Economy keeps graduates 'underemployed,' struggling
Class of 2009 settles for low-paying jobs
Katie Rose McEneely
Issue date: 11/19/09 Section: News
They don't yet have statistics for last year's graduates, Assistant to the Director of Career Planning Vicky Arno said.
The survey starts six months after graduation, when Arno contacts graduates. The six-month anniversary of graduation was the first week of November.
"There's no facts or figures or estimates that I can make at this point," she said.
She said she hopes to have the survey completed by the start of next semester.
Arno said Career Planning doesn't make any distinctions between part- or full-time employment, or where graduates have found work, be it at a prestigious company or the local coffee shop.
"If they're employed, they're employed," she said.
Many of the graduates interviewed by The Collegian majored in disciplines that traditionally require additional experience or education beyond the college level. It's unusual to obtain more than an entry-level position in fields like philosophy or art.
Rebekah Keller '09 said she started looking for a teaching job when she moved home to Cleveland, Ohio, after graduation. Because she majored in art and didn't have a teaching certificate, she wasn't surprised when she couldn't find a job, she said.
Keller is working two part-time jobs and taking classes at community college so she can eventually pursue work as a certified teacher. But the steps to a more secure job haven't been as clear-cut for some of her friends, she said.
"I have heard a lot of frustration, and some of it is they don't have all of the requirements for what they're looking for," Keller said. "Or they're trying to find an in-between job they'll enjoy" before going on to graduate or vocational school.
Some graduates who aren't doing what they expected are still content. Emily Walsh '09 was originally hired to teach at a school in Boston, but declined the job when her husband, Ryan Walsh '09, was accepted into law school at the University of Chicago. She now waits tables full-time at an upscale restaurant in the city.
The survey starts six months after graduation, when Arno contacts graduates. The six-month anniversary of graduation was the first week of November.
"There's no facts or figures or estimates that I can make at this point," she said.
She said she hopes to have the survey completed by the start of next semester.
Arno said Career Planning doesn't make any distinctions between part- or full-time employment, or where graduates have found work, be it at a prestigious company or the local coffee shop.
"If they're employed, they're employed," she said.
Many of the graduates interviewed by The Collegian majored in disciplines that traditionally require additional experience or education beyond the college level. It's unusual to obtain more than an entry-level position in fields like philosophy or art.
Rebekah Keller '09 said she started looking for a teaching job when she moved home to Cleveland, Ohio, after graduation. Because she majored in art and didn't have a teaching certificate, she wasn't surprised when she couldn't find a job, she said.
Keller is working two part-time jobs and taking classes at community college so she can eventually pursue work as a certified teacher. But the steps to a more secure job haven't been as clear-cut for some of her friends, she said.
"I have heard a lot of frustration, and some of it is they don't have all of the requirements for what they're looking for," Keller said. "Or they're trying to find an in-between job they'll enjoy" before going on to graduate or vocational school.
Some graduates who aren't doing what they expected are still content. Emily Walsh '09 was originally hired to teach at a school in Boston, but declined the job when her husband, Ryan Walsh '09, was accepted into law school at the University of Chicago. She now waits tables full-time at an upscale restaurant in the city.
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Joy Pavelski
posted 11/20/09 @ 12:07 PM EST
This was a beautifully written story. It combined stats with plenty of illustrations in a neat, easy-to-read and interesting package. Just what I wanted to read. (Continued…)
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