The tattoo on Christian Berrios’ right forearm says “Knowledge is Power.” For a high school dropout in a city with shuttered textile plants and 18% unemployment, he needs all the knowledge he can get.
Berrios will graduate in June from YouthBuild, one of many national service programs that got an infusion of federal aid under last year’s economic stimulus law. He’ll get his high school equivalency degree as well as “green” construction skills to help him navigate a difficult job market.
“It’s tough out there,” says Berrios, 22, who wants a college degree in psychology. “I feel we got a better chance at scoring a better job.”
I’m afreaid that his bachelor’s in psychology and $5.00 will buy him a cup of coffee at McDonald’s. One needs an advanced degree in that field to even get in the door.
desert padre
padre–The most important 5 words a liberal arts major can know are: “You want fries with that”?
In this household we call a Bachelor’s in Psychology “pregraduate studies!”
dropout… tattoo… “green” jobs… psychology…
Am I the only one here who sees the continuity?
My brother (an English major) sent me a news paper clipping a few years ago about an employment agency that specialized in hard to place people including felons, former mental patients, unskilled workers and liberal arts majors. Wwe both got a big laugh out of it!