Young people ‘hunting’ for jobs in Merida’s Historic Center

Merida’s Historic Center has become the meeting point for young people looking for jobs, because, due to the lack of resources at home, they have had to look for alternatives to pay for their studies.

Of 10 people interviewed, between the ages of 18 and 23, seven expressed the need to obtain resources to keep from dropping out of school. However, they stated that it is difficult to find a job when they lack work experience.

Juan Carlos Alonzo Domínguez, who is studying psychology, commented that in order to continue with his academic preparation, he has to work, since books, teaching materials and even the internet to be able to do his homework are expensive.

“In my house there are only my two brothers, my mother and I, and I am the oldest, my mother supports me, but even she can’t afford everything, my two younger brothers are in high school and when they leave it will be another expense for her and she won’t be able to, so, to continue studying, I decided to look for a job, but honestly I have not been able to find one because most of them ask for full time and I can’t,” he explained.

Meanwhile, Melissa Chan Ortiz, nursing student, commented that Plaza Grande is a strategic place to look for a job, since through job boards on websites, she can go anywhere since it is in a central location.

“It is my first time looking for a job, I could not say if it is easy or difficult, but yes that from here I can move to other parts, since the plaza is a place that is in the middle of everything (…) I want to finish my studies and the economy is always a problem because the nursing career is expensive; I hope that my lack of experience is not a problem and that there is something that allows me to study and work at the same time.”

On the other hand, Jaqueline Villanueva Solorzano commented that she has gone to eight job interviews in the last week, but her lack of experience has worked against her. “It’s very frustrating because, even though we don’t have experience we want to learn, they don’t want to give us a chance when we need it too. They don’t realize that every interview is an economic sacrifice we make, with the tickets, applications and everything, and when you arrive they say no because you don’t have experience, they should give us more opportunities,” she reiterated.

Sebastián Martínez Poot commented that he managed to find work in a fast food chain, however, the salary was very low and they made him miss his classes when they needed personnel.

“For those who have businesses, when we go for an interview we state that we are studying and that if we want to work it is to help us economically and our families who, with everything that is happening, are having a hard time, and if we agree on something they have to fulfill it, now I am unemployed again, because where I worked if one of us was missing I had to stay and I had to miss classes so it no longer worked for me,” he concluded.

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