluctuated between four and ten percent during the same time period, these numbers are alarmingly high.” “In 2014, there were 45,176,000 men and women in the United States over age 18 with a bachelor’s degree.” “Student loan debt continues to increase per student each year.” “Those with the least net worth owe the most student debt.”  

In this inaugural, short and sweet episode of Overcoming Underemployment I talk about what underemployment is, how I came to be interested in it, and what you can expect to get from the podcast. If you're new about these parts this is a fantastic episode to start with. Underemployment has been a part of my life since 2013, and I'm so excited to have this podcast out in the world as a resource for anyone who's underemployed and trying to figure out their life. If you have any thoughts to share, with me, find me on your favorite social media platform (I'm @JessicaILutz everywhere) and use the hashtag #UnderemploymentPod. Happy listening! New episodes are uploaded on the 1st and 15th of each month. Things I talk about in this episode: Where you can find me on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter Where I currently write online: Balance + Beam The Cliff's Notes version of my story - AKA how I came to be interested in underemployment The definition of underemployment The only book on underemployment* How the book of research on underemployment helped me cope with and ultimately get through underemployment Why I'm most interested (and concerned about!) college graduates who are underemployed The effects of underemployment Why no one is really talking about underemployment What this podcast serves to do Some topics this podcast will cover How you can share your underemployment story as part of the podcast Why you should share your underemployment story Sign up for my weekly newsletter, A Whit of Inspiration: a quick and simple email every Friday morning to inspire you