Parents' home provides refuge after graduation

After putting away the cap and gown, many students will find themselves sleeping in their old rooms among trophy-lined shelves and New Kids on the Block posters.

And it might not be a temporary solution: Students living with parents after graduation is becoming more common, said Marcia Harris, director of University Career Services.

“There is definitely an increasing trend for students after graduation not to feel the necessity of being out on their own and supporting themselves,” she said.

In a 2004 survey conducted by MonsterTRAK, one of the most popular job search Internet sites, 57 percent of that year’s college graduates planned to move back in with their parents.

One of the reasons for this migration homeward is the lack of a ready job after graduating. Harris said supportive parents also can sometimes cause a lack of urgency in their child’s career hunt.

“I think, to some extent, it goes back to indulgent parents that are understanding of the difficulties of the job search and the demands on student time while they are in college,” she said. “They are very supportive both emotionally and financially for a student.”

After graduating in 2001, Chris Corcoran, a political science major, returned home with plans for a relaxed summer.

“The mentality I had was that I wasn’t really pressed to get a job initially. I wasn’t in any rush,” he said. “I was going to apply to graduate school and hang out and not worry about getting a job, but I ended up finding a job.”

Other students take time off to travel or pursue various interests, using their parents’ place as a home base during transitional periods.

After graduating in 2004, Liz Ward worked at Yellowstone National Park, answering her desire for adventure before settling down.

She planned to continue her job search there, but didn’t have adequate time or easy Internet access. After realizing she wasn’t going to discover the opportunities she had hoped for, she returned home.

“It’s like you have all these huge dreams when you come out of school, and then they dwindle to realistic ones,” Ward said.

While applying for teaching positions and contemplating her next career move, Ward took a job at a Belk department store. She said that although she never imagined she would move back in with her parents, it allows her to save money.

“It’s not realistic to me to have my own place because I make $8.50 an hour at a part-time job,” she said.

Ward is now considering attending graduate school at Appalachian State University.

Some students have secured a job upon graduation, but can’t pass up the economic benefits of living at home.

Senior business major Michael Yeary plans to live with his parents during the training period for his future job. Saving money is the main reason he moved home, especially since he is getting married in May.

“I’ll be able to save all of my money and put a down payment on a house,” he said.

For Robert Brown, a 2004 graduate with a bachelor’s of science in biology, living with his parents has allowed him to pursue jobs that interest him rather than a high-salary entry-level position. He is now volunteering at UNC’s Cecil G. Sheps Center for Health Services Research and plans to apply for the Peace Corps.

“There are jobs that will teach you a lot but which don’t pay you a lot,” he said. “Living at home with the folks controls cost in a big way and allows me to take jobs like that.”

Harris said that even though this year’s class will have the best job market since the class of 2001, she doubts the number of students returning home will greatly decrease.

“I think that some of the reasons that students will return home is not due to that they couldn’t find a job, but that they didn’t look for a job,” she said. “I don’t think that’s going to change.”

What will change is the lifestyle of many students who return to daily doses of mom’s home cooking.

Yeary said moving back in with his parents might be a little weird at first. His mom has redecorated his room, removing his Shania Twain posters in favor of his Eagle Scout merit badges.

And the “no girls in your room” policy still applies.

“I’m 23 years old with a 45-hour-a-week job,” he said. “It’ll be funny to hear, ‘Is the door open?’”

Contact the Features Editor at features@unc.edu.