No future for me or the youth

THE EDITOR, Madam:

One may be appalled as to the large number of unattached youths who participate in scamming or the fact that Jamaica experiences the second highest brain drain in the world, amid the almost incessant talks about patriotism. But from my viewpoint, I understand almost exactly how the people who migrate feel and I fear that I may understand the scammers.

Take, for instance, my situation. I have ten CSEC and four CAPE subjects, and followed the mantra that a good education will never decay. But I found that statement to be largely a lie in this country, as links and connections determine your lot in this country.

After one year of searching for a job, some of the places that I applied to have been sitting on my resume since last year yet still have the ‘We’re Hiring’ signs posted, making me wonder if it is all a prank. Some of them rejected me based on the fact that I’m overqualified for a high school graduate, yet underqualified because I don’t have a degree.

For tertiary students, they have to take on jobs in call centres and not in the respective fields for which they studied, which they paid for in scholarships and student loans. The very call centres with low-level contact work that are under threat of being taken over by Artificial Intelligence.

And even if some do get a job in an industry that may or may not be taken over by AI, comparing the cost of living for a reasonable lifestyle that isn’t lavish but at least dignified versus their pay cheque is usually a joke. The average rent in Kingston, where a disproportionate amount of jobs and development are focused, is approximately $100,000 – around 50-75 per cent and sometimes more than the starting salary – and those usually have multiple people chasing the limited stock.

Meanwhile, you have these uneducated scammers, who probably don’t even know how to add properly, being able to rake in millions of dollars; not to mention the white collar thieves who seem to have all the medium and high positions in this country; while dedicated and honest graduates have to put aside their career aspirations for survival.

I always hear about how this country promises to do more for its youth when, in reality, there isn’t much, if any, opportunity for people who “don’t have links” or “are not hustlers”. Young people seem to have no choice but to leave or, if they can’t leave, turn to criminality.

DISHEARTENED

JAMAICAN YOUTH