Madeleine Berry investigates a frequently-posed question.
We hear countless horror stories about the terrible state of the job market and the looming pool of disappointment waiting for us on the other side of graduation week and supposedly the best years of our lives. Despite being encouraged at around the age of 16 that university is the “best choice”, we have arrived to find that from here there is a whole other realm of fear and scare-mongering. It is almost as if we are being told that a degree is not good enough, despite previous promises, and that even once we graduate from the world in which we have no money (where we are all too often forced to turn off the heating in January to save those pennies) we are soon to be equally impoverished.
The shrinking business market seems to be one of the main fears within this issue. According to recent studies, the number of unemployed young people aged 16-25 in the UK is set to increase on the dismal figures from 2011. In 2011, one in five within this category were without a job, and if that is set to become even more bleak this is not a prospect that calms the nerves of students who already feeling under pressure. This is particularly resonant when it is further revealed that many of these unemployed are graduates, with only 62% of last year’s students finding a job within six months of leaving university. So where does that leave us in such a period of job-hunting? Moving home with parents, claiming benefits, or in general squalor?
What also appears to be something of a sore subject is that it is felt that a degree is no longer sufficient, with further hoops must be jumped through. It is disappointing to think that we can spend three years of our lives working towards something which ultimately an employer might not see as good enough and demand more from us. A professor at the University of Warwick, which has recently been conducting research into the graduate job market argues that “employers have this big supply of graduates and are becoming ridiculously selective… companies want the perfect person, pre-formed for the job. They have to recognise that they can’t have that.” This can be an incredibly unnerving prospect for an individual who has worked hard throughout their university career to find that in fact, it doesn’t guarantee them anything.
However, in my opinion, it’s a great time to be a student. According to Purcell’s research at Warwick, 96% of those asked were in fact glad they took their degree and a distinct majority were hopeful of their future prospects. Becca Goode, a student here at Exeter, says: “it’s a great time to be a student with all the opportunities for work experience and with lots to look forward to”, whilst recognising the increased pressure for the more coveted jobs. Yes, there is a constant fear of what happens after we leave the comfort of campus but that’s always going to be an issue. We’re surrounded by people like us, all with the obvious inevitability of wanting to find a job after university, so of course it’s going to seem quite bleak. But there’s so much to be thankful for as a student. Firstly, jobs do exist outside of the restricted structure of the much-anticipated “graduate scheme”. These are often not taken into account, or not measured as a mark of success due to the emphasis on business and management opportunities which don’t necessarily appeal to everyone.
To my mind, university is about more than just to the degree. While it is important and, in literal terms it is what we are paying for, but the experience itself is just as if not more crucial. I think you will find very few people would regret their time at university, because it is exciting and it does open up their eyes to what they can achieve. This is a view shared by one student, Rose Bray, who recognises what we have to offer here, stating that “despite the difficulties faced by all students at the moment, this is a great time to be at Exeter compared to other universities, as University of the Year”. And the scare-mongering of the press does nothing to encourage students to put themselves out there. We might feel when considering job applications that our competitors are inevitably going to be better-qualified than us, and we should therefore not bother. But this is the exact opposite of what we should be doing; so don’t just roll over and accept the difficult economic climate. Get involved and get competitive, because the chances are, you’ll have something to offer beyond your degree.
exeposedev 