No Jobs for Grads? It Depends.
$50,000 a year for that sweet after-graduation job?
That’s always been the plan, hasn’t it? According to my informal survey of college students I know, many if not most of them were expecting to earn $50k or more in their first job after graduation. Yet, a recent survey by Career Builder, only 14% of employers will be offering salaries of $50,000 a year or better, with a whopping 36% saying they will offer jobs at less than $30,000. Yes, you read that right: $30,000. After taxes, that’s about $2,000 a month. College degree? Plumbers and hair stylists make more than that.
What happened?
Well yes, there is that recession thing. The “R” word. But there are other “R” words as well:
Reality. Where did the expectation of high income employment come from with our kids? I suspect that we have raised a generation of new grads who have a serious issue with “entitlement.” We have seasoned their growing years with great expectations which have been out of synch with the real world. The recession merely magnifies this disconnect.
Research. It doesn’t appear to me that students spend much time, if any, in understanding where they are headed after college. There is little thought given to employment, other than a general sense of optimism, which is harshly crushed when they surprise themselves moving back home, often burdened by debt which can take a decade or more to pay back–even with a job. Research yourself. Research employment fields. Research jobs and companies.
Recruitment. College students today are missing a key facet of hiring. Employers are soft on recruitment, preferring to hold off on all hiring until the current economic crisis ends. It’s up to students to focus on recruitment now, to sharpen their presentation skills and talents, hone their interview techniques and whatever relevant background might enhance employment prospects.
Readiness. This is mental. New grads cannot be fussy about job offerings. Better to downsize salary expectations now–$30,000 a year is something–than move back home. Or, they can prepare themselves another way…
There’s always grad school.
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