Underemployment of College Graduates In “Greatly Reduced Expectations” by Robert E. Sullivan, Jr., Sullivan discusses the lack of available jobs for college graduates. Throughout the essay, testimonies are provided from four graduates who expected greater opportunities after earning a four-year degree. I stand in solidarity with these men and women who do work that advances their abilities. Jim McKay, a graduate of the University of Washington with a bachelor's degree in English, didn't expect the reality that hit him when he went looking for a job. McKay was not hired for any of the jobs he considered related to the English major. The newspaper wouldn't hire him, nor his university, nor a beer company as a sales representative. With a feeling of dismay, McKay thought that perhaps he wasn't trying hard enough, or perhaps he had chosen the wrong major. After meeting several underemployed college graduates, some newer graduates than him, he realized “something bigger was going on.” (229) McKay, working with people who never earned a college degree, has given up hope of finding a job that uses what he learned while in school. “I'm angry about the whole thing,” McKay says. “I guess when you're told all your life that something is going to happen, then the opposite happens, you feel cheated.” (230) I sympathize with Jim McKay, especially now that I'm in college and will have to deal with the same thing in a few years. It is a profound disappointment to work so hard as a young adult, invest so much money in education, and see it get you nowhere in the workplace. When a person realizes that they have “wasted time and money”, I can imagine the feelings of anger, disappointment and the feeling of having been deceived...... middle of paper...... and a hope to move up the ladder. The reason was that “there were all these people at the bottom who were willing to keep their jobs; they didn't want to give it up. We're talking about people who have made field sales their career, which is something I never wanted to do.” (233) I think it's really hard for graduates to climb the ladder when there will always be people willing to stay at the bottom. If everyone in the workforce insisted on working their way up, it would keep the workforce moving and give everyone a starting point with the ability to advance their careers. The situation graduates are facing is serious and must be addressed. addressed. I feel sorry for all the people who expected more and will never get it. I just hope that when I graduate my class will have a better chance of finding a good job in our field.