The comeback kid. The unsung hero. The quiet storm. No matter what you call it, I was always the kid in the shadows hoisting up those around me. In sports, I was never the top scorer, but I got the save or the assist or nixed the error. In school I got good grades, even great ones, but it was never enough to prove my academic standing for any hefty recognition. I never received a full-ride. I never even got a class superlative. However, one thing I did get from all this negligence was character. And like most of peers, I'm living out my own comeback story.

As a twenty-something, things haven't changed much. I'm still the underdog. I'm broke. I have nothing to call my own in life and I live with my parents. I can't even land an interview to save my life. But, I've got more experience and schooling than most kids my age. Still, it's not enough for the big dogs to even consider me.  

I've been living at home now for 3 months. My move back first seemed like a surrender of sorts. I had always been the go-getter, the traveler, the escape artist. It seemed like leaving was the only thing for which I gained any recognition. From the ripe old age of 17, I was off blazing my own trail from Massachusetts to Virginia, then over to France, only to return to the South and once again hop over the pond. I finally landed in Ohio last year to finish up a Master's degree. And, in the middle of all these voyages were mini-breaks that took me to a few continents and most of the U.S. All the while I was either writing, studying or interning. In short, I'm more than prepared for the workforce and I'm beyond eager to get started. I've got writing samples, great credentials, hell, I'm even trilingual. So, what's the problem?

I find that I'm like most of my undergraduate colleagues who aren't in education or who weren't pre-med or pre-law; we're all fighting the same war against the preceding generations who continually strive to eliminate the American dream of success and replace it with hardship, heartbreak and the American myth. They've set up rules, guidelines and necessary pit stops for those of us who are driven enough to make it to the top and we've followed blindly, even exceeding their expectations, only to be rudely awakened in our twenties by crashing head-on with reality.

Take my friend and brilliant International Studies major, for example. She resorted to the culinary arts where she can learn a trade, so to speak, and get satisfying work (despite the general sexist nature of that field). Another has resorted to giving wine tastings at her local grocery store to make ends meet. Another tends bar and yet another is an administrative assistant, or as I like to call them, secretaries. All of these people are multi-lingual and multi-talented and have spent multi-dollars to keep up in this Darwinian society. Despite all of their success, hard work and fiercely competitive nature, all of these people cannot land an interview in a field that could benefit from their knowledge and expertise.

As society becomes more and more sophisticated, I find myself yearning for a simpler time, when the American dream, now known as the American myth, was alive and well. Perhaps that's just nostalgia talking, but how can I be nostalgic for a time decades before my birthday? Have we all been fed falsities about our great American history? Have we all been duped? I'm not so sure because I know there was a time when individual progress was possible for most with the right amount of gumption and know-how. It was the seventies. Women were revolting and earning their places in the workforce and winning their admirable fight. That's how most of my mentors made it. They were women with a college degree and spunk. That's all they needed. Today, the battle is a little different.

Most of America is living in a comeback story as you read this. The children of baby-boomers, one of the largest demographics, have been at war with each other, striving to win the nouveau survival of the fittest when we should really be striving to win the war against generational rhetoric. These requirements made and enforced by those with authority have continually kept young talent down while keeping order in the elder phylum.

Case in point: when did standardized testing become so necessary? Those creating the exams didn't even have to deal with the intense pressure or competition involved in taking them, at least not to the extent of today's youth. And since when is a college degree not enough? Or even a Master's degree? What about valid experience? It seems as though the only thing that could possibly stand out on resume besides a Fulbright is an Ivy League degree. But, most American graduates didn't go to an Ivy League school for one reason or another, and it isn't because we're all dumb (monetary concerns, fear of putting oneself out there, poor standardized test taking ability, etc). Yet somehow, I believe that is what Working America is after, a brand name. Has post-Regan capitalistic society become so caught up in brand worship that most American grads can't even make the jump from college to the workforce?

The truth is I'm not the only one in the midst of a comeback story. Young America is living it as you read. Even this very article is a small part of my continuing comeback story. And, hopefully, it can inspire other twenty-somethings to keep fighting the good fight. If the generations before us are going to continue forcing us to jump through hoops of fire just to get an interview, then so be it. We've got far more credentials than they ever had at our age. Deliverance is just around the corner.

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This post contributed by Grady McGrath...a writer at Helium.com