The 20-Something Catch-22
By Rebecca Miller
It has never been a scarier time for recent college seniors and graduates. Between hiring freezes, lay-offs and jobs in certain fields becoming extinct, new and emerging jobseekers have limited employment options. However, instead of being heckled by the heartless job market, many graduates and soon-to-be bachelor’s degree holders are choosing to avoid the job market all together by staying in or returning to school to earn a higher degree.
Twenty-four-year-old Lindsay Troher holds a Bachelor of Science in Communications degree and is a perfect example of this new phenomenon. After losing her first job out of college to the economy and then spending weeks looking for a new job with no success, a frustrated Troher decided to switch gears and apply for a scholarship to earn her master’s degree.
“Had I not been laid off, I probably would have never applied for or accepted the scholarship for my graduate program,” said Troher. “After being laid off, I became discouraged very quickly while searching for a job. I feel as if I have a strong resume for someone my age and was still having a very difficult time finding a job at any level.”
Becky Gasiorek, of Novi, Mich., faced a similar dilemma. After graduating from Michigan State University with a bachelor’s degree in interdisciplinary social science, Gasiorek was unable to find work. Instead of struggling to find a good job in Michigan’s bad economy, Gasiorek decided to pursue her master’s degree in human resource administration.
“It (the economy) definitely played a role,” said Gasiorek. “If I would have had a decent job lined up, I would not have started working on my master's right away.”
Avoiding the job market isn’t the only reason recent grads and college seniors are choosing to stay in or return to school. According to Troher, other reasons include; increasing experience, becoming more qualified than competitors and gaining more skills then experienced professionals.
“While I do really enjoy school and being in the classroom environment, I did not choose to continue my education simply for fun,” said Troher. “I am hoping that having a master’s degree will put me at an advantage against those my age as well as older adults with more experience.”
So what does this mean for the future job market? Individuals like Troher and Gasiorek are creating a new generation of highly-educated, first time employees. For the first time in history, entry-level workers are overqualified “educationally” for traditional “first-job” type positions.
The Associated Content Article “Overqualified and Underage: Recent College Graduates Face Working World Realities” examines this trend and how being highly-educated may be more of a hindrance than a help to recent college graduates.
“I, myself, graduated with my master’s from New York University this past year at the ripe young age of 24; I am now over qualified for many jobs,” said article author Stefanie D. “It sounds ironic that a higher degree would hold you back professionally, but the reality is that not many companies want to pay a 24-year old a higher salary, because of his or her higher degree. In all my job rejections, the reason most often given to me was that I was too qualified at too young an age.”
Another issue, according to the article, is the “catch-22 plaguing twenty-something year old Americans.” This being that recent college graduates may be highly-educated but they lack “real world” experience. Thus, the “catch-22”, no one will hire them until they get experience, but they can’t get experience if they can’t get hired.
The solution Stefanie poses is to increase life experience in addition to enhancing academic prowess.
“It may mean living on a smaller budget, so you can take lower paying jobs in exchange for better experience,” said Stefanie. “It may also mean eating out less in order to use the money to travel abroad.”
Ironically, Stefanie also suggests pursuing even higher educational endeavors in order “to gain practical experience.”
In Troher’s case, she plans to do just that, hoping to pursue her doctorate after graduating with her master’s next April. If that doesn’t work, Troher plans to hit the job market with hopes her that master’s will increase her chances of landing a job.
“I plan to apply for a few doctorate scholarships and see if I get lucky; if not, I plan to begin job searching this coming winter,” said Troher. “Hopefully, my master’s degree will make the search a little easier for me.”
When it comes to attending graduate school over entering the job market, The St. Norbert Times article Preparing for the Future: 2010 Job Outlook said it best – “while graduate school certainly serves a great purpose in terms of job preparation, it is not the smartest route for everyone.” Ultimately, whether you choose the path of continuing your education or hitting the job market “planning and patience is key.”