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From Campus To Career: How Are Graduates Preparing For The Job Market?

Story by Kaylee Moran

For new college graduates, it seems the biggest concern for them is not graduation itself, but the life that awaits them after graduation.  Today, graduates are facing a job market that feels increasingly out of reach. As more graduates enter an uncertain economic landscape, the search for meaningful employment has become a challenge for many.

 This year, the U.S. unemployment rate reached 9.7% among recent college graduates as of September.  Recent interviews with incoming and recent graduates reveal a growing anxiety that labels the job market as competitive and extremely unpredictable. 

Ainsley Robinson, a double major in English and art history at Suffolk University, shared these concerns. After graduation, Robinson plans to attend graduate school for library science with a focus on archival management. However, her journey into her chosen field has already proven to be a challenge before graduation. She has found that the opportunities given to her to further herself in the job market have been severely lacking. 

"Especially with a major that is centered around the arts, there's definitely a lack of opportunities for internships while I'm at school," she said. "You kind of have to go searching on your own."

For Robinson, who hopes to eventually work in museum or library archives, this lack of guidance has added to the stress of preparing for her career. "I feel like archives is a very specific field, so I had to go searching on my own for that. Doing the research for grad school has been an entirely me process."

Among the lack of help Robinson has felt getting ready for the job market, she also shares her worries about the competitiveness of it all, especially in Boston. "It kind of feels like it's setting you up for failure, "she said. "So you kind of have to suck yourself into being positive and optimistic about the job market these days."

The sentiment of uncertainty about the future is shared by Ian McKissick, another student from Suffolk University who majors in History.  He is hoping to find a career in a museum or a historic organization after graduation. But the lack of tangible job opportunities in the humanities had led him to question the value of his degree. 

"We're living in an AI hellscape," said McKissick. "The humanities aren't being funded. Education is being gutted," He went on to further his concerns about the growing dominance of AI in the workforce and the devaluation it had caused sectors like history and the arts. These concerns are not unfounded as Goldman Sachs projects AI taking over 300 million jobs in the future. 

But for Ian, the larger issue isn't just the lack of jobs, but the economy itself. "It's just in a really bad spot," said McKissick, "We're dealing with stagflation where prices are up, and jobs are either not being created or eliminated." He went on to further his frustration with the economic state of the U.S., suggesting these factors make it even difficult to imagine a stable future. 

"It's hard for people to plan for the future," he said, noting that the uncertainty of the nation's direction leaves many unsure about the viability of their chosen careers. 

 For Charlie Caron, who is studying childhood development and education at Plymouth State after graduating from another university earlier this year, the challenges of the job market are the expectations it has. "I'm already back in school because I need more than one degree to get the job I want, "Caron explained. "Even then, there's no guarantee that I'll get a job, because everything wants experience."

Caron continued their grievances with the expectations employers have with new hires, citing that many want experience from people fresh out of school. "I think it's unfair for employers to demand years of experience for entry-level positions," Caron said. "How can I even gain experience if no one is willing to give me a chance?"

These sentiments paint a bleak picture for those entering the workforce soon. The growing pressure to secure stable employment, compounded by high expectations for experience, the rising cost of living and the competitiveness of it all, has many feeling disappointed. As job prospects become more limited and the economy continues to struggle, students looking to graduate are left struggling with the uncertainty of their future. They are left to wonder if they'll be able to navigate the job market as it seems to grow more inaccessible with each passing day. It leaves graduates wondering whether their dream for a fulfilling career is just that: a dream.