As I’ve mentioned before, I am not yet a parent.
However, I am the eldest daughter in my family, with my youngest sister and I being divided by nearly 5 years.
And since she was born, I have taken on the attitude of a parent, if not the responsibilities. I’ve lectured and held my few short years of wisdom over her – always telling her what to do in as condescending a tone as possible.
As we entered our twenties, I had hoped that attitude of mine had changed. But then came the job hunt.
My youngest sister recently graduated from college. She came to visit this week as part of her job hunt, hoping that being out here would give her a better shot at finding work in Arizona.
And it has been exasperating. I’ve given her web sites, asked favors from friends, taken her to every networking event I can find. Her frustration only grows and it gets taken out on me.
My sister is o
ne of thousands. She is entering the job market at one of its most challenging points, college degree in hand and finding it doesn’t open the doors it had promised.
Job hunting has become a family effort – with parents and siblings researching, calling and emailing tirelessly.
How are you, the parents, confronting this issue with your college age children? Are you searching with them, or giving them the tools? How much are you involved and how much is too much?
