I lived like a walking corpse,

Young man, who had always been told that the hard work they put in studying and chasing degrees would pay off,

are now feeling defeated and trapped.

Defeat

Defeated

Trapped

Creep up on sb 开始影响某人

"lived the life of a retiree" but anxiety has been creeping up on her.

This double-edged sword of age discrimination and bleak job opportunities

is a challenge for those in their mid-30s

who have a mortgage over their heads,

or are thinking of starting a family

Despair

The situation is quite bad.

People are tired and many are trying to opt out. There is a lot of despair,

Some employers

are also less willing to

hire

"blank paper"

graduates who have less work experience

than their predecessors because of sustained Covid lockdowns