Their hand-wringing, though, is potentially unsubstantiated. The unemployment rate among this cohort has taken a nosedive, plummeting from 9% in September 2020 to about 4.5% in May 2024. 

Jay believes job market pessimism among young people is unmerited. 

“There is a lot of opportunity in Gainesville that I think not a lot of people tend to recognize,” she said. 

Jay cited the city’s preeminent medical and burgeoning biotechnology sectors as spaces packed with job vacancies.

Gainesville’s unemployment rate has remained relatively stable, with only nominal fluctuations over the past few months. As of July 2024, it was 3.6%, compared to the state’s 3.3% and the nation’s 4.2%. 

Santa Fe College admin nurtures budding professionals 

Like UF, Santa Fe College offers a wealth of career counseling services.  

JoAnn Wilkes, 75, coordinates SF’s Displacement Homemaker Program. The DHP provides free education and employment resources to people — primarily women — who have lost financial support after a life-changing event. 

Some participants work toward earning a GED or an associate’s degree, while others seek vocational training in trades like welding and HVAC.

Wilkes also advises young undergraduates to juggle full academic schedules and gig work.

“You have to put the puzzle together in order to get enough income to support yourself and still go to school,” she said.

In 2020, 40% of full-time college undergraduates balanced part-time employment. Maintaining decent grades and a job can be taxing. Wilkes said building a career while handling those responsibilities is even more demanding. 

DHP’s use of “warm hand-offs” — directly connecting employers with applicants — simplifies the process for both parties. Connecting an applicant’s name and resume to their face allows companies to be “a little more invested in the person that we’re sending them,” Wilkes said.

Jimmy Yawn, 73, has been SF’s career center coordinator for more than 50 years. He’s still surprised by how easily disgruntled students become when faced with setbacks. 

Communication delays and rejections quickly dishearten those seeking employment, he said. 

“I had a student come in angry this morning,” Yawn said. “He’s been applying for jobs for two weeks and hasn’t gotten one yet.” 

He said he helps students become more reasonable about their career timelines and assures them that what they are doing is “worthwhile, that it’s right [and] they’ll almost certainly find what they’re looking for.”

Restoring dignity, promoting confidence

Gainesville’s non-college residents can tap into local employment and personal development services.

Project YouthBuild equips low-income young adults who have dropped out of school with the resources and skills to improve their lives. 

Through the organization’s rigorous nine-month education and leadership program, students work toward earning a high school diploma while giving back to their communities. Many participants shoulder full academic course loads while maintaining part-time jobs. 

Low-income students are likelier to hold part-time jobs while enrolled in school than their high-income counterparts. “Working learners,” with their attention fractured between education and employment responsibilities, are less likely to graduate on time than non-working learners.

Executive director Jonathan Leslie, 51, said that nearly half of his students change into uniforms and head to service jobs as soon as classes end.

There are other career readiness services available to Gainesville residents.

Brett Buel, 55, is the development director at Gainesville Opportunity Center. The center provides work readiness training to community members with mental illnesses, one of the leading causes of work-related disability in the United States. 

Part of its mission is to prioritize dignity and social inclusion while promoting vocational independence. Buell said, “The GOC is a place of belonging,” where those it serves are neither patients nor clients.

Many of the GOC’s patrons have been absent from the labor force for up to 20 years. 

“When they walk in the door, they actually believe that they will never be able to work again,” Buell said, “But through our program, they see other people with mental illness succeeding and moving forward and getting jobs.” 

He said the GOC focuses on building stamina and confidence in its members.

“Doing productive work makes them more independent, it makes them happier, it makes them feel better about themselves, and all that leads to better outcomes,” Buell said.

Contact Natalie Kaufman at nkaufman@alligator.org. Follow her on X @Nat_Kauf.