Great Recession, 10 years later: Young professionals battled for scarce jobs

Brennan Whitley thought he had done everything right to score a job after college.

His résumé was stocked with internships: two with the Fort Myers Miracle, one with the FGCU athletics office, one his senior year with the Tampa Bay Rays, a stint at the Super Bowl, and years of experience with the City of Palms basketball tournament.

Great Recession and the impact on young professionals.
Great Recession and the impact on young professionals. For two years, while searching for something permanent, Brennan Whitley worked seasonal internships for the Boston Red Sox, clocking up to 70 hours a week. In June 2012, the team hired him full-time. By the end of that year he closed on his first home. He is now the manager for Florida business operations for the Boston Red Sox. “The weight off the shoulders was tremendous just to be able to know that you’ve got something now that will hopefully last and get into more of a routine.” (Photo: Andrea Melendez/The News-Press)

His problem, though, was timing: He graduated from the University of Tampa in 2010, a year after the recession officially ended but when the effects were still being felt.

“My whole college career I had never really been said no to,” he said, but in his job hunt he was getting automatic responses of “no,” or no answers at all.

Whitley moved back to Fort Myers to live with his parents. “I wasn’t going to just go back and mooch off Mom and Dad. I wanted to be on my own.”

During the downturn, Whitley, now 30, was among the younger workers battling with older and sometimes more qualified workers for scarce jobs. Entering the labor force during a recession is not where one wants to be.