So You’ve Got a Degree... Now what?

In a matter of four years, the job market has incurred drastic change. When entering college a few years ago, the newest wave of college graduates expected to be somewhat insured of a job upon graduating. As college tuition rose, they swallowed the increase in cost knowing that they’d eventually be able to pay off their student debt. But that simply has not happened, many recent college graduates remain unemployed and are subsequently unable to pay off their debt. As graduation rapidly approaches for many students, they’re forced to face the ever-present question... now what?

There are certainly industries who are still blooming. For those lucky enough to have majored in bioengineering the market forecast shows nothing but blue skies ahead, but what about those with a less specialized degree? Many students have followed the advice of their elders and decided to pursue a career in a field they love, but they’re now facing a highly infuriating waiting game. While college grads are less likely to become unemployed, the time it takes to find a position if they do become unemployed is equal to that of an individual with a high school diploma or even less. So the question remains, how do you go about the job seeking process upon graduating?

Students graduating from M.B.A. programs are developing new tactics and becoming more flexible in order to find positions. According to Joe Light of the Wall Street Journal, students are considering offers from companies they wouldn’t have considered in years past. For students of varying degrees and graduate school programs, networking is becoming increasingly important. Schools and students alike are clinging desperately to their existing relationships and working diligently to develop new ones. This has led more students to consider local options as opposed to national options because schools are more likely to have connections with local businesses.

College advisers stress the importance of patience in today’s job market. While in years past students had typically found positions within three months of graduation, it’s now taking on average about six months to find employment. Moreover, the salaries of newly hired students haven’t risen to match inflation, as most other salaries have. There is hope however that unemployment reflects the cycle of the overall economy’s success, so federal stimulative policies should start to help relieve this issue as it has begun to help improve the economy. There is also of course the option of pro-longing one’s education in order to seek a graduate degree, but that prospect is of course very daunting to most students who already have unpaid debt from their undergraduate career.

Our recruiters here are finding that companies are still seeking very high-energy candidates with graduate and post-graduate degrees, it’s just a matter of getting your name out there, developing connections and starting at a more entry level position than has been the case in years past. While there is still very much a waiting-game many college graduates are playing, the job market should start to improve, and with patience and hard work graduates will eventually be rewarded.