TONIGHT. OUT OF SCHOOL AND UNEMPLOYED. THAT’S THE CHALLENGE. FACING NEARLY 6% OF RECENT COLLEGE GRADUATES IN THE U.S. RIGHT NOW. HERE WITH SOME ADVICE IS DOCTOR KHADIJA BOOTH WATKINS, A PSYCHIATRIST AND THE ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR OF THE CLAY CENTER FOR HEALTHY MINDS AT MASS GENERAL HOSPITAL. I KNOW WE’RE WHATEVER DATE THIS IS. IS IT THE EIGHTH? WE SHOULDN’T SAY HAPPY NEW YEAR, BUT WE HAVEN’T SEEN YOU. SO WE’RE GOING TO SAY HAPPY, HAPPY NEW YEAR. GREAT TO SEE YOU, DOCTOR. SO MANY OF US REMEMBER GETTING OUR OUR FIRST JOB. YEAH, MINE WAS AT THE STAR MARKET OVER THE TURNPIKE IN NEWTON. AYER IN THE DELI DEPARTMENT, IN THE DELI. TO THIS DAY, I REMEMBER THAT. AND I REMEMBER GETTING THE FIRST PAYCHECK. IT WAS A BIG BOOST FOR OUR OWN FINANCIAL HEALTH. BUT WHAT DOES THE DATA SHOW ABOUT THE BENEFITS FOR OUR MENTAL HEALTH? WELL, THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME BACK AGAIN. THE FIRST JOB IS SUPER EXCITING. AND IT’S THE CHECK IS THE HIGHLIGHT FOR MOST OF US. BUT IT’S ALSO NOT JUST ABOUT THE CHECK. YOU KNOW, HOLDING A JOB, BEING ABLE TO MEET YOUR OWN NEEDS PROVIDES A TREMENDOUS MENTAL HEALTH BOOST, ESPECIALLY THAT FIRST JOB. AGAIN, THAT FIRST JOB REALLY SERVES TO REALLY BOOST YOUR SELF-ESTEEM. IT BOOSTS YOUR MOOD. IT GIVES YOU THAT SENSE OF PURPOSE, WHICH IS REALLY IMPORTANT AS WE BUILD RESILIENCE, BUT ALSO HAVING YOUR OWN MONEY ALLOWS YOU TO BEGIN TO EXERT YOUR AUTONOMY AND BUILD YOUR FINANCIAL COMPETENCE. SO THERE’S TONS OF BENEFITS OUTSIDE OF JUST THE CHECK. THAT’S A GREAT POINT. DO YOU THINK, DOCTOR, ANY JOB IS BETTER THAN NO JOB WHEN YOU’RE JUST STARTING OUT? I WOULD SAY NOT NECESSARILY. AND IT DEPENDS. IT DEPENDS ON WHAT THE GOALS ARE FOR THE JOB. YOU KNOW, ARE YOU SAVING TO BUY A CAR OR TAKE A TRIP, OR DO YOU HAVE RENT TO PAY OR HAVE OTHER FINANCIAL FINANCIAL OBLIGATIONS THAT ARE LIKE PRESSING? OR DO YOU HAVE A BIT OF CUSHION, YOU KNOW, ARE YOU ABLE TO KIND OF TAKE MORE TIME? ARE YOU LOOKING TO BUILD YOUR RESUME WITH MEANINGFUL EXPERIENCES? AND IN THAT CASE, MAYBE YOU WANT TO TAKE A CLASS OR DO SOME VOLUNTEERING. HAVING A JOB OFFERS THOSE THINGS THAT WE TALKED ABOUT EARLIER BUT ALSO PROVIDES, YOU KNOW, STRUCTURE AND PREDICTABILITY AROUND ROUTINES, WHICH IS INCREDIBLY IMPORTANT. SO REALLY, I GUESS, TO ANSWER YOUR QUESTION, BEYOND THAT, IT DEPENDS, I THINK FOR YOUR FIRST JOB, I’D ON THE SIDE OF, YOU KNOW, THE QUALITY OF THE JOB MATTERS MORE THAN JUST HAVING A JOB, BECAUSE YOU WANT TO SET THAT TONE OF HAVING A SAFE ENVIRONMENT, SUPPORTIVE ENVIRONMENT. YOU WANT TO HAVE ADEQUATE SUPERVISION. YOU KNOW, IDEALLY THAT’S A GOOD POINT. SO SO WHAT ARE SOME WAYS THAT PARENTS CAN ACTUALLY HELP AND SUPPORT THEIR CHILD’S JOB SEARCH WITHOUT STRESSING THEM OUT? YOU KNOW, THERE IS A FINE LINE WHEN YOU WALK THROUGH THERE. IT’S A FINE LINE. AND IT’S TOUGH FOR US AS PARENTS BECAUSE WE ARE FRUSTRATED AND WORRIED FOR THEM AS WELL. BUT ALL HOUSEHOLDS ARE DIFFERENT AND EACH HOUSEHOLD HAS TO CONSIDER WHAT IS REASONABLE FOR THEM. YOU KNOW, WHETHER IT’S FINANCIALLY OR CULTURALLY. THE BIGGEST SUPPORT THAT I COULD SAY WOULD BE THAT MIND SHIFT. AND I THINK WE TALKED EARLIER IN ANOTHER EPISODE ABOUT, YOU KNOW, PARENTS GOING FROM, YOU KNOW, GUARDING THEIR KIDS TO GUIDING THEIR KIDS. AND HERE IS SIMILAR WE WANT TO KIND OF MOVE FROM BEING THEIR MANAGERS TO THEIR COACHES. AND SO WE WANT TO BE MAKING SUGGESTIONS. SO MAKE SUGGESTIONS MAYBE ON THE APPROACH THEY’RE TAKING AS THEY’RE LOOKING FOR JOBS, MAYBE YOU SEE SOME OPPORTUNITIES THAT YOU THINK THEY MIGHT BE INTERESTED IN. AND SO SUGGEST THOSE OPPORTUNITIES. THIS IS A REALLY FRUSTRATING TIME FOR EVERYONE INVOLVED. SO WE WANT TO BE MINDFUL ABOUT OUR EMOTIONS AND AVOID NEGATIVE AND DEROGATORY KIND OF CONVERSATIONS. WE WANT TO REMIND THEM THAT, YOU KNOW, REJECTION IS PART OF THE PROCESS, BUT ALSO AS PEOPLE REMEMBER THAT IT HURTS AND TRY TO NORMALIZE IT A BIT FOR HIM THEM. BUT IF YOU ARE A FAMILY THAT HAS A LITTLE BIT OF RESOURCES AND YOU CAN PROVIDE A LITTLE BIT OF ROOM AND BOARD OR SOME SUPPLEMENT TO THEIR SALARY TEMPORARILY, LIKE THAT WOULD BE GREAT IN ORDER TO BUY THEM TIME TO FIND THE JOB THAT THEY WANT. BUT THESE ALL HAVE TO BE CONVERSATIONS THAT HAPPEN OFTEN IN EARLY, WHERE YOU’RE SETTING THE EXPECTATIONS. YOU’RE MAKING IT CLEAR, AND SO THAT THERE’S NO CONFUSION ALONG DOWN THE PATH DOWN THE ROAD. GO FROM GUARDING TO GUIDING. THAT’S VERY GOOD, I L