An old high school class mate of mine posted a news paper article on facebook about the correlation between where a student goes to university and the salary they will make afterwards. The article intrigued me because I go to a very good university but my degree is english isn't a direct link to a job. I am always asked if I want to be a teacher, and to be honest, no I don't. I read the article thinking that they might offer a glimpse at what universities are the best for future job success. However what it was leading up to was that they are thinking of putting out this study because of the number of young people with amazing degrees and no job. I have come to terms with the fact that I will graduate and probably work for minimum wage until I find something decent. However, I am not like most people graduating because I don't have student loans. Having a "real job" immediately after University isn't that important to me because I don't have anything riding on that. But there are a lot of people out there that do. In fact I believe more than half of university students have loans or owe their parents money. They have to move out or have other financial related worries that need to be addressed after they finish. After reading online articles I always enjoy reading the comments. Most of them were by parents with kids that have PhD's and Honours degrees in extensive and important areas but don't have the job to go with it. What I have always said is that University isn't the solution, it is a small step. The biggest problem is that students need to get out their and live and work and learn how to do a job. Sitting in a class room and writting a few well articulated essays won't get you a well paying job. People need to network and create working relationships that will eventually give them opportunities. I have always been a strong believer in college after university. It offers more need to know skills and doesn't base a whole education on how well you can come up with a thesis. Although I enjoy university, and I believe it was the right choice for me, I know that I will probably end up at college afterwards. I know that university doesn't offer you direct skills for a job. It gives you the basics. It teaches you discipline and responsibility. It seems that is it a heavy price to pay for life skills but that is what education is about. It is about forming people and real jobs come from working. I have a hard time listening to people telling me that my english degree won't take me anywhere. While most of those people have no imagination or open mind, it still irritates me because most degrees really don't take you anywhere. Even in science or business, most of the good jobs come from having more than a Bachelors degree. To be a dentist or doctor, it requires more school and more money. In business you are better off spending more time in school getting an MBA than trying to find a job. People still can't come to terms with the fact that there really aren't many jobs available and there is so much pressure on young people to enter a "real life" and get out of their parents homes. I'm lucky enough that my parents like having me around and that after university they want me to take it easy. However for a lot of people that is not the case. This article actually kind of annoyed me. It basically is trying to find reasons why young graduates don't have jobs. It's trying to find things to blame. The biggest difference comes from experience. If you get out there an volunteer or intern, you have more chances of creating good working friendships that could get you a job in the future. Altogether what I want to point out is that people need to stop thinking that just because you have a university degree you deserve the best job. Uni degrees are the most basic thing these days and as much as having a degree will get you more opportunities, it isn't as direct as it may seem. People need to work and it is sad that we live in a society where people think jobs and good incomes will come from sitting on a computer and applying everywhere. I personally believe in old fashioned leg work and getting out there and being seen and heard. You may face constant rejection but it is better than hiding out in your parents home saying "you have a degree and that should be enough". Life is a tough reality for my generation because it will continuously become harder to find well paying jobs. Getting there is about the work and some people still haven't realized this.
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