The Benefits of Underemployment

There are benefits to underemployment. That's what I'm going to tell the next person who asks me what I do with the 20 hours a week that I don't work for UCO.

I recently read an article in Time magazine entitled "How Underemployed is Generation Y." You can read the article here .

I was not surprised to read that 53% of recent college graduates are either unemployed, or underemployed. For example, in my young adult bible study most of us either work part time, or work a combination of odd jobs full-time. I know a lot lot of smart, interesting,young people who go to college, major in something cool like Victorian Literature, and end up having to work as an administrative assistant to pay back their student loans. And that's a best case scenario.

I am a pretty typical millennial. I graduated from college in 2011 with a degree in English Literature and History. After I graduated I took a gap year to serve in Ann Arbor, MI, and now I work part time for University Christian Outreach. I'm actively looking for part-time employment, but with my skills and this economy, it might be a while before I find work.

I refuse to allow my underemployment get me down. I have decided to embrace this unexpected phase as an opportunity for self-improvement. So like most media-savy millennial, I've compiled my thoughts into an easily skimmed list.

Top 5 Benefits of Underemployment

1. Open Yale Courses
I was heartbroken to graduate from university and leave behind reading assignments, papers, and brilliantly quirky professors. About a month ago I stumbled upon this gem. Open Yale Courses are Yale University introductory courses offered free to the public. Their website gives you access to course syllabi, and course lectures. Right now I'm going through Amy Hungerford's "The American Novel Since 1945." Between the reading assignments and the course lectures, this passion project takes up about five hours of my time per week. Plus it allows me to ask my housemates about their school days without turning green with envy.

2. Attend Pittsburgh's FREE cultural programs
A drawback of underemployment is that you don't have much discretionary income. But with a little research, you can explore your city's culture on the cheap. Case in point. Pittsburgh's Regional Assistant Development (RAD) donates money to area libraries, museums, and gardens. Every organization that receives donations from RAD must host a RAD day, where they make their attraction free to the public. In the last week, I visited Phipps Conservatory and The Andy Warhol Museum. My only expense was the $5 I spent on bus fare.

3. Learn to Bake
Baking is like writing: everyone thinks they can master it if they just had the time and the right ingredients. False. Baking is like writing in that they are both skills that get better with practice. Now that I have the time, I try to bake something new every week. Below is a picture of my latest creation.

Pumpkin Cookies

4. Coffee Dates

Moving to a new city means hitting the reset button on your social life. Building new relationships takes time. I enjoy coffee dates because they provide a space for getting to know someone casually. I like getting coffee instead of a drink because it keeps you awake, and gives you something to talk about. Plus it's cheap. And coffee dates motivate me to shower and put on real clothes on days I wouldn't have otherwise left the house.  

5. Pray

In working with college students, I've found that lack of time can really derail a person's prayer life. It takes time to learn how to pray. It takes time to prepare to pray (brewing coffee, gathering materials, finding a quiet place). And it takes time to pray well. Now that I've got the time, I've set a goal of 30 minutes of daily prayer and scripture reading. I really like the discipline and structure that daily morning prayer gives me. I try to spend only five of those minutes praying for a part time job.