DETROIT (WXYZ) — It's a growing concern across the country and right here in metro Detroit: recent college grads are struggling to find jobs in their field despite years of training and education.
Joblessness is not just affecting bank accounts: it's also impacting mental health, and those whom I spoke to said they're not giving up hope just yet, and some are getting creative.
Watch Peter's full story in the video player below
"The biggest thing that I have regretted is going to college because I feel like i got myself a lot of debt for nothing," said Mya Reed, an unemployed recent college graduate.
"It's been just puzzling on how I've struggled when I've helped like thousands of people get into jobs," said Miles Alters, another unemployed college graduate.
College graduates with years of experience in the workforce are having a difficult time finding full-time employment in their field.
"It's been hard. It's been really hard," Alters said.
For 15 years, 40-year-old Alters was a job recruiter helping people find jobs out of college. But for the last year, he's been out of a job and looking for work, feeling the strains of long-term unemployment. He's sent out over 1,100 resumes and has barely gotten any responses.
"The past year being unemployed, it's not just taken a toll on m,e but it's taken a toll on my whole family," Alters said.
Miles isn't the only one with a college degree facing this dilemma. Reed is also feeling the pain, saying that a lack of patience by employers is partially to blame.
"They don't want to train and that's the biggest problem for me finding a job," she said.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, nearly 26 percent of people in August of this year were unemployed for six months or longer, and for those with a Bachelor's degree, unemployment rate is at 2.6 percent.
For both Mya and Miles, the endless applications are taking a toll on their mental health. Miles said that a lot of what he did for work was part of his identity.
"When that job ended I kind of found myself left out feeling like I was out of place, and as time goes on and interviews die down, you start to wonder, 'Is there something wrong with me?'" Miles said.
"It's kind of hard having a one-person income," Mya said. "It is taking a toll on us."
I spoke with Professor Dr. Arash Javanbakht at Wayne State University about how unemployment is impacting mental health, and he told me one thing you can do to change your mindset.
"The first thing as I said to know this is not your value, this is the value of what's happening in the market," Dr. Javanbakht said. "The other part is to know the emotions, Experiences of frustrations, the anger, the anxiety, the fear is normal."
Miles and Mya aren't giving up hope. Miles is starting his own business to help others in his position find gig work.
"I hope it helps people. It's going to be just another gig opportunity," Miles said. "They can be on the list and get notified."
And for Mya, she's putting her faith in God.
"There's a bigger purpose for me, that is why I am going through a struggle right now," Mya said.
