According to the annual Illini Success Report from 2018, 91% of that year’s graduating class secured a first destination of employment, further education or a volunteer position within six months of graduation. Despite this, an article from Market Watch reported 28% of recent graduates are back living with mom and dad in the Chicago area.

Regardless of whether one has obtained gainful employment by the time they leave school, there is a decent chance they could be living at home at least for some transitional period. After taking notice of how my 24-year-old brother, who lives at home, has managed to stay on my parents’ good side for quite some time, I have picked up on contributions he has made around the house which has allowed him to stay in their good graces, and I thought I’d share a few of them. 

One that stands out was his push for my parents to stop overpaying for cable and switch to YouTube TV. This cheaper alternative with just as much watchable content has them saving almost $90 a month even though they upgraded the bandwidth and kept streaming subscriptions. Every time my parents sit on the couch to watch something, it is reinforced that he is the one who made it happen. My parents also like how the ads are timed, so they know if they can get a glass of water or relieve themselves without missing a beat. In addition to doing the dishes and running tedious errands, other contributions my brother makes revolve around being the resident IT expert. Always being available at a moment’s notice to talk either of my parents through any technical difficulties they encounter has instilled them with a sense of gratitude and an inability to imagine a world without someone to remind them how useful restarting a computer can be. 

If someone is in a position where they are looking for a job during this period, being at home is a great place to be able to utilize the offline networking resource those before had relied upon, also known as nepotism. Part of the benefit of having your parents involved in the job hunt alongside you is if they come up unsuccessful, perhaps they might show sympathy as opposed to resentment toward you for free-loading. The flip side is if their efforts bear fruit, they very well could hold it over your head to guilt-trip you when they need something for years to come. This applies to most entry-level positions, so if you are just waiting for your DJ career to take off, there is less of a chance your family, other relatives or their friends are likely to be able to help you out. 

Noah is a junior in Business.

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