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Article snippet: TEHRAN — As a college student studying mechanics, Hamidreza Faraji had expected after graduation to land a steady job with a fixed salary, a pension plan and the occasional bonus. He envisioned coming home at 6 p.m. to his family and vacationing at a resort on the Caspian Sea. But Mr. Faraji, 34, has long since given up on all that. These days, he said, the only people who lead such predictable lives are government employees. Their jobs are well paid and offer security, but are hard to get in part because older employees stay on well past retirement age, limiting opportunities for the next generation. So millions of Iranians, particularly younger ones, find themselves caught like Mr. Faraji in a vicious cycle of hidden poverty, an exhausting hustle to stay afloat, working multiple jobs and running moneymaking schemes just to keep up. The youth unemployment rate is 30 percent. “Seeking opportunities, and trying to make the best of them,” Mr. Faraji said when asked about how he supported himself and his wife. A baby is on the way — “that just happened” — but they have no idea how they are going to pay for the additional costs with the money he makes as a small-time trader. To many in the outside world, Iran seems to be riding high, its coffers replenished with billions of dollars it received after reaching a nuclear agreement with foreign powers. International businesses have been swarming into the country, seemingly eager to clinch deals. The government is throwin... Link to the full article to read more