One reason young people say they leave the state is because they can't find a job. But the problem might not be that there aren't jobs in Michigan -- but that they don't like the jobs that are available. »

From 7-8 pm on Thursday, December 17, Michigan Radio will air a special call-in show for the Generation Y Michigan series. The show will be co-hosted by Charity Nebbe and Lauren Silverman. »

Oversimplified arguments for pledging allegiance to Michigan willfully ignore infrastructure-dependent jobs, the near impossibility of raising capital for start-ups, and the time it will take most people to turn a profit. »

A recent addition to what I’ll fondly refer to as Grand Rapids “michiganda” is a Facebook group called “Michigan by Choice.” Co-founder Kevin Buist works for ArtPrize and is 28. He sat down with me when I was in Grand Rapids a few weeks ago. »

Grand Rapids does a better job than other Michigan cities keeping some young people in the state after they graduate. Data for the Grand Valley State University class of 2008 shows that 94 percent of graduates that are working have jobs in Michigan. »

As of October 2009, metro Detroit had 13 unemployed people for every one job posting -- the worst ratio among the 50 most populated metro areas in the U.S. »

In my mind, there are three components to talent invigoration: showing students who want to stay here that there are a lot of great opportunities for them, attracting other young adults to the region, and keeping those who want to leave connected to the region in order to provide value. »

When young people leave Michigan, they often say it's because they couldn't find a job. At the University of Michigan, there's a group of students who focus less on looking for businesses that are hiring, and more on creating them. »

Over the years I had heard that Grand Rapids was one of the other "cool cities" in Michigan. More importantly, everyone told me that Grand Rapids had much less of a brain drain problem. And it turns out, they are right. »

I've noticed something different about Gen Y. We're really ambitious, and we need our work to be meaningful. Something about slaving away, just for the money, doesn't feel right to us. »

A Michigan native realizes that it’s not easy to stay in the state, but it’s not any easier to leave again. »