The job market may be tight, but there are plenty of opportunities
Erin Sullivan
Issue date: 2/3/10 Section: News Stories
It's a bright spring day at Assumption College and you, a graduating senior, could not be more thrilled. After all the hard work you've done over four years, you've finally made it. You walk onstage, shake a few hands and at last are holding that degree you've wanted for so long. Then a sudden moment of dread washes over you, and you break into a cold sweat. "What do I do now?"
Many college students have had recurring nightmares like this, and it does not just start during one's senior year. Although many walk into their freshman and often sophomore year not knowing what they want to do in life, few, if any, plan on walking out as a senior with the same mindset. The real world can seem like a scary thing to a college student, especially now with the economy the way it is.
According to the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics in 2009, 8.6 percent of people ages 16 to 24 with a Bachelor's degree or more were unemployed. This is less than half of those with only a high school diploma, whose unemployment rate is at 20.6 percent. Still, being unemployed is a daunting idea to the students who are graduating in a mere couple of months.
Co-Director of Career Services David Kowalczyk is well aware of this, as he assists students in thinking about their futures every day. Seeing about five to seven students a day, seven days a week, Kowalczyk tries to stay on top of the current economic trends and problems. He pointed out that in The World Almanac nationwide, there is expected to be an average of six people vying for every one job opening. "And that's flat-out terrifying," he said.
Lately Kowalczyk has seen a rise in students looking into graduate and professional schools. However, despite seeming like the best route, he urges students to also look into a job or something else for a backup plan. "In this type of economy the desire for grad school increases," he pointed out, and with an influx of even more prospective candidates it can become just as, if not more competitive than the job market.
Many college students have had recurring nightmares like this, and it does not just start during one's senior year. Although many walk into their freshman and often sophomore year not knowing what they want to do in life, few, if any, plan on walking out as a senior with the same mindset. The real world can seem like a scary thing to a college student, especially now with the economy the way it is.
According to the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics in 2009, 8.6 percent of people ages 16 to 24 with a Bachelor's degree or more were unemployed. This is less than half of those with only a high school diploma, whose unemployment rate is at 20.6 percent. Still, being unemployed is a daunting idea to the students who are graduating in a mere couple of months.
Co-Director of Career Services David Kowalczyk is well aware of this, as he assists students in thinking about their futures every day. Seeing about five to seven students a day, seven days a week, Kowalczyk tries to stay on top of the current economic trends and problems. He pointed out that in The World Almanac nationwide, there is expected to be an average of six people vying for every one job opening. "And that's flat-out terrifying," he said.
Lately Kowalczyk has seen a rise in students looking into graduate and professional schools. However, despite seeming like the best route, he urges students to also look into a job or something else for a backup plan. "In this type of economy the desire for grad school increases," he pointed out, and with an influx of even more prospective candidates it can become just as, if not more competitive than the job market.
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