2008 Woodie Awards
Don't blame it all on the job market
Freesia Singngam
Issue date: 8/4/08 Section: Commentary
It seems that everyone is worried about the economy these days. Employees are worried about keeping their jobs in the current job market, and new graduates are struggling to find higher-paying entry-level jobs.
Economists predicted that younger employees would fare well in a downturn because of better education and computer skills. However, the employment rate for teenagers is actually at its lowest. Slow job growth contributes to this, said Hofstra University economics professor Gregory DeFreitas in a Newsday article.
I saw these problems firsthand this summer while interning at the Hartford Courant, which cut 57 jobs before August. The Courant is not alone in this. Careers are changing and markets, like newspapers are changing the way they work to bring in more revenue. The job market is and will continue to become more competitive, but soon-to-be graduates are getting jobs in the midst of market changes and have time to prepare themselves.
Incoming freshmen are lucky. They have at least four years to build their resumes, find work and gain leadership experience. By the time they get out of school, the economy might be better. Some students are even deciding to stay in school to earn higher degrees with hopes that the market may be better later and that an advanced degree can help them be more competitive in that market.
The trend is that as time goes on, a college degree becomes increasingly important to have. Nearly 3 million students graduated from high school between October 2006 and October 2007, and 67.2 percent of this class enrolled in a college or university, according to the U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics. About 64 percent of those students were enrolled in a four year program.
In 1985, about 3.3 million students graduated from high school, but only 58 percent of this class enrolled in college. This was an increase from the 1970s and early 1980s, where the rate of enrollment varied between 50 and 55 percent, according to a research summary in a 1986 issue of the Monthly Labor Review.
With more students earning college degrees and graduating from high school, there's more competition when applying for jobs. This explains why more people are furthering their degrees. Many careers are increasing degree requirements. For example, a reporter didn't need to go to college to find work years ago. Longtime nightly news anchor, Peter Jennings, dropped out of high school. Teachers now need master's degrees to teach in many states' public schools, and many school principals have Ph.Ds.
With more people furthering their education and earning higher degrees, college students should get involved in activities and get jobs to appeal to employers. In high school, many students participate in sports, community service and other extra curricular activities because it looks good on a college application. Having fun and making friends were added benefits of getting involved.
This doesn't change in college. While the college application process is over, being in college is kind of like applying for the rest of your life. Getting involved in an activity can show commitment and leadership. Getting a job or internship in the field that you plan to work in shows that you're interested in that job and will give you experience.
While it may seem daunting and a bit intimidating to get a job at an organization, such as a school newspaper or television station, where everyone seems to already be established and have their own niche in the group, but getting involved is really to your own benefit. If you don't want to get too involved in an extra activity or job because you were so involved in high school, a few internships during summer or winter breaks make a big difference.
Weekly Columnist Freesia Singngam is a 7th-semester journalism and political science double major. She can be contacted at Freesia.Singngam@UConn.edu.
Economists predicted that younger employees would fare well in a downturn because of better education and computer skills. However, the employment rate for teenagers is actually at its lowest. Slow job growth contributes to this, said Hofstra University economics professor Gregory DeFreitas in a Newsday article.
I saw these problems firsthand this summer while interning at the Hartford Courant, which cut 57 jobs before August. The Courant is not alone in this. Careers are changing and markets, like newspapers are changing the way they work to bring in more revenue. The job market is and will continue to become more competitive, but soon-to-be graduates are getting jobs in the midst of market changes and have time to prepare themselves.
Incoming freshmen are lucky. They have at least four years to build their resumes, find work and gain leadership experience. By the time they get out of school, the economy might be better. Some students are even deciding to stay in school to earn higher degrees with hopes that the market may be better later and that an advanced degree can help them be more competitive in that market.
The trend is that as time goes on, a college degree becomes increasingly important to have. Nearly 3 million students graduated from high school between October 2006 and October 2007, and 67.2 percent of this class enrolled in a college or university, according to the U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics. About 64 percent of those students were enrolled in a four year program.
In 1985, about 3.3 million students graduated from high school, but only 58 percent of this class enrolled in college. This was an increase from the 1970s and early 1980s, where the rate of enrollment varied between 50 and 55 percent, according to a research summary in a 1986 issue of the Monthly Labor Review.
With more students earning college degrees and graduating from high school, there's more competition when applying for jobs. This explains why more people are furthering their degrees. Many careers are increasing degree requirements. For example, a reporter didn't need to go to college to find work years ago. Longtime nightly news anchor, Peter Jennings, dropped out of high school. Teachers now need master's degrees to teach in many states' public schools, and many school principals have Ph.Ds.
With more people furthering their education and earning higher degrees, college students should get involved in activities and get jobs to appeal to employers. In high school, many students participate in sports, community service and other extra curricular activities because it looks good on a college application. Having fun and making friends were added benefits of getting involved.
This doesn't change in college. While the college application process is over, being in college is kind of like applying for the rest of your life. Getting involved in an activity can show commitment and leadership. Getting a job or internship in the field that you plan to work in shows that you're interested in that job and will give you experience.
While it may seem daunting and a bit intimidating to get a job at an organization, such as a school newspaper or television station, where everyone seems to already be established and have their own niche in the group, but getting involved is really to your own benefit. If you don't want to get too involved in an extra activity or job because you were so involved in high school, a few internships during summer or winter breaks make a big difference.
Weekly Columnist Freesia Singngam is a 7th-semester journalism and political science double major. She can be contacted at Freesia.Singngam@UConn.edu.
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