No, Paige Browning did not have those worries, because she moved back home to Spokane, Wash.
Browning, a graduate of radio-television production and Environmental Studies at the University of Montana, worked on a yearlong contract with the sorority Delta Gamma once she graduated in 2008. But, once that contract ran out, she didn't have any job options, so she moved back home.
"The big struggle with moving back home was I felt like I should be independent coming out of college," she said. "It's almost a little embarrassing, but seeing so many of my friends doing the same thing, it seemed almost easier."
College students moving back have been dubbed the "boomerang generation" and show no sign of giving up that title.
Across the nation, about 14 percent of young adults are living with their parents, up from nearly 11 percent in 2007, according to the 2010 U.S. census. About three-fourths of Americans ages 25-34 are employed, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, raising questions about why some of these students don't strike out on their own if they are already making money. But, with a poor job market and its uncertain recovery, many choose the safe route back home.
Cathy Joy, a Curry Health Center counselor, said she was shocked to hear students were moving back home. When she graduated, it looked odd for a graduate to move back home.
"It's like when my grandma was just a girl during the great depression," she said. "It's funny to see people returning to this era where things were tight and living with the family was necessary."
Joy said during the past 10 years she has seen a rise in students moving back. Most students who come to her for counseling are worried about debt and feel the need to move back home, she said.
"I worry people have a deep sense of shame for moving back, when really it's just the circumstances of the economy," she said.
Browning said she doesn't feel bad moving home because she is currently employed as a news correspondent at Spokane Public Radio doing work she wants to do. She said moving back home was a wise choice, because it gave her the opportunity to save money. However, she is ready to move out.
"The job market is so unaccepting," she said. "I searched around for a job in places like Seattle and Oregon, but going home was just simpler."
Alex Downey, a senior studying media arts, said he's going to jump into the job market as soon as he is out of college. He and a friend are moving to Los Angeles, Calif., in August to pursue film-related jobs, but he plans to move home to Butte for a couple months to save money before he leaves.
"We decided this like three semesters ago. We are just going to do it, regardless of how the economy is," he said. "I'm excited to be poor. I'll work a shitty job washing dishes as long as I can do the dream," he said.
tom.holm@umontana.edu
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