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.

• 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

• “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.

• 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