As a college senior, one of my worst fears, besides my outrageous amount of student loans, is the reality that I may not have a job after graduation. This fear is not only on my mind, but it is on the minds of my fellow seniors. The educated youth and recent graduates are not only competing against fellow grads but more experienced individuals who have felt the economic crisis first hand. I have attended several interviews for jobs after graduation, with two reoccurring results. Besides "not being qualified enough," the other applicants are those who have 20+ years of experience. I have worked extremely hard, maintained a major GPA of 3.8, have interned at prestigious corporations such as Nordstrom, created a LinkedIn profile, and have held leadership positions in a wide array of clubs and organizations. This is not enough. What can we do?
Recently, the New York Times posted an article on the astonishing employment results of 2010. This past December only produced 103,000 jobs. According to Reuters, there was 1.6 million seniors graduating in 2009. This isn't even accounting for all the experienced workers that have been laid off. It has been said that the American unemployment rate will remain above 8% through President Obama's term. We currently sit at 9.4%. A more astonishing statistic is that 44.7% of those who are unemployed having been looking for a position for over 27 weeks. The average college debt is around $22,000. What about us who attended private schools under the misconception that we would be bettered and have an upper-hand? My student loans are nearly 4 times the national average. This not only causes fear in that my monthly payments will exceed $800 a month for 15 years, but it also instills the idea that was my private education worth it.
As graduation nears, my fears of my student loans and the lack of job offers become a greater reality. What can i do? No one knows what tomorrow holds, we can only hope for the best.
Sources:
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/08/business/economy/08jobs.html?_r=1&ref=business
http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE53Q00G20090427
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