With graduation approaching, students worry about the future Bryan Reid
Though the unemployment rate dropped recently, from 7.9 to 7.7 percent, it’s still bad all over. With the economy in a flux, it remains a scramble just to find work. A recent study showed at 53 percent of recent grads are either unemployed or underemployed. With this in mind, how do college students feel about finding work after graduating?
Stephanie Saintilien says she’s worried. “I’m not majoring in a field where work is always available like medicine,” says the senior MCA major. “I can be very fortunate and land an amazing job at a publication critiquing films or have a hard time finding work and just settle with anything I can get. Honestly it’s all about being determined and having that aspirating drive.”
Given the bad employment news, some students have lowered their expectations. “As an alternative I would most likely work a meaningless job that is not sacred to me, but it’s useful to society,” says Priscila Delgado, a CCNY undergraduate. “After all that’s what jobs are for.”
Some worry that a college degree can actually hinder, not help in the job search.
“I believe that getting a college degree also sets you back in a way,” says undergrad Tariek Thomas. “Why would an employee pay more to have a more qualified worker when he can get the same job done than a less qualified worker?”
Still, Saintilien prefers to see the glass half full. “If I’m assiduous and persistent,” she says, “I believe I’ll find something.”
