Muhammad Abdallah
Engl 101-30
Professor Gebhardt
October 9, 2014

Coming of Age
Dear , The twenty-first century has many of its peaks and valleys. It is the century of developing and enhancement of technology. But as technology further improved in quality, the economy began to drastically plummet to the ground. College graduate success rates are declining, the economy and careers are uncertain, and major cultural shifts are occurring. So, as one can easily point out, it is not this generation that is not “hard working”, but rather the ways of the modern world that are causing this effect on students and student graduates. Being a first year college student in 2014, the cultural shift transpiring cannot go unnoticed. Instead of following and making traditional choices, this generation, following the “silver-haired” generation, has learned to lead their “lives driven and shaped by personal choice...That’s why our new era of slow economic growth will be a personal shock” (Freeland, Coming of Age at a Sour Time). Apparently, the making of personal choices has decelerated the economy in ways that now makes it more difficult for students to make certainty of their career choices. Graduates are finding it more difficult to acquire jobs related to their studies. What is the reason behind this? Is this generation too irresponsible and unmotivated to excel in their lives to success? Of course, now-a-days, jobs are never certain after graduation with a basic bachelor’s degree. Since the economy is at an all-time low these years, people that graduate from a university tend to get stuck working in a minimum wage job unrelated to their major. So they say we are the “unmotivated” and “entitled” generation, but if one was set in our position, they would be unmotivated as well when a job after studying is not guaranteed. A part of this cause is because of the fact students do not get the education they need. As time goes, so does the academic systems in universities. Trying to stay up-to-date with the students, colleges are focusing more on attracting teenage students by “disinvesting from academic programs, and investing in social amenities” (Freeland, Coming of Age at a Sour Time). Students are not getting the education they require to move on in life as adults in the working world. Although it is not the students’ choice to invest more on social amenities, it has become normal, given cultural shifts. Students now go to college to “explore” making socialization a priority while the real main purpose of going to school is to prepare for their lives and succeed with the education they are meant to receive. When schools do not invest as much money into academics as they do with social attraction, students cannot “really gain preparation that serves them to make successful transitions” (Carapezza). Modern technology has a great effect on college students and their knowledge. So much that even colleges focus more on it than academics. This may be the