At some point, nearly everyone grapples with their identity – faith, family, sexual orientation. But it can be even more difficult for minorities or immigrants struggling to sort through their sexuality. Read the rest of this entry »
Options for health care and insurance vary across the U.S.
Most college graduates bid farewell to their insurance plans the same day they bid farewell to their alma mater. Most. But some states and private insurance companies are addressing the increasing numbers of uninsured young adults with programs or laws to make the transition to the working world a little easier, and healthier. The question is whether these policies are enough. Read the rest of this entry »
Learning the Lingo: Health Insurance Terminology 101
Trying to figure out the difference between an agent and a broker? Should you get a plan with a high premium and low deductible or a low premium and a high deductible? Should you take advantage of an HSA? Use our health insurance glossary to make informed decisions about your health care choices.
30 Things Before 30: Part Three
The last installment includes a special bonus option for your 30th year. Leave a comment and let us know what you would add or what you’ve done! Missed the first two? Read the first ten here and the second ten here. Read the rest of this entry »
Like Mother, Like Daughter: Culture
Three cultures. Two generations. One bond. This Shift series delves into the lives of mothers who came to the United States from other countries and the daughters they have raised here.
From Agatha dreading Polish school to Dorina balancing her Mexican traditions with her husband’s, second generation daughters often walk a fine line between staying connected to their heritage and mainstream American culture. Read the rest of this entry »
Florida offers few options for uninsured young adults
Florida doesn’t offer much of a healthcare safety net for new college graduates. Employer-provided insurance plans remain a new graduate’s best bet for decent coverage, but with an unemployment rate of 10.7 percent as of July, prospects of jobs with such perks can be discouraging.
Read the rest of this entry »
Been skydiving lately? 30 Things Before 30, Part Two
Part two of our list of things you might consider doing before turning 30 includes, once again, a healthy mix of adventure and “real adult” stuff. If you missed Part One, read it here. Read the rest of this entry »
30 Before 30 List: Part One
Here is the first installment of the 30 things everyone should do – or at least consider – before they turn 30. Our list, of course, is just a jumping off point, culled from lists we found online, talking to twenty-somethings and thinking about our own goals. We’ve included some alternatives too: if you don’t want to write a book, maybe you’ll make a short film? If you don’t head to Everest, maybe Kilimanjaro? But there appears no alternative to creating a budget.
See which of these inspire you, and which simply inspire other creative ideas.
Private health care crunches the budget, offers peace of mind
This is part of our series on the decisions young adults are making as they manage their health care.
Ashley Bearden, age 23, public relations account executive, New York CityWhen Ashley Bearden graduated Nashville’s Belmont University last year, she had a pretty sweet offer awaiting her: a full-time post with a great salary at Polly Ryerson PR, the New York-based public relations company with which she had interned while in school.
For an Alabama native looking to jumpstart her career, saying yes was a no-brainer. The catch? The small company couldn’t afford a group plan for employees, leaving Bearden on her own.
The art of salvation: Kirsten’s creative life and Christian call
Much like her hipster friends and fellow art majors, Kirsten Aho relied on Salvation Army stores for hand-me-downs: clothes, college furniture and craft supplies. But as a 23-year-old soldier in the Salvation Army, she has a much deeper, lifelong connection to the international church and charity organization. Read the rest of this entry »
Children of the 80s: Have you stopped believin’?
Either coming out as atheists or living in church limbo, many adults in their 20s (dare I make another rock reference? YES.) are “losing their religion.”
Coming out atheist: young nonbelievers build community in college and online
As teens, they start thinking that it just doesn’t make sense anymore, and for years, it’s their secret… then, in college, surrounded by more open-minded peers, they come out of the dark, still-stigmatized atheist closet. Read the rest of this entry »
Sing it loud, Shift!
We’re doing some pretty sick stuff over here at Shift, so it’s no surprise that we approach reporting and crafting stories in new and unique ways. Sure, we’ve got attention-grabbing photos, stellar video and kickass text, but throw in a theme song written and recorded by a reporter and her band, and you’ve got the unique experience that is Shift.
I play bass and sing in a Chicago-based band called Grammar, and we spent one week this summer writing, recording, mixing and mastering a tune that incorporates some of the central themes of our work here at Shift: Entering adulthood, trying new things and being independent. It was a stressful week – we had two separate documentary filmmakers following us, we spent 26 hours of our weekend in a studio and we drank way, way too much caffeine to be healthy. But it was also a lot of fun, full of inside jokes, delicious Mexican food and talented friends willing to lend a hand.
Without further ado, we present our musical take on being young, educated and diverse in America. Keep reading after the jump for goofy session pics and shout outs to everyone who made this possible.
Seoul attempts to ‘heel’ gender woes
Sewer grates. Cobblestone streets. Ice slicks. Traversing these urban hazards in a pair of heels isn’t easy. Just the other day, I was walking from the train station to the office along with a steady stream of laptop-carrying workers. I was just minding my own business in a pair of low heels when, wham! My sensible business-casual heel was stuck in a sewer grate and I was doing a one-foot hop to get it back on. Most women who wear heels probably have had a similar mishap so when I read this Time article about Seoul painting parking spots pink so women could cut down on the high heeled commute, I was all for it. However, it seems this pink paint is brushing over larger gender issues. Read the rest of this entry »
Muslim activists: Linking allies through the Web
“I pledge never to engage in, support, or remain silent about the physical, psychological, and emotional abuse of Muslim and non-Muslim women and children.” – Mohammad Khalil, online pledge from Muslim Men Against Domestic Abuse
