May 09 2008
Get a job…ANY job!
Get a job…ANY job! Don’t wait for a job in your college degree set.
That’s the advice being given to current college graduates. With the current job market already tight and with new grads competing for choice jobs against folks with already established career experience, new college graduates are being told to face reality and get a job so that they can support themselves and not to wait for that dream job to come available. At least, not right now.
Take A Job, Not Necessarily The Job:
Thornel Ruff and his wife are following in the footsteps of their three children and graduating from college this spring. But this family tradition, albeit in reverse, comes with a cost and no guarantee of employment, as thousands of college students discover upon entering the work force.
“I’m excited about finding a job, but I’m kind of worried,” said Ruff, who earned a degree in sports industry operations at Metropolitan State College of Denver and estimates his family’s college debt will be about $40,000.
Ruff hopes he finds a job coaching football quickly but will probably accept less than his dream job to pay the bills.
“My time frame is immediately. I’m paying a mortgage,” Ruff said.
On average, Metro State students graduate with $13,364 in student debts - an increase of more than $2,000 from last year’s graduating class, according to the college.
Ruff has the right attitude because it takes most students four to six months to secure a job, said Bridgette Coble, interim director of Metro’s Office of Career Services.
Nobody is advising grads to let go of their dreams. After all, they worked for four years or more to get that degree and they expected to be able to use it once they graduated from college. But, reality is a mother. Now that they have graduated, they have all those student loan bills to start paying back, not to mention providing for every day life. Unless they come from money, they need to get out and get real jobs to bring in the money to survive on.
That might mean taking the first job offer that comes along, whether it pays as much as they would have expected after all those years of targeted study.
(cross-posted)
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“On average, Metro State students graduate with $13,364 in student debts - an increase of more than $2,000 from last year’s graduating class, ACCORDING TO THE COLLEGE.”
Did the college say this with a straight face, or did he have a little smirk, and his buddy, Viggo, was wearing the same? ‘Cause it sounds like a shake down to me.
Of course it’s not all the schools administration’s fault, since they have a few revenue streams going dry at the same time; Research grants are slowing since corporations have less to invest, which necessitates less hiring, and pay stagnation, which means less consumer spending, leading to less tax base, which adds itself to the housing crisis, so that the state/local gov’ts can’t give the schools the funding they need.
Had the school’s lending counselors not been in the financial institution’s pockets, derailing any meaningful reforms to financial aid, at least the students wouldn’t be stuck with the bill for other’s malfeasance. Regardless of any protestations otherwise, everyone from the university presidents on down had to see how detrimental the current system is to equal access higher education.
As to grabbing any job available, I don’t see the problem; Perhaps because I worked in different fields before settling into a career. Most of the jobs provided a learning experience that helped me later on, and I only regret a small minority that were a waste of time. The money itself isn’t the biggest factor; Once you get to a certain pay area, you can live similarly to what someone making 5 grand, either way could, so if it’s enough to keep your head above water, I would suggest to recent grads to get the job, and continue looking for opportunities to open up. Too many times, I stayed somewhere out of some sense of loyalty, or complacency, rather than diligently searching for something better.
That is good advice. I think it is worse now but in 1970 many of us were lured into the military because of the economy and after College taking any job in hopes of looking around and getting started from there. It works! One of my non military sons is getting ready to start Blue collar union career. He is very good but Dads and his Instructors seriousness have him a bit concerned. Oh well better to be prepared!
It sounds so good, but what’s the reality in this incredibly soft market? Are there jobs to be had? I mean, forget the career job for a minute. Are there actual jobs to be had?
In the last 8 years, the bottom fell out of the housing market; the price of gas at the pump is obscene; and in my business, people are really thinking long and hard about traveling. Our phones are not ringing.
So, perhaps we need to create some jobs, bring some jobs back home, stop spending gazillions on a war, and spend that money here.
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Good article. The real world is a bitch, job wise, these days. But I have to agree with Trog… when I googled average college debt the numbers range from $30,00- to $20,00- most college tuition rates are up 50%.
I came across this cool chart
http://projectonstudentdebt.org/state_by_state-data.php
As much as that is a State-by-State jaw dropper, I then realized it was the numbers from 2006.
Who wants to bet on if you think the rates have gone up since then?
Funny you should mention dream jobs– because right now, the job market is a nightmare.
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