I was perusing Georgia College & State University’s website and noticed a link on the News & Events page that read, “Macon Telegraph, April 25, 2010, ‘Finding a job is a tough task for new college grads.’” Of course, the state of the economy concerns me for my situation, but I think about it for my oldest daughter, Amber, who attends GCSU. I have assumed that the state of the nation will have changed by then, but I must think practically.
If what this article says is true then my daughter, who won’t have her first degree until about 2013/14, needs to start positioning herself and doing the legwork now to ensure her place in the world of the working class. Although some students who are finding it difficult to obtain employment after graduation are choosing to obtain a master’s degree or take jobs outside of their field, it’s only a Band-Aid to the problem.
And that Band-Aid isn’t sticking well. When today’s graduates apply for jobs they qualify for they’re finding they’re being pushed out of the interview process by more experienced individuals who are currently out of work. Right now our economy is causing a terrible trickle-down effect.
The article recommends two things for graduates to do to better position themselves: standing out from the crowd and utilizing short-term opportunities for the long-term payoff. What do our Campus Talk Blog experts have to say about that? Jon Tingley writes about navigating a student affairs placement exchange as well as time management is a number one skill needed.
It is information like this that I’m hoping will improve Amber’s chances of walking into a fabulous J.O.B. when she graduates. She plans to continue her education through medical school, but there’s nothing wrong with increasing her chances of career success by taking this advice to heart and implementing it.
Do you think the unemployment rate and job opportunities will get better in the next two to three years?
Petula
First-time college mom
Petulaw.com