Langkilde, Pena, Tavonatti, Thayne

English 1010-38
11/26/2014
Young and Without Work
Unemployment rates among Americans who never went to college are about
double that of those who have a postsecondary education (Bill Gates). Bill gates
definitely knew what he was talking about when it came to education and how it relates
to unemployment. But even, with an education, the fact is, unemployment is still a
problem for all.

Unemployment is a timeless concern; countless people through the ages

have struggled to find their place in the workforce. Unemployment in the past
decade has become an even larger problem. In fact, as of 2010, the percentage of
Americans unemployed was as high as 9.7 %, (Bureau of Labor Statistics 1).
Unemployment is a problem for people of all ages.
About one in ten people in the age group of 20-24 is unemployed (Bureau of Labor
Statistics 1). Concern for unemployment amongst college graduates and individuals in this age
group have risen with the percentages. Consider this scenario: A student graduates with his
bachelors degree after four years of hard work. He is looking forward to seeing the fruits of his
labor blossom in the work force. Instead, he is unemployed looking for a good job and ends up
settling for a job that he is overeducated for.
Since 2001, this story isnt rare (Abel 1). College graduates in recent years have been
struggling to find suitable jobs to match their education. In 2012, close to half of college
graduates were underemployed, overeducated for their job. And from 2009-11, about 10 percent
of college graduates were unemployed at the age of 21 (Abel 2).
Unemployment affects more than just the individual without a job. It has a great impact
on the economy. If a person is laid off, thats one less person paying income taxes. That has an
immediate impact on government income with each unemployed person. Also, unemployed
persons generally cut down on frivolous spending, which can also impact the economy. 45% of
foreclosures come as an effect of unemployment, which shows that unemployment also has an
impact on the real-estate market (Hudson par. 3). This online report, Consequences of
Unemployment puts it like this:
The financial, budgetary and economic effects of unemployment are
profound. Many of those who leave the workforce unwillingly do not have
the resources for a comfortable and long retirement. The price paid by
society is increased income support, health and community support costs
and reduction in human capital and productivity. Entrenched unemployment
results in a divided nation where those with jobs benefit from economic
growth while those missing out may be relegated to secondary status. (par.
3)
What can lead to unemployment, specifically with college graduates? There are different
reasons. One is that many college graduates are starting off in unpaid internships. Another
reason is the fact that entry-level jobs are very scarce (Sutton 1). Also, many people born after
World War II, otherwise known as baby boomers, are reluctant to retire and still hold jobs. In
fact, they account for one third of the workforce (Sutton 1). However, possibly the biggest reason
for unemployment amongst college graduates would have to be the lack of experience that older
applicants already have under their belt.
The main reason college graduates struggle to find work is when they find themselves
unprepared to prove themselves; because ultimately it is the boss that makes the call whether
someone is hired. And lets face it; if the evaluator feels like someone isnt cut out for the job the
potential employee is already at a disadvantage. A study done by Bentley University shows three

unprepared to prove themselves; because ultimately it is the boss that makes the call whether
someone is hired. And lets face it; if the evaluator feels like someone isnt cut out for the job the
potential employee is already at a disadvantage. A study done by Bentley University shows three
quarters of hiring managers feel that millennials dont have an adequate work ethic and are
severely unprepared for the job market (Pianin Par. 2).
One other reason for unemployment is the job hunter himself. Along with being
unprepared, sometimes it is the appearance, attitude, poor interview skills, and lack of
communication skills (Heckers 1). In fact, according to Margaret Vail, an Employment and
Compensation Specialist at Salt Lake Community College, a big pet peeve of many interviewers
can be grammatical and spelling errors within the resume. So these are ways the job hunter can
hurt himself.
A less known cause of unemployment is the fact that baby boomers, people born after
world war two, are still taking a vast majority of employment opportunities. Baby boomers make
up about 31 percent of the workforce and are reluctant to retire even though six years ago was
when they were officially eligible to receive social security (Sutton 4). This is a huge problem.
Jobs that could be filled by millenials are being taken up by a generation that is the largest in the
history of the whole country. This then keeps millenials from getting experience and getting their
lives on track.
The job market doesnt help either. Several companies that were hit hard by the recession
have automated, outsourced, or cut training budgets or payrolls. This leads to fewer entry-level
jobs and means more people are left without a job.
Experience is also a problem for college graduates. Most fresh graduates dont have as
much experience as some employers would like. It is weighted and can be a valuable asset to
someone applying for a job. According to Vail, experience is valuable and is weighed along with
the individuals education. She states, It (experience) can only help, not hurt. Vail also states
that when surveying an applicants resume, that shed like to see a little bit of work experience
on the application. As you can see, experience is important.
There havent been many one shot to fix all failed attempts to fix the unemployment
dilemma but there are ideas to help. In an article written by Kyrsten Rue entitled, No
Experience, No Job, No Experience, No JobBreak the Cycle! there are listed suggestions for
breaking the no job, no experience cycle.
The idea in this article we want to focus on is volunteering. The article lists three
benefits for volunteering. First of all, volunteering expands your network and it provides
someone the opportunity to work with and associate with the people that could potentially help
with employment. The second and third benefits listed are the skills that volunteering develops
and the personal satisfaction that comes from building those skills. (Rue Par. 3-5) For some
people volunteering could be the best choice. We use this example to show that if someone
looks outside the box in his or her unemployment situation, there is almost always something
that can be done to get one foot forward. There is much that can be learned to help students find
not only employment but also jobs that match their skills and desired goals.
Other ideas to help college graduates are for them to create and develop their own skills.
In the article written by Denise Cummins, P.H.D Why Recent College Graduates Cant Find
Jobs Denise reveals an interesting factor that what college graduates think employers are
looking for and what employers are actually looking for are very different. Denise points out
that almost half of students surveyed believe that a degree from a prestigious school is important
to an employer; when in actuality only 28% of hiring managers claimed that this was important
in their hiring decision (Cummins par. 3). Next Denise reveals that nearly three quarters (77%) of
students believe that personal or professional connections are vital in securing a job. Denise tells
us that only 52% of hiring managers thought so (Cummins par 4).
Now this next part caught my interest, according to Denises studies this is what hiring
managers are mainly looking for. Denise lists the top three things; first off, 93% of hiring
managers want to see evidence of leadership skills in an applicant. 91% of hiring managers feel
it is important for applicants to have participated in extracurricular activities related to their field
of study. The last thing that Denise reveals to us is that 82% of hiring managers wanted to see
that the applicant had completed an internship before graduation from college (Cummins par. 57). We feel that in the struggle for employment, knowing is half the battle. If graduates can
understand what employers are searching for, they can prepare themselves in their studies and
personal development to become that person employers are looking for.
What are some things that can help college graduates to evade prolonged unemployment?

personal development to become that person employers are looking for.

What are some things that can help college graduates to evade prolonged unemployment?
In the short term, the path to a successful future starts in the classroom. When asked for good
advice for college students now to get ahead, Margaret Vail said, Get on that track to finish your
degree, no matter what its inStay focused, get a degreeGet on that train and dont get off
until youve got that degree. Thats the best advice I can give you.
The main problem young applicants face is the dilemma of having little to no experience.
College students can get ahead of this cycle through Cooperative Education courses. Cooperative
education courses, otherwise known as work based learning for credit, are courses in which
students take work opportunities and internships and it counts as credits towards their degree as
elective credits. The internship or employment opportunity needs only to have learning involved
and be related to the students major. They can apply for these work based learning opportunities
through the Career and Student Employment Services office at their school and present it to the
department of their major for approval of credits. These classes can be beneficial because not
only do the courses count as credits, but they also count as work experience for the students
resume. Suddenly after one semester of a Co-op class, the student has gained credits and four
months of work experience. The promotion of Co-op classes can help future college graduates
right now. Our group aims to promote cooperative education as a short-term solution given that
their programs are already in place and can help. These programs are less known, but with more
awareness about them, it can help students take full advantage of its opportunities.
In our group we have thought of a long-term solution that will help many graduates to
have a clearer picture of the workforce and their place within it. It will help them to be aware of
what they can do personally to prepare themselves to become what employers are looking for.
What if there was an on ramp to the right career for you right out of high school? No
guessing games of the major decisions of your life, but instead, you know exactly what you want
to pursue as a career. Wouldnt that make deciding what path you want to take a breeze? If only
there was a way to teach every kid about the ever changing society, technology and job
opportunities. Wait, isnt that what high school is for? What if there were multiple options of
ways that high school kids can get to learn about what they want to do after they graduate? Not
just a day where the school gets together and everyone participates in a career day but full
classes of exploring all the different options you can take in the infinite amount of opportunities
and careers to choose from. Then once you have decided on a couple of options, getting
experience for the interest that person has. Who has ever thought about something and
envisioned it, to only find out its absolutely nothing you expected and not what you are
interested in? There isnt a single person that can say they havent done that. So we need to
eliminate all the wasted time of college students not taking the right classes to pursue the path
they truly desire. For those who are indecisive, it would save years of their time from taking
pointless classes, and thousands of dollars in tuition if they just knew what they were getting
into? High school graduates who are looking to move on to college are not taught well enough
through their last few years about how to move on to college. They are just expected to take their
own path without any knowledge of what to do, or how to do it.
As millennials we have recently experienced the attempt to prepare high school students
for the workforce. The career day was nice and for a moment gave us some ideas, but we need
more. We need entire classes to focus completely on directing us to develop workplace skills
and help us hone in on careers that match us individually. It is our responsibility now to change
what needs to be changed. As students who have experienced that there could be so much more
on the subject of our careers in grade school, it is our responsibility to make things better for
generations to follow. We propose therefore that the board of education deeply consider
developing workplace classes to better prepare the youth for employment. We feel that in the
development of these classes the opinions and input of the students need to be considered and
implemented in order to make students experience more lasting and effective. We know that
these classes will revolutionize the modern workplace economy and we will see a more prepared
and responsible generation of workers. Does this sound too good to be true? That is mainly
because even after the classes are created the desired effects will still take time. One thing is for
certain there is a lot of room for improvement as far as preparing high school students is
concerned. Implementing these classes will be a solid foundation to preparing high school
students in depth for the workforce.

students in depth for the workforce.