The day’s headlines: Unemployment rate nationwide is 7.6 percent according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics but the top “prize” goes to California with the highest unemployment rate of 9.3 percent; oh and by the way college students: Welcome to reality.
Though resources such as the Career Center and the Student Alumni Association (SAO) are available throughout Pepperdine’s campuses a general poll during any given class would show that very few take advantage of them; some do not even know about them. Top-notch resources have been given to Pepperdine students because they paid the Pepperdine price and students cannot afford to squander it.
The evident uphill battle for employment is enough to make anyone shake in their well-pressed work attire. The despair some may feel is only natural as news of the most qualified members of the workforce have been laid off.
“Hiring freeze” is the phrase that puts chills down the spines of the ones who once wished to enter the now frigid corridors of the company.
It is an unfortunate turn of events but one place where desks are not empty is at the Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health. The health center is receiving an influx of calls from hopeless and often suicidal Californians who have fallen victim to the downward spiraling U.S. economy according to the Jan. 29 2009 CNN article “Economic troubles bring many to the brink.”
One of the most disheartening stories covered by the said CNN article features a woeful unemployed college graduate who applied for more than 200 jobs and received only one call back and thusly has considered suicide. All of this sends a resounding message: College students welcome to the new reality.
What seemed like a chicken little approach in the summer of 2008 when economists argued as to whether or not America was suffering from a recession has turned into a bleak forecast for those who are seeking employment whether they have received a college diploma or not.
For the age group 25 to 34 the unemployment rate was more than nine percent in January according to the Bureau. These numbers have not been this bad since 1983 when people of this group were either in diapers or starting the 3rd grade.
Although the Career Center is not the employment saviors it does provide resources such as resume reviews and mock interviews all of which students should take advantage of. SAO has many Nights to Network events that allow students to acquire contacts in the profession they want to pursue.
The current state of the nation’s job market gives students a compelling reason to be prepared and make sure they have the necessary skills and materials to put themselves above the rest of the job searchers. If students do not choose to seize the benefits of these resources they have a higher risk of being the laughing stock of a very large part of the nation: whereas Pep students paid nearly a quarter of a million dollars for the name “Pepperdine” on their degrees while others paid a quarter of that sum or even less.
The Pepperdine name still has to be good for something; students just have to take the initiative to capture it. Note to freshmen and sophomores take heed: Now is the time to get the career ducks in order. Homecoming this weekend is a good launching pad.