How's the job hunt going for the class of 2026?
“I’m doing everything I’m supposed to be doing, and I still don’t know if it matters.”
Good morning everyone.
Some weekend updates:
Feed Me’s second West Coast edition will be sent out on Monday, including details for a party I’m throwing in San Francisco on January 29th. If you have any good stories or tips from California that you think should be included, shoot me an email at emily@readfeedme.com.
Season one of Expense Account — presented by Substack and Silver Oak — is wrapping up. If you’d like to work with us on sponsoring season 2 or any part of the Feed Me universe, please email max@brigadetalent.com.
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I’m going on a media podcast detox. They have increasingly become circle jerks and listening to them makes my world feel small.
Today’s letter includes: Paywalling breakups, why Marc Andreessen is bullish on Substack, Alix Earle’s new podcast/interview show, and the latest restaurant from the Bravo universe.
The Class of 2026 idolizes Bari Weiss, Josh Kushner, and Lina Khan.
I was in a meeting earlier this week where someone suggested that Feed Me should be having more honest conversations about the state of work for young people. I had been thinking the same thing, which is why last month I interviewed some of my college senior readers about how the job search is going.
Last summer, The New York Times reported that unemployment for those ages 22 to 27 rose to 5.8 percent in March 2025, a four-year high. “Recent grads make up only 5 percent of the total work force, but they account for 12 percent of the 85 percent increase in the overall unemployment rate since mid-2023,” the author noted, citing an Oxford Economics report suggesting we’re beginning to see the effects of AI replacing entry level jobs.
We’re talking about this today in the Feed Me chat:
“If you don’t pursue finance or consulting, there are 0 jobs for early career candidates,” a senior at Georgetown told me. I sent out a survey to my list of college readers who had indicated they were graduating in 2026 to get a better sense of how they’re feeling about life after graduation. Three respondents described the process of looking and applying for jobs as “Sisyphean.” (There is some hope here that they at least know who Sisyphus is).
I want to acknowledge that there is probably some selection bias in these answers — they’re from young people who are in college, read Feed Me, and are probably interested in the entry-level knowledge work jobs that are most impacted by AI and other negative trends. They might not even consider the option of applying to work in a nursing home or to be a machinist (healthcare and skilled trades are two areas of the economy experiencing labor shortages.) Here’s what they had to say:
Male, Purdue ‘26, general management
Can you describe what the current process for applying for post-grad jobs feels like?
“Cooked. The current process feels quite cooked. In order to land an interview, it feels like you have to jump through so many different hoops. Cold emailing somebody, DMing them on LinkedIn, asking them for a coffee chat, reaching out to recruiters, etc. That’s just trying to land a job interview.
The whole job interview process is also stressful. Many times, there are more than 3+ rounds.
I have friends that were ghosted by their recruiters from their previous internship and got no return offers. I had friends that had to bug and continually follow up with their recruiter about converting their internship into a full-time offer. I had a friend that had 9 separate interviews at different companies and got rejected from all of them except one. I know people that are putting in 15-20 hour days just applying for jobs, networking, trying to find some opportunity.”
It’s even worse being an international student. I know so many qualified, smart, intelligent international students that are honestly more qualified than me and have impressive resumes that are struggling to find companies that sponsor.”
What is your dream job and salary for after you graduate?
“I’m not sure what my dream job is, to be honest with you. I’m just grateful I have a job lined up post grad. I’m going into healthcare consulting. My ideal salary range would be $100k-120k.”
Whose career trajectory are you envious of?
“For some reason, I am really drawn to creatives and people that build their brand/businesses in public. For example, Minted New York’s Marcus Milione has created a really cool menswear/running brand while also creating a run club in New York.
Also, Ken Sakata, I believe he is a surgeon and runs a really cool menswear brand on the side. He has a great social media presence and a great YouTube channel where he shares all the problems he’s encountered and things he’s learned running a menswear brand. I also like Jack Raines. Whatever he is doing, I always find fascinating.”
How much money is in your bank account?
“$5,000.”
Female, University of Pennsylvania ‘26, religious studies
Can you describe what the current process for applying for post-grad jobs feels like?
“It feels daunting, and it’s hard not to compare your trajectory with your friends. Sometimes it feels like your applications end up in a black hole.”
What is your dream job and salary for after you graduate?
“Anything to do with books (book publishing, book circulation, marketing) and over $60k.”
Whose career trajectory are you envious of?
“Chloe Malle, duh, or Julia Vitale.”
How much money is in your bank account?
“About $1000 in banking, and a little over $1000 in savings.
Female, New York University ‘26, double major in journalism and drama
Can you describe what the current process for applying for post-grad jobs feels like?
“Current process is a Sisyphean task that includes saving jobs, applying to 20 in one night out of fear, scouring the internet for peoples’ contacts, reaching out, not hearing back.”
What is your dream job and salary for after you graduate?
“Dream job would be in production for any media company, preferably art based, preferably print, preferably $60k.”
Whose career trajectory are you envious of?
“Totally random but this guy Jonah Bierman goes to NYU and is really plugged in with the up-and-coming music scene. His branding and management are really chic and I think he just has that thing that is gonna make him really successful in the arts/music scene.”
How much money is in your bank account?
“$55.64 (one of the few of my friends who don’t get an allowance, also one of the few who works multiple jobs).”
Female, Fordham University ‘26, political science
Can you describe what the current process for applying for post-grad jobs feels like?
“Honestly it’s all about who you know. The term nepo baby is losing its meaning solely because of this. Everyone I know is getting jobs thanks to their parents, including me!”
What is your dream job and salary for after you graduate?
“Job: White House reporter. Salary: It depends where you live. I’m between NYC and DC so there’s some room to work with. Ideally, 100k-120k.”
Whose career trajectory are you envious of?
“Bari Weiss.”
How much money is in your bank account?
“More than it should be - but I haven’t paid my rent yet.”