MAKE NO mistake, spring is finally rolling in. As students shed off bulky winter clothes, and rediscover forgotten activities, such as frisbee and the ever popular sunbathing, one thought pervades through the collective student psyche: There is less than a month to go until school is out. Although most students welcome this reality with delight, there is one group that may not be feeling quite so blissful about impending scholastic freedom: the fourth-year class.
For most fourth years, this spring will bring with it college graduation, a leap from the sheltered parent-subsidized life that they have known for the past four years, and the stark reality of the working world. While in recent times, most fourth years have been confident in their future outside the University, this year's job market does not bode well for the graduating class. The recent recession has cut off employers' demand, and even though the economy seems to be beginning a measure of recovery, this has not yet affected labor markets, causing a great deal of worry among members of the fourth-year class. Unless they are under extreme financial duress, graduating fourth years that have not yet successfully found a job should not worry about their current lack of prospects and should use this time to enrich their lives further by continuing their education or taking advantage of this relatively responsibility-free time in their lives.
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The last time that our country experienced a recession was when another Bush was in office 10 years ago. Most of today's fourth years would have been in fifth grade and probably don't remember or did not care about unemployment woes. The fact is that our economy - which was red hot when the class of 2004 entered college - froze to a halt sometime in the past year or two, and is just now starting to warm up again. Unfortunately, this year's class will bear a great deal of the burden of an economic cycle that they have no control over. It is simply being in the wrong place in life at the wrong time.
Even though many fourth years may feel the stress of unemployment mounting, they should take a step back and seriously evaluate their lives. It is a grim reality that some members of this graduating class may find themselves unemployed and living with their parents, constantly searching for jobs that may not materialize. But there also are other possibilities. For one, the economy will recover. Economies go through cycles; our economy will again reach its peak and labor will be in high demand. The trick is to bide time until the job market is ripe for the picking.
Graduates whose financial well-being is in jeopardy may be forced to look for work no matter how bad the job market seems.However, if this is not the case, there are several alternatives to becoming a discouraged and unemployed ex-student. For instance, it is customary in several European and South American countries for college graduates to take a year off and backpack around the world before finding a job. Although this alternative may not necessarily be fodder with which to pad a resume, being exposed to other cultures can be a very rewarding experience that fosters personal growth. Traveling also can be a lot of fun. Instead of living off their parents' money at home, desperately searching for a non-existent job, it may be preferable for students to take advantage of mom and dad's checkbook for the same amount of time and enjoy themselves.
Another option would be to begin with graduate studies. Although some advanced degrees, such as MBA programs, require a few years of work experience before they accept an applicant, there are many other fields where students can go straight to graduate school. Despite the fact that many fourth years may feel burned out from their years of collegiate study, starting graduate school early may even be a blessing in disguise. Young laborers quickly find their lives to become increasingly more complex after leaving college. Even though they may have planned on going to graduate school after getting married, having kids or getting a great job, they never make it to post-graduate programs. If an ex-student is sitting at home unemployed, it would be more beneficial to try to improve his employability while he isn't earning any sort of income anyway.
The current unemployment that some fourth years may find themselves in is an unfortunate situation. It is not fair that after so much money, work and effort put into gaining higher education, graduating fourth years cannot immediately act on their career aspirations. However, life is not fair. Instead, unemployed fourth years should make the most of their fleeting youth and use this time of unemployability to their advantage.
(Alex Rosemblat's column appears Wednesdays in The Cavalier Daily. He can be reached at arosemblat@cavalierdaily.com.)
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