Standing on the corner of Buffalo Speedway and 59, this young man represents a growing number of graduates desperate for work. Employment rates for new college graduates continue to fall sharply right along with starting salaries for those who can find work. More shockingly, only half of the jobs landed by these new graduates even require a college degree, reviving debates about whether higher education is worth the fuss. Still, adults continue to push children to gain education, "fall back" careers are scarce, and non-college educated individuals continue to thrive.
Growing up, adults urged me to complete school often recanting the phrase, "you don't want to end up flipping burgers at McDonald's". Unfortunately with a 9.1 unemployment rate, class of 2011 graduates may not even have McDonald's in their futures. I challenge current students to come up with a new game plan. After all, the west was not settled by men and women who had taken courses in "How to be a pioneer."
My husband is one of those "pioneers" Through hard work and dedication he continues to excel in information technology with a leading company in his industry. He is a pioneer because he did not graduate college and then get a great career. Though he encourages young people to get an education, that was not his path. It was not until last year, over 10 years AFTER excelling in his career, that my husband earned his degree. He is not alone. There are many people with successful careers who did not go to college and ended up working in his/her CHOSEN career field.
Even when the job market proved tough, college graduates depended on teaching as a fall back career. Even teaching has become a hard job to catch. Kaisha Fields has worked diligently to secure a job teaching for the entire year; she attended orientation and faithfully volunteered only to receive the run-around from HISD. Even the once "fallback" career, teaching, proves a difficult feat of achievement. She is not alone. Others trodding the teaching path continue to meet the same roadblocks.
So class of 2011, this is the job market you have entered. Though it may seem bleak, remember you will get a job, even if it's flipping burgers, there are no guarantees, and maybe you can use something that you already had to get where you want to go.
