Post-grad Job Market for Students
https://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/graduates-face-an-unwelcoming-job-market-when-they-get-out-of-school/article31703528/
How can we ensure that we will get a job after university? Today, there has been a reported a decline in jobs for university graduates, which forces students to either go back to school to obtain another degree or to enter part-time employment while searching for full-time positions.
An article in the Globe and Mail discusses the unwelcoming job market for students, “It's a problem a lot of recent graduates are facing, navigating a job market seemingly immune to their four-year undergraduate degrees.” The author argues that students do not necessarily have the skill set for full-time positions following university, and thus they should go back to school for a post-grad diploma to ensure they’re more prepared and skilled within a specific field. Do you agree with this point?
The article goes to suggest that students often think that they will automatically get a job after graduation. However, this is no longer the world we live in as a result of the competitive nature of obtaining a job. Universities are aware of this competitive job market for students are trying their best to prepare us for graduation, such as hosting marketing events, job fairs, career success meetings, student-check in appointments, and career building workshops.
What steps should students be taking to find post-grad careers? Are attending university events such as career fairs, networking functions, and career development meetings essential when trying to find a job after university?
How can we ensure that we will get a job after university? Today, there has been a reported a decline in jobs for university graduates, which forces students to either go back to school to obtain another degree or to enter part-time employment while searching for full-time positions.
An article in the Globe and Mail discusses the unwelcoming job market for students, “It's a problem a lot of recent graduates are facing, navigating a job market seemingly immune to their four-year undergraduate degrees.” The author argues that students do not necessarily have the skill set for full-time positions following university, and thus they should go back to school for a post-grad diploma to ensure they’re more prepared and skilled within a specific field. Do you agree with this point?
The article goes to suggest that students often think that they will automatically get a job after graduation. However, this is no longer the world we live in as a result of the competitive nature of obtaining a job. Universities are aware of this competitive job market for students are trying their best to prepare us for graduation, such as hosting marketing events, job fairs, career success meetings, student-check in appointments, and career building workshops.
What steps should students be taking to find post-grad careers? Are attending university events such as career fairs, networking functions, and career development meetings essential when trying to find a job after university?
I really enjoyed this post because it made me realize that there is a lot more that I could have done to improve my chances of finding a job once I graduate and to understand what potential employers are looking for. I think students should be more focused on getting involved in these sorts of events, as I feel that networking a large part of being able to secure a job post-graduation. This is one of the regrets I have, and I wish that I would have done more to grow my network and to get a better understanding of the kinds of opportunities that are available to me, as well as the challenges that I will likely face once I graduate. Although these events cannot guarantee a job, I think they can provide students with the necessary experience of making more professional connections, as well as improving their understanding the kinds of jobs that may interest them, and how they can go about searching and obtaining these kinds of jobs.
ReplyDeleteI also think that there has been more of an expectation for this generation to specialize their skills in some way, and this often means attending grad school or enrolling in more career-focused college courses. It seems that we have to do more and put in more effort in order to find an entry-level position, and I would argue that this gives us both an advantage later on, as we have specialized our skills in some way, and a disadvantage, as we have started our careers later in life.
There is a lot that can be said about how we choose to prepare ourselves for our future and the role that university has played, and I think this post helps to start that discussion! Great job!
I strongly agree that the job market has become far less welcoming for new grads who simply have university degree. As tech continues to make industries for efficient yet more complex, less workers are required and only those with the right experience will be employed. Looking my friends who recently graduated, I’ve definitively noticed that not all of them weren’t able to secure full time employment.
ReplyDeleteWhere I disagree with the article is the view that these students should go back for a graduate diploma to ensure they are more prepared. Looking at my peers those who managed to secure full time employment took opportunities beyond their classes to develop applicable skills. Campus clubs operate like miniature businesses giving students the opportunity to develop skills, fail and learn from their mistakes without damaging their financial future.
Laurier does a very good job at addressing this and for this reason I do believe that they are keenly aware of the issue. Laurier strongly supports its clubs providing all students with a chance to get ahead. Beyond club support Laurier students have access to many resources thanks to dedicated career center staff.
Taking all things into consideration I believe that students should get involved with clubs or organizations related to their own industry. Once they’ve done that they can approach networking events with industry know how allowing them to stay away from generic questions asked by students with limited experience.
I thought your post to be very relatable, of course since for most of us this is our last semester here at Laurier. There is a certain type of pressure I find that we feel from previous generations to swiftly find a job right after graduation. As you pointed out, this is not always as easy as it once was. With this being said, I could not agree more with your point about how there is more of an expectation for our generation to find a job quickly. Older generations may think because we have technology at our finger tips this should help us more, although this is not what I believe. This is one of the reason why I believe finding a job is so difficult, it is so easy for EVERYONE to access opportunities of employment, therefore it is difficult to stand out.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed the article you used as a reference and especially agree with what the author said about students enrolling in university. The author states "While students don't expect a free pass to a job after graduating from university, securing employment is a fundamental reason they enroll"(Rana 2016). I think this is so accurate when thinking about students and their future endeavours. This generation understand what they are up against due to job searching during their post-grad life. Although, we are constantly told that we need university education to get a good stable job. this quotation highlights that perfectly.