25 yo DD unhappy and unemployed after university - how to support her?

[ByVividScroller]

My youngest DD is 25, and has just finished a master's. She has always been very academically minded and flew through school. However, she has also struggled with her mental health since her teen years, and has been on antidepressants for 3 years - the initial trigger was her struggling to cope with a nasty breakup.

In some ways, she is very mature/capable - she worked and studied abroad. But now she's finished her course, she has come back home and seems to have hit a bit of a wall. Not many of her school friends still live in the area, so she doesn't have much of a social life. We live in a rather rural area, and while she can drive, she doesn't have a car. She has been applying for jobs, both locally and abroad, but her industry has been badly affected by AI, especially at the entry-level, and she hasn't been successful even for internships. It's really getting her down, and I don't know what to do or how to help. We are happy for her to stay with us - our other adult DC have lived or come back to live with us at points too, and she is helpful around the house - but I fear this situation is not good for her mental health.

What would you do in this situation?

I would encourage her to get a job in a bar or a cafe while she's looking for her relevant job so that she gets out and meets people and socialise, whcih will be better for her mental health, and help with interviews for the actual job she wants.

Encourage her to apply for local jobs just to give her something to do and start earning a bit of money, perhaps she could buy a car that way which would help going forward. It took dsd 2 years from university to getting a career position but she took various jobs in the interim. Took dsds dp 1 year for a full graduate position

Apply for any job, if she gets one it will give her some structure. But graduate recruitment is hard right now. What else could she do with herself? Would she do care work or volunteer somewhere? Anything to keep her busy and build connections.

I feel so sorry for these kids just graduating. The job market at all levels is appalling at the moment. I've got a 22yo in the same situation.
I think the main thing is to find something to occupy themselves. If they can find local work - retail, cafe etc just to get them out of the house and meeting people, they need to take it. If not, are there any volunteering opportunities locally? Does she have any hobbies where she could join a local club or group.
Hope she finds something soon

Could she do some tutoring , online or maybe ask at local tutoring companies? It may work well for her if she’s academically able and could be flexible enough for her to job hunt around doing it.

What did she do her degree and masters in? Could she change industries? What did the uni careers suggest for options? AI has been around for a while now and changing job roles so if she’s only just done her masters there should be a few different suggestions from careers?

Your poor DD.

Can she swim? Are there any swimming pools in your area? There is usually a shortage of lifeguards. It costs £300 and takes a week to qualify as a pool lifeguard. You don’t need to be an amazing swimmer. I have just looked on the recruitment page of my local leisure centre and they are looking for a full time lifeguard and will pay for the training. I wouldn’t recommend this as a long term career option for a graduate but it is a great intermediate job.

Regarding her mental health …: is she getting outdoors? Exercising? .

I'd encourage her to go and work abroad: there's about 30 countries that she can get two year working visas for very easily.

Hi op

Completely agree with PPs who say she needs to get any job.

I felt very lost after my degree, uni was very much lacking in good advice on career paths and i failed to get onto any grad schemes because of the maths tests.

I ended up getting a full time job in a department store for a year. Then moved to a call centre and worked my way up. Never used my degree.

First step is for DD to give herself something to do and to earn money.

Are you able to support her financially with getting a car to help her job prospects?

I second qualifying as a lifeguard, or a coach for a sport she likes - it gets her out of the house, brings in money, sharpens people skills. Also volunteering in anything adjacent to her field of choice.

What does she want to do? Rather than just taking a job in a bar, are there any entry level jobs suitable for school leavers in her industry that she could apply for? Are there any jobs or voluntary roles that would give her transferable skills or networking opportunities for the career she wants?

Tutoring is a good idea. Also volunteering in an area she's interested in.

Sports or swimming are going to be really only a goer if someone has that as a skill. Ie very sporty or very good at swimming.

I don’t mean to be negative, but those sayings “just get any job” - you might not realise that there is currently a chronic shortage of these basic, minimum wage jobs.

I don’t have anything helpful to say other than I get so angry reading about the plight of young people in this country and especially AI taking away their opportunities. Capitalism at its worst.

I know she’s completed a masters, but could she complete some kind of more practical qualification to help her employment prospects?

Can you not insure her on your car? Or can she cycle? Being stranded without transport won't help practically or psychologically, but seems solvable as she can drive. She could even do delivery jobs if you can help with giving her access to a vehicle, whether it's a bike or an old banger, and she can build up from there.

I would recommend signing on for UC and accessing the job coach service. My DS2 was in a similar situation post graduation. Job coach provided structure and found him a six month placement in his chosen career. That led to his permanent job.

We know that, but it doesn’t sound like op’s DD has even attempted this route. Always worth a shot.