Dive Brief:
- Recent college graduates were equally split on whether to be optimistic or apprehensive about the economy, and 35% of graduates expected to initially live at home, according to a new survey from Barnes & Noble College examined by eCampus News.
- New graduates were most concerned about earning enough money in the aftermath of commencement, with 68% of respondents saying they were worried about their salary, nearly half of respondents expressed concern about student loans, and 60% of respondents expected that their salary would fall short of their hopes.
- Among non-traditional students, 89% of respondents considered a college education to be “moderately to very valuable,” but only 15% of those respondents reported being financially secure, while 89% of Generation Z students, who are now starting to enter higher ed, also considered college to be important.
Dive Insight:
The pessimistic feelings recent graduates have regarding their career potential should sound warning bells for college administrators, as it is easy to imagine that such pessimistic views of career opportunities could trickle down from graduates to potential applicants, leading to more students who are not even interested in pursuing four-year degrees.
Colleges and universities can respond by ensuring that their career services offices are satisfactory, well-promoted and continue to work with students after their graduation. This week, leaders from historically black colleges and universities are meeting at a conference hosted by the United Negro College Fund’s Career Pathways Initiative to discuss how institutions can better serve students in their search for work post-graduation. There were numerous takeaways, including the idea that curricula in schools need to be better fashioned into career pathways and should be constantly reconsidered. A representative from Clark Atlanta University noted that employers are looking for extremely qualified graduates and applicants, and schools should always look to refine how to make their students attractive for employers.
Schools must also be cognizant that the search for work during college and in the post-graduate experience does not turn into a situation where students with more means could procure better feedback and better opportunities. Some websites purport to seek out suitable job matches for students who submit their resume for a fee. Career services must attempt to be more robust in alumni assistance, particularly for students who do not immediately find work and may not have the backgrounds that enable them to buy such opportunities. Constant communication with alumni, despite the difficulty in keeping up with an ever-increasing collection of graduates, is paramount.