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Rather than spending the last of their four years making memories, many college seniors are clouded with uncertainty about their futures. Inflation and an increasingly scrutinizing job market only adds to this anxiety, because an undergraduate degree doesn’t carry the same weight it once did.

Despite this doubt, we as students are capable of finding confidence in ourselves as young professionals. But it won’t be achieved by polishing networking skills or well-written emails. It comes from in-field experience – something college students often delay seeking out until after they’ve received their diplomas.

According to Jason Wingard from Forbes Magazine, a college degree – what was once considered an accolade – has been reduced to a presumption in the modern workplace.

“The value of higher education has waned. As a former college president and current scholar at Harvard University, I don’t say this lightly. Students and their parents are right to be concerned. But not because companies are hiring non-degree holders over college graduates. They should be worried, instead, about whether or not their college education will properly prepare them for future work,” Wingard wrote.

Many students, regardless of their GPA, work experience or academic success, will not immediately be granted job opportunities after they graduate. They may even regret or rethink their academic decisions as a response to the lack of their professional traction. In reality, no one can select a major or course that can fully prepare them for the working world, because the bulk of the skills we need to succeed in niche career paths lie outside the classroom.

The college application process can lead students to think they can handpick their future destinations. While universities often market themselves to persuade prospective students to attend, job recruiters will expect candidates to advocate for themselves, a skill that is best learned through experience.

This can be very demotivating, especially to students who have relied heavily on how they appear on paper to carry them through their academic careers. But we can rise to this challenge by gaining real-world experience prior to job searches, which will in turn build independence and decrease feelings of uncertainty and vulnerability.

Students ought to be provided more opportunity for trial and error as a supplement to their course load, something Syracuse University should strive to integrate. Instead of simply uploading resumes to Handshake during their last semester, more faculty guidance and direction will allow students to be more intentional about the fields they’re interested in, ultimately boosting students’ confidence when entering the workforce.

Aside from the job search, college seniors may be losing sleep at night for other reasons. As the cost of living increases, so does senior year dread. Among the multitudes of people hunting for housing are college graduates, who are finding it increasingly difficult to find affordable rent, potentially leading to further delay of their careers. Because of this, students are likely to put more weight on finding the highest compensated position to be able to live in places with skyrocketing rent prices, like New York City, for one.

For some, this means moving back to their childhood home. But when college graduates move back home indefinitely, it can cause low self-esteem and a feeling of moving backward. Embark Behavior Health Unit commented on the mental health effects that can be attributed to a lack of autonomy, stating that “A young person who feels as though they don’t have any skills to contribute to independent living may resort to isolation … if they can’t cook or clean, they may avoid being around other people so they don’t have to deal with their lack of skills.”

Ilana Zahavy | Design Editor

On the other hand, students opting to leave home feel an increasing pressure to land a perfect job and apartment in a major city. The reality is, most entry level positions will not accommodate everyone’s hopes and dreams, and the artificial nature of social media may be to blame. “Fresh graduates exhibit a higher propensity to excessively utilize social media platforms, resulting in their disregard and apathy towards both their immediate surroundings and others,” Shuyang Tiana Marrase of the University of Pennsylvania said.

To make matters worse, college students have unrealistic expectations for starting salaries. “The disconnect between perception and reality only worsens over time. A decade into their careers, students anticipate making more than $204,560. That’s well over the average mid career salary of $98,647,” according to CNBC.

In addition to dealing with financial insecurity, only 46% of college graduates surveyed by Next Gen Personal Finance say they currently work in their field of study. While 29% report working in a different field, 16% of those under age 54 say they are currently unemployed. College seniors should be comforted by these statistics, knowing that whatever failures they may experience in the professional field are, frankly, normal.

Due to increased likelihood that recent graduates are aware of their peers and friends’ daily lives, they’re at a higher risk of feeling the negative impacts of social media. People who can’t afford to move to big cities or live with friends may feel discouraged by what they see in their timelines, even if living at home is actually the best financial decision for them.

Responding healthily to the various stresses of senior year, and knowing when to take rejection as redirection, is necessary for students so they can put aside their concerns for the future and enjoy the present. Trusting that their hard work and experience will, even if not right away, eventually land them in a job that feels right will allow students to feel accomplished and secure about life after commencement.

So for those who feel discouraged when post-grad plans don’t work out, remember: you have the rest of your career to rise in the ranks and land your dream job.

Mary Kerns is a senior majoring in communication and rhetorical studies. Her column appears bi-weekly. She can be reached at mgkerns@syr.edu.

Published on October 30, 2024 at 12:11 am