It
is a busy time at San Jose City College as the fall 2014 semester
comes to a close this week with finals. Hayley Anderson, 23, is with
a group of fellow students in the library studying for the upcoming
final for her Statistics class.
Anderson
is preparing to transfer to San Jose State University next fall and
wonders what will happen next after she receives her bachelor's
degree. Will there be a job waiting for her when she graduates? She
is hopeful there will be.
“Like
most students I worry that I won't find a job right away after
school. It will still be while until that day comes but you can never
know what to expect that far in the future.”, Anderson says as she
writes an equation on the whiteboard in the study room.
For
some alumni, a bachelor's degree was not needed to be considered for
a high paying job like most are hopeful to obtain after college.
Angela Paul of Pulaski, Wisconsin was pursuing a bachelor's degree
but ended up advancing in her current job. The skills she obtained
from already working for a company paid off so she did not have to
continue with her education.
“I
am making a lot more than I could have had I finished my degree,
however, I got lucky by starting from the bottom at a job and
advanced in my career.”, says Paul who is currently working from
home while taking care of her two-year-old daughter.
While
college is the best way to go to obtain a high paying job, skills
needed for more jobs do not require college education. Robin
Yaunke-Staver gained valuable knowledge with on the job training to
become a nurse. She found a job right away and she claims “I
believe you have to go to some kind of schooling to make more money,
but I do believe that they have you take a lot of classes that you
never use the information you learn.”.
In
agreement with Robin, Larry Benner believes that general education
that you must receive in the first two years of college should not be
so broad. Benner, who is currently attending Rockford University
says, “I changed my major so many times and I blame a flawed system
because I lost interest in all my career choices due to lack of
motivation from my classes, which were way off topic.”
Now
that Benner is past his general education requirements he feels that
he is finally learning the information he needs to succeed at his
future career. “I worry about finding a job in my field but now
that I changed majors to technology related careers I worry less.”
says Larry.
Many
students have been flocking to college directly after high school
with a belief that in the end they will be working directly in their
field of study. According to an article from the Wall Street Journal called “A Bit of College Can Be Worse Than None At All” students
are “fueled by a conviction that post secondary education is the
surest route to steady employment and higher salaries.”
(Graph by Wall Street Journal)
While
students right out of college may believe that the right job will pop
up for them, many are finding that it is not the case. David Norris,
30, of Fremont, CA already knew that he would not find a job in his
area directly after getting his bachelor's degree in computer
science. He immediately planned to relocate to a bigger city where
jobs would be plentiful in his field as opposed to his home in
Illinois.
Norris
made the move to Nashville, TN and started looking for a job.
Although Nashville seemed like a fun city to live in at the time, he
encountered a difficult time finding the right job with the right
pay. Then something unexpected happened. “I had a buddy from
college contact me and say that he could get me a job in Silicon
Valley. I had never even thought about moving that far away from
home.”, says Norris.
That
connection made it possible for David to obtain the job he had been
looking for, several miles away from home in California. Students not
only need to gain proper education from their schools but networking
with other students is a great way to possibly find a job as well.
So
“What happens next?” for college graduates looking for jobs?
Establish connections, find the right location and the right job
could be right under your nose.
