As a senior in college, the issue of trying to find a job is weighing immensely on my shoulders. Yes, it’s understood that searching for a job is not an easy feat, however, no one warned me, or any of my friends, how difficult it would actually be.
Growing up I was always taught that in order to get a successful job I would have to go to college. I was taught that this degree, this piece of paper, would give me the tools necessary to succeed in the my industry, no matter what career path I chose. I’m starting to realize the utter foolishness of this statement.
One of my very close friends graduated during the fall of 2017 Magna Cum Laude with a 3.8 GPA. She graduated near the top of her class and has the best GPA out of anyone I know. Yet almost 2 months after graduation she is still jobless. Although she has made a valiant effort tediously searching for ten, fifteen, twenty jobs at a time, she still has not received an interview anywhere, nor a single call back. If my friend who graduated from a prestigious university at the top of her class can’t find a job, what’s going to happen to students like me who are merely average?
It’s a stark realization that the college education I worked so hard to obtain will do very little to help me secure employment in my field. Yes, I know that there are more things that students must do to “fluff up” their resume in addition to a college degree such as internships, jobs, extracurricular activities, etc. However, these activities will rarely impress employers on their own. It is imperative for students to not only gain a bachelor’s degree, but also a master’s degree in order to gain any sort of recognition by potential employers.
I find this very problematic. Admittedly, for many careers, master’s degrees are vital and necessary. However, many employers representing a vast array of different career paths that once required only a bachelor’s degree a few years ago are now demanding master’s degrees, and sometimes even PhDs from their prospective employees.
As an incoming college freshman, I was promised that my bachelor’s degree would be sufficient to land me a well-paying entry level job, and from there I would have to rely on myself to work my way up the corporate ladder. Now as a senior, I’m being told that a bachelor’s degree is considered child’s play to many employers and now master’s degrees are the “it thing.”
What happens to those students who barely got through the struggle of paying for college and can’t afford to pay for graduate school? If we are just as qualified as those who are in graduate school, why are we being overlooked? As a graduate, and potential employee, I can promise anyone who would like to compare me to a graduate student that they do not have a better work ethic than I do simply based on the premise that they are working towards their master’s degree.
From the beginning, college students are filled with the whimsical idea that we can obtain a job in any career field we want, as long as we put our mind to it. As a graduating senior currently looking for job, I believe this to be a bucket of lies. If my bachelor’s degree is not “enough” for some employers, why did I waste four years of my time and money working towards something that is possibly unachievable?
I understand that the job sphere is demanding and uncontrollable to those who have just graduated college, but I believe more employers should take a chance on college students. If we are desperate enough to waste $150,000 on an education based on the premise of obtaining a career, wouldn’t one assume we’re willing to do the work as an employee?
Emily Barron is a senior majoring in anthropology. Her column runs biweekly.
