Go to school, get a degree, find a job.
This ideal process is not so common as the youth unemployment rate currently doubles the national unemployment rate. Statistics Canada recorded in May 2012 that while the national employment rate remained at 7.3%, the youth unemployment (unemployment rate for persons between the ages of 15-24) staggered at 14.9%
Not only are these numbers daunting for students and recent graduates the cumulated debt is another fearful reality. One that haunts the bank account for years after. The Canadian Federation of Student’s live calculator estimates at 11AM on June 18th the national debt owed among students amounts to $14,562,966,095. This excludes provincial and private student debt.
Today, great emphasis is placed on receiving a post-secondary education for a bright future. Unlike the boomer’s generation where high school (if that) would be enough to qualify for employment, students are required to achieve a higher education with hopes of securing a job following graduation. University is the new high school. And with that, other areas of educational attainment, such as college have been undermined. In fact, the job market has reflected this trend as 280,000 jobs requiring a university degree were created while 260,000 were cut that did not require a degree before the recession in September, 2010.
The 2010 graduating class of Ontario College of Teachers had a frightening unemployment rate of 67% or two-thirds. Its ironic that such an emphasis is placed on post-secondary education for the reason that individuals will be qualified to snatch up a job rich with benefits and a comfortable salary following graduation, meanwhile teachers are unable to find employment. Desperate for income, many recent graduates fill positions that only require a high school diploma such as retail, restaurant and sales positions.
The solution? Go abroad. Find work elsewhere. Get a job that has nothing to do with your field of study. Or go back to school. Get a Masters, get a PH.D, get another degree. If there is one stereotype that needs to be broken, it’s the fact that students are not lazy. There is a reason why students work one or more part-time jobs during the school year and take on full-time hours in the summer. They have the energy; they are dedicated. Over 100 days of student protests in Quebec by no means suggests laziness. This action is a backlash to the present day trends.
As a student myself, I always fear being asked the basic question, “what are your plans after graduation?” followed by “are you getting your Masters?”
Isn’t a degree enough? Won’t I be qualified to get a job with four years under my belt?
As my pupils dilate and I offer a nervous smile, it scares me to know that these four years of dedication, four years of investing, four years of gaining experience could turn into…well…nothing. And if something, a job that has nothing to do with my field of study. So as I lay in the park after a day’s work discussing future plans with friends, I can’t help but wonder if I will add to the growing four million unemployed students since 2007, or if I will somehow get a full-time position in my field of study.
*By CWP summer student Emily Shoff
