Young people, Education, and Work in your 20's

I'm not sure if this is representative of the average 20+/- year old but my commentary on the education in Sweden explains my experiences thus far with the young adults that I have met.

Education is free in Sweden all the way to a doctorate level, yet many Swedes choose to work after their equivalent of high school. Given that education is free (it is subsidized by their taxes), one would assume that most students would go on to a University and get a post-secondary level of education, yet only 36% go on to get their post-secondary (or doctorate) degree. This level is high, but surprisingly not as high as the USA, Canada, or Japan.

Among the young adults that I have met, many of the graduates of the Gymnasieutbildning (secondary school) will spend a year or so abroad in other countries, since they have no debt, and the government supports them until they are 20 (free health care, families get stipends for each child that they have until the child is done with elementary school, and then the child will get a stipend from the government until they are graduated with high school, (Gymnasieutbildning).

Many Swedes like to spend their time across Europe and in America, as students, tourists, or au pairs (live-in nanny). They like to spend their vacations in Thailand.

Many Swedes choose to study outside of the country, although they agree that their universities are high quality. The government pays part of tuition if students choose to study outside of the country, and also grants loans. If a student chooses to stay in the country, they will have no cost for the education, but they typically take out "student loans" from the government to cover their excess expenses that they incur from living.

Many of the young people that I have met say that it is extremely hard to find a job. Entry-level jobs, like at McDonalds, are very competitive and so you will find many people ages 20-25 working entry level jobs. Many young Swedes look to Norway for jobs. With the rising popularity of entrepreneurship in the country, I would expect to see more jobs. I still need to explore this more before I can make any better assumptions.