“College Degree No Shield as More Jobs Are Slashed,” cries the Washington Post. “College Graduates Tackle Dismal Job Market,” CBS News grimly confirms. A new e-mail pops into my inbox: “Come celebrate 50 days to graduation!” and I think back to three years ago when my brother graduated from Occidental College.
“Stay in college as long as you can,” he warned.
His economics major landed him a major desk job at a high-rise marketing firm in Los Angeles, but his ominous predictions about the job market have proved dismally accurate: The unemployment rate hovers around 10 percent. Everyone seems to be talking about how hard it is to get a job, how overqualified every applicant is and how easy it will be to fail. In an effort to combat these depressing statistics, the Student Engagement Center has organized a flurry of events and resources this year.
Susan Buchanan, director of the Student Engagement Center, held one such workshop on March 30. The workshop was entitled, “Take A Year Off: Make It Count,” and was directed at seniors and forward-looking juniors without a five- or 10-year career path, who wanted to gain experience, take a break from school, explore the world of work or, as Buchanan put it, just “chill out” for a year. During the workshop, Buchanan shared a number of Web sites, strategies and tips to help students feel productive and achieve their goals despite the unemployment rate.
“It was designed for helping students get that first job, for getting their foot in the door,” Buchanan said. “Whether it’s using temp agencies or taking advantage of the CCN alumni network, finding the information and making the contacts that can get you a job sometimes.”
The Student Engagement Center has spent enormous energy this year to show that the benefits that come from being a Whitman student can translate into jobs after graduation.
“The most important thing we do, every moment, every breath we take, is encourage students to be involved on campus, to recognize the skills they’ve gained, and help them see how to learn from those and how to translate these skills to another kind of job,” said Buchanan.
As I contemplate my own impending future, it is comforting to know that the resources of the Student Engagement Center and Whitman College will still be available to me after my student status has ceased. Equally comforting is the knowledge I have from past Whitties about the alternative pathways and chances of success currently available. Take Sophia Sady ’09, for example. All fall semester I received postcards from Maine or New Hampshire covered with pictures of cows, pitchforks and tales of adventure from Sady’s experience working on various organic farms she found through World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms. Sady then drove a biodiesel truck across the country, all the way back to Portland, before she set off to become a lift operator in Telluride, Colo. Now she returns my calls on the chair lift as she rides to work.
“For me personally it’s all about taking advantage of the possibilities that come to you. Most of the jobs I’ve applied for I haven’t gotten. But I keep my ears open and keep a good attitude, and things just tend to work out,” Sady said.
Sady emphasized the value she places on gaining experience over money right now, and the importance of networking.
“I think a lot of people, when they graduate, set their hope too high. It’s no one’s fault, but in this economy, you’re going to be shut down,” Sady said. “You shouldn’t settle, but you should keep your options open. We have the ultimate excuse to do nothing right now, to not feel guilty about not getting a job; the unemployment rate is out of control and everyone who applies is overqualified.”
Instead of letting this reality scare or limit her from living the life she wants, Sady says that her life right now is “paradise.”
“It’s not what you do, it’s where you are and who you’re with that counts,” Sady insisted.
Despite this ability to view the poor economy as a rich opportunity, many current seniors find themselves succeeding in the job market. Senior Dan Oschrin is “one for one” in his job search, having just landed a job as an English teacher at the Bilkent University School of English Language in Ankara, Turkey.
“Two years ago, when the economy started to get bad, I enrolled in a TEFL course,” Oschrin said.
These skills combined with some volunteer teaching experience and a networking connection to secure him the one-year contract that includes salary, living expenses, taxes paid and health insurance.
“It seems like there’s a pretty consistent demand for English teachers,” Oschrin said. “Lots of Whitties want to travel, and this is a smart way to do it.”
Oschrin’s success confirms Buchanan’s own perceptions of how Whitties fare post-graduation. Despite the hair-raising headlines and gloomy statistics, Buchanan is optimistic about students’ prospects.
“I’ve been pleasantly surprised. Students have been quite successful,” she said. “It doesn’t seem that different from normal.”
Among others, Buchanan listed the high number of students accepted for illustrious service programs such as Teach for America. No matter how you define success after college, the message remains clear: Focus on your talents and passions, and above all, don’t worry.
