A college experience is a four-year journey to graduate with a degree and improve one’s chances of landing a secure job. For many college students, this means being enrolled at least part-time.
It is my last semester as a communication studies major with a minor in public relations. I will graduate in three and a half years, taking 15 to 18 units per semester, as well as winter and summer courses. This by no means has been an easy task.
Consider a full-time college student who works a part-time job. They work a minimum of 15 hours each week while attending four classes. It doesn’t appear to be much to some employers and they might not find you interesting just because you manage to juggle school and work.
Entry-level jobs that are available to college graduates are not so entry-level in terms of years of experience. For example, Gunn Jerkens marketing communications’ entry-level social media coordinator job description on LinkedIn, requires applicants to have at least one to three years of prior experience in social media content.
A student might then look for opportunities to gain experience and internships are your best bet. It increases your chance to impress hiring managers with your resume. I started applying to internships last year and finally landed one this spring with our athletics department.
I achieved this by emailing their associate communications director and asking if they had any openings. After a few emails and two phone calls later, I became their newest intern.
One of their communications directors spoke to my class and we spoke briefly. I cannot help but think that, in doing so, this made me an appealing candidate. It proved how far networking can take you.
You might need connections and networking to reach that point. In college, joining a school organization that allows you to interact with other students and industry professionals may help you land a job.
I thought I increased my chances of landing another internship. However, the truth is that I have applied to multiple internships and received either no answer or a polite rejection email.
I expected my resume was sure to stand out among other applicants. Since then, I have learned that sometimes an impressive resume is not enough to land a job.
According to The Labor Market for Recent College Graduates, among recent college graduates between the ages of 22 and 27, the unemployment rate is 4.8%. For all workers, the unemployment rate is 3.7%. Statistics show that recent college graduates are struggling to find a job, even more so than other workers.
We must also consider that 45% of companies plan to eliminate bachelor’s degree requirements for some positions in 2024, according to a survey released by Intelligent.
Other key findings in the survey included that 55% of companies eliminated bachelor’s degree requirements in 2023 and that four in five employers value experience over education when evaluating job candidates.
Reflecting on your college experience, it is frightening to consider the possibility of being unemployed after graduating. It is also terrifying that your college degree might be worthless since companies are eliminating their bachelor’s degree requirements.
I cannot help but wonder, “Was college even worth it?”
Since I want to work in public relations, I know a job will not consider me unless I have a college degree. Yet here I am, a few months from graduating, with no job lined up in the field I majored in. I am conflicted since I have invested time, money and energy for the past few years and I have yet to see the payoff.
Regardless, I keep applying for internships and jobs. I am not giving up. I confidently believe that college was worth it, especially for my career and I wouldn’t have gotten to where I am now without it.