ASU Reacts: "Veterans Struggle to Find Jobs, Piece of Mind"

ALVES: Hello this is Cassandra Alves reporting on NPR’s article “Veterans Struggle to Find Jobs, Piece of Mind.” The article presents the argument that veterans that have come back from Iraq and Afghanistan are struggling to find jobs and return to their civilian lives. In the article we hear from solder Brian Cannava as he talks about his struggles to return to his normal life. He states that he has applied to hundreds of jobs since he came back from deployment and that he misses being deployed because he no longer feels that he has a purpose.

ALVES: The unemployment rate for veterans is currently standing at ten percent. But veterans are not the only ones struggling. According to the United States Department of Labor, the unemployment rate for college students also stands at about ten percent. Here is Charlinsky Erickson, a student at Arizona State University speaking for many of the unemployed students on campus.

ERICKSON: I was given Work Study by FAFSA and I have probably applied to twenty jobs in the past 3 weeks and I haven’t even gotten a call back for an interview.

ALVES: Why do you think you are struggling so much in finding a job?

ERICKSON: Most jobs require experience but I’m young and I haven’t really had much experience and it is frustrating because in order to get experience I need to start somewhere and no one is giving me that opportunity.

ALVES: If the problem is lack of experience, why do you think veterans are also having such a hard time finding employment?

ERICKSON: Well, they’re probably struggling because they don’t have experience in a certain work area. If they want a job in a store they’re military training has probably not provided the skills needed to work in retail.

ALVES: The struggle of unemployment is frustrating many people including veterans and students. Hopefully with time things will get better for all of these hard working individuals.