It isn’t as blanketed as articles say (obviously) it depends on your route out of school, your location etc, everything just appears to align poorly for a certain segment. I’m sort-of in that segment. I’m from the north, I live in a city that in the 60/70s was bursting with industry, and then post 80s it went and it is never recovered. It’s not the worst of the cities, there are definitely stats that put others lower, but this is something that affects a lot of “above London” locations. Practical jobs went. Automation and other things exported or closed/sold off. In the wake of this we were all encouraged to go to university. Remembering all the while technical advances and transformations occur, you need a crystal ball to know what to do in the future.

Degree culture did well, tbh if you graduated in anything (including the arts) you could go on to further things when applying for management down the line- so not a boost up the ladder, but more a longer ladder supplied for your career. With this I was encouraged to take a degree in what I fancied (personally I was not guided well in careers due to being a a/b student consistently they go “you can do anything” as there’s no obvious talent anywhere). So it’s 2005 and I’m encouraged into my arts degree before the 2006 fee increases happen. Note my choice of arts will have affected my story- I have friends who did stem things too though, but their ambition never seemed as prevalent as mine, my plan was any old degree and grad scheme it.

I graduated in 2008, I had a job lined up with the uk border agency which would throw training and all sorts at me- then the financial crash came. I was told I was successful in August. I didn’t get my “start date” call until January. Needless to say I had to take work elsewhere and could not afford to stay in the city I loved and had to move home. Again this is just for me, I know some who were still in uni, some who were employed immediately but for me the recession meant get ANY job at any salary as money was needed. Seeing how employers now actually cared about your cv: experience, choice of degree etc as they had to whittle the pile down, I sold loads of stuff and went back to uni to make my degree look more professional msc in marketing. Winner! Except I graduated during the double dip recession.

Those who were whittling down cvs before had by now realised they could get some pretty impressive people for some average roles. Being on the entry level jobs with 5 years experience required. My personal Heath took a tumble so my job hunting became restricted so it makes this by a bit difficult but I was still looking- except as I had to move back to my parents...I’m still in that northern town. Ex-industry towns seem to have a habit of being full of retail, customer service and call centre work. I had no chance of getting a decent career job locally... let’s add in now our public transport sucks. I cannot drive. To drive in the uk you have lessons at £20 an hour, the theory test £70? I think and the practical test £125? I for some reason did terribly with lessons/tests so until I could pass...I was limited. But could I afford to learn and not learn?! Catch 22

I’m also different as I’m lucky as I was fortunate to receive inheritance (I don’t know many others who have- which meant I could buy a car/laptop). Eventually I passed and was able to apply for more “real world” jobs and I was now well enough to hopefully sustain full time employment. I had to take the first thing I got. Working online chat for a gambling company. A super niche job but a killer salary.

It’s 2012 and I’m finally on an annual wage of £18k, the starting was a friend of mine began on in 2008. This job, however only gives you experience in it. No marketable skills can be gained here, but in customer service town that doesn’t matter, except this place pays too well. It’s a trap! I learn to code I. My spare time. I land a real career job locally somehow! 2014 and at 22k. So it’s been 6 years of a mixture of bad luck, naff choices etc and learning as you go and I’m only just at the beginning of my career. Then the company went bust- 9 months in. I had such small experience no one cared about me, and my real career job (ux) now only exists a good 2 hour commute away.

Eventually I get lucky and get hired as a junior web dev for 21k, minimal perks and. 1.5 hour commute away. I left last year after desperately trying to work more/anything for a pay rise and getting nowhere. I returned barely 6 months later due to how awful my other job was, company is at the top of its game but due to time restrictions I was rarely given chance to improve some of my coding in practice.

I should be mid weight but now struggle in getting myself consistently better enough vs performing what is needed of me. So here i am 10 years later after graduating earning 21k. I’ve had no pay rises with inflation, no bonuses and no opportunity to earn more holidays. I am constantly asking for more work to do and ways I can help to earn more money- I’m due a pay review in a month or so. I’m a lucky one though, I had the inheritance as a prop, my parents are here and helped in the past, my boyfriend had his own place so I could save money while learning to drive etc and I now have my own house- bought with inheritance again. There are people in worse situations to me who chose the right degree and are just ruined by the system of cutting jobs, increasing work and cancelling wage increases, all while they struggle to rent.

Wow I talked a lot! Basically by the time any of us can adjust to what is needed of us, it changes. If you’re in the north, “big city” career jobs guarantee a commute which requires either fuel/train costs/ parking costs. Any money increases get eaten up with other requirements e.g I could earn more in Manchester, but the wage increase would not outweigh my travel costs and my sanity of being on a train for pre-8am and home for 7pm. Big employers are “holding off” on ph rises with inflation or are stagnating with Work due to money. E.g. my boyfriend can’t complete his objectives as the business refuses to purchase the software which was his objective to sort.