Dear Editor,

One may be appalled at the large number of unattached youth who participate in scamming; the fact that Jamaica experiences the second-highest rate of brain drain in the world; or the almost incessant talks about patriotism. But, from my perspective, I understand almost exactly how the people who migrate feel and I fear that I may understand the scammers too.

Take for instance my situation. I have 10 Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) subjects, four Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination (CAPE) subjects, and believed in the mantra that a good education will never decay. But I found this statement to be largely a lie in this country as “links” and connections determine your lot.

After one year of searching for a job, some of the places to which I applied continue to sit on my resume but still display their “We’re Hiring” posters, making me wonder if it is all a prank. Some have rejected me based on the fact that I’m overqualified for a high school graduate, others because I am underqualified, as I don’t have a degree.

Tertiary graduates have had to take jobs in call centres and not in their fields of study/expertise, which they paid for with scholarships and student loans. And it must be noted that these call centres that employ low-level contact centre workers are now under threat of being replaced by artificial intelligence (AI).

Additionally, tertiary graduates, even if they do find employment in an industry that may or may not be replaced by AI, their paycheque, when compared to the cost of living a reasonable lifestyle, one that isn’t lavish but at least dignified, is usually a joke. The average rent in Kingston, where a disproportionate number of jobs and development are concentrated, is around $120,000, approximately 50-75 per cent of the salary of the average entry-level worker, and these are usually in high demand because of limited availability.

Meanwhile, you have these uneducated scammers, who probably don’t even know how to add properly, being able to rake in millions of dollars as well as white-collar thieves who seem to have all the medium- and high-level positions in this country, while dedicated and honest graduates have to put aside their career aspirations for survival.

I always hear that this country promises to do more for its youth when, in reality, there isn’t much, if any, opportunity for people who don’t have “links” or are not hustlers, and this incentivises people to either leave or, if they can’t leave, turn to criminality.

Marcus White

whitemarc918@gmail.com