Omnivore - Feature: Higher hospitality

Wearing a black V-neck and sterling silver earrings, Sarah Whistine sits near the pool tables at Georgia State hangout Sidebar, talking on her cell phone between shifts. She’s been working here for almost a year now, and at first glance seems like any other student working her way through college at a sports bar. But Whistine is not a college student. She has a degree as a physical therapist assistant from Black Hawk College in Illinois, and turned 30 last month.

The national percentage of jobless bachelor’s degree holders has doubled from 2.4 percent to 4.7 percent over the past year, according to educational attainment data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. But because Atlanta holds more opportunity than some other areas in the state, laid-off locals from this educational group often take service industry jobs while they continue to hope for a position in their field, said Bureau of Labor Statistics economist Steve Rondone, who works in Atlanta.

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(Photo by Joeff Davis)