The most arguably nerve wracking part of pursuing a college education is reaching the goal and graduating. Getting a professional career has become more difficult over the last decade, but college students are more responsible for this than they think.
According to a recent Associated Press article, “the job prospects for bachelor’s degree holders fell last year to the lowest level in more than a decade.” In the article, college graduate Michael Bledsoe said “I don’t even
know what I’m looking for.”
Because Bledsoe graduated in 2010 with a bachelor’s, there is no reason after sending out his resume for months, why he still cannot find a professional career. Unfortunately, Bledsoe made the poor choice of pursuing a degree in creative writing.
While this might seem like a bold statement, employers are looking for relevant skills and experience to fill positions. People should pursue studies that interest them, but they have to realize that a degree in philosophy or creative writing might not offer many options.
Networking is also crucial, so making a positive impression on teachers and employers in order to accumulate references must be a priority.
According to a recent Forbes article, vice president of work solutions for the company Manpower, Melanie Holmes, said “Employers know they can be picky since they have so many candidates to choose from.” Because of this, holding internships, participating in sports or other extracurricular activities and taking initiative in the classroom makes a resume stand out.
According to the same Associated Press article, “Median wages for those with bachelor’s degrees are down from 2000…eliminating midlevel jobs such as bank tellers.” For this reason, more people should consider attending community college or saving money before attending a university so they can devote more time to extracurricular activities and networking.
Instead of holding a high school diploma level job with overwhelming amounts of debt, students (especially those with low incomes) must plan to have time to do more than just complete their homework for class.
