Show When graduates cant can't find work Kathleen Megan The Hartford Courant Stacy Lieberman hears the same thing from recent college grads all the time My degree is in psychology I dont don't know what to do My degree is in history I dont don't know what to todo todo todo do said Lieberman office manager at the Center for Professional Development which is at the University ity of in Connecticut but bUi serves h qc Lieberman who has two courses left to earn her bachelors bachelor's degree from Central Connecticut State University says her office often helps these callers but she also suggests they check back with their own college service career-service offices As the summer sizzles onward recent grads often with staggering loans to pay payoff payoff payoff off and their parents might feel as if no one quite knows how to handle the situation The most recent statistics from show that almost half of this years year's graduates planned to move home upon graduation Last years year's survey revealed that only t o f f 2007 g o tt 22 V vv expected to move home for more than six months but 43 percent have extended their stay and have yet to leave because of limited financial resources So how should young graduates get going in the job market and how much should parents help First experts suggest parents talk to grads about why they are home borne and their goals and then lay down some rules Michael Klein a Northampton Mass career coach with a doctorate works oin in psychology individually with recent students and their graduates parents who find themselves in this situation While few kids arrive absolutely no home with thoughts about what is next Klein said that often Things are not thought though as clearly as as they need out They have not had to b be the difficult conversations conversations- parent to child and child to parent Parents Klein advises Lets talk need to say home homeI about about why youre you're 1 I and what your short- short and term long goals are What is your purpose for being at home Are you trying to save money Lets Let's talk about what that means Klein said part of that discussion can be about what he or she should pay for room and board and about household chores with grads over the telephone If they come into the office it feels more like ike therapy he said He assesses their interests their strengths their personalities He helps his client come up with witha a so-called so action plan steps to be accomplished between phone calls His service costs about 1500 for a three- three to six-month six package of assessments and phone calls Klein said he cringes when he hears about parents who tell their children Just do something I dont don't care what The other extreme he said are parents who are comfortable having the kid at home or so fearful of hurting the relationship that they dont don't have those challenging conversations They dont don't create any boundaries at all said Klein We get a lot of that with baby boomers OK honey Ill I'll take care of you Well We'll figure it out Jeff Arnett a psychologist and the author of Emerging Adulthood The Winding Road From Late Teens Through the Twenties said parents need to be patient with kids and realize what they are going through is typical They dont don't want to live there any more than you want them to live there Most he said move home for a transitional period of ofas ofas ofas as long as six months or at most a year He said the young adults want to make their own decisions Maureen Mulroy associate professor in the Department of Human Development and Family Studies at the University of Connecticut's Cooperative Extension Program said parents should encourage grads but not find the job for them She said sometimes young adults become overwhelmed by their situation They think I 1 supposedly have all this knowledge and these skills to make me a bona fide paying dues-paying adult and Im I'm scared Im I'm kind of frozen in time and place In such cases Mulroy said kids can withdraw and even become depressed If this lasts for more than thana a couple of weeks she suggests seeking medical attention Most kids have a record of summer employment and it might help to return to an ordinary familiar summer job to give them some balance while they search for a related career-related job she said Annalisa Zinn assistant dean for career services in inthe inthe inthe the College of Liberal Arts at Quinnipiac University in Connecticut said that history or English majors often feel as though they arent aren't prepared for anything She assures them that th they y have many transferable skills writing and analytical and research abilities She recommends that rather than focus on large employment Web sites grads should pick picka a geographic area and go directly to the companies that appeal to them Often its it's helpful to go to the local Chamber of Commerce Web site for a list of all eI employers in an area |