I know people who are over educated and underemployed in both my kid's generation and in my own. I wonder if people learn the academic system so well as to become so comfortable there that on some level sabotage they sabotage their job search.

I once owned a personnel agency and saw it there. People who were over educated and underexperienced often had limited human skills and little practical knowledge, but were great at the academic skills of memorizing and research. Even if the counselors found them a job using those skills, however, the applicants often sabotaged the process in some way so that they never actually went to work. They would have a well paying job offer and suddenly announce that they had returned to college to pursue some additional degree. They seemed to feel that academia was in some way superior to employment.

Seems like the incidence of that type personality is increasing. Probably because us boomers made it possible for our kids to pursue education forever without employment. Most of us probably never had that opportunity.

smile