The light at the end of the economic tunnel is moving father and father away for nearly every working man and woman in the U.S. today. For recent graduates times are even tougher as they face a nonexistent job market with a college diploma as their only defense. With 17,000 jobs wiped out in the month of January alone, the current economic situation is most likely not going to change for recent graduates any time soon.
A mere nine months out of college and many recent graduates are still searching for their first big break. Lauren Goodwin and David Hochman were both members of the class of 2008 who haven’t exactly been welcomed with open arms by the bleak job market. Lauren found her dream job before being laid off during the holiday season, while David has been having trouble finding a full-time position that will jump start his career.
Meet Lauren, a New Hampshire native who always dreamed of working in the fashion industry in New York City. Lauren moved to Brooklyn on June 1st without a job lined up, but wasn’t deterred as she stepped on the subway each morning with a stack of resumes in her hand and a positive attitude. She gave herself a September 1st deadline to gain a full-time position in New York City, with just two weeks to spare, landed a temp to perm assignment at Rivieria Trading. Working for four months under the impression that she would become a staff employee once the clock turned to 2009, she was instead laid off due to the company’s shrinking budget.
Being back in the same shoes as she was only a few months ago, Lauren maintains a surprisingly positive outlook on her job prospects. “It has certainly been a rollercoaster…but I know that if I get negative it’s just going to make me feel worse about my circumstances,” said Lauren. “Throughout this whole process I’ve learned a lot about myself.”
She treats every day as a work day, waking up early and keeping herself motivated until quittin’ time at 5 p.m. One lesson learned from her time being unemployed is to jump on any opportunity that comes her way. “An average week involves me sending out between fifteen and thirty resumes,” said Lauren. “I have this irrational fear that when the economy turns around again there will be a mad rush of people trying to find jobs…I hope to have a secure job before that happens.”
Lauren has committed herself to being conservative about her spending while she’s unemployed, although she believes it’s important to spend time with friends as much as possible since she spends most of her time during the week at home, alone. She has scaled back on luxuries such as eating out and shopping, but will take a $2 subway ride to a friend’s apartment for a girls’ night out in order to maintain a positive outlook.
By treating her job hunt as her current day job and keeping an active yet modest social life, Lauren has learned a lot about what she wants out of a career, and has even changed her direction from fashion to education. “I’m exploring my other interests and passions and trying to figure out how I can turn those into a career,” said Lauren.
For other recent graduates who may find themselves being let go from their current positions, Lauren has a few words of advice: “Take a couple of days off to reevaluate and relax before you jump back into the job hunt. When you do start searching again, stay positive and apply to every position!”
David is a 2008 graduate in journalism who had his sights set on the National Hockey League after graduation. David thought he would have no problem getting a full time position at the NHL, but the league was put on a hiring freeze and job prospects have been slim ever since. David took a break from the job search during the holiday season, but the economy doesn’t have him down yet – this Jersey boy has been going nonstop for the past five weeks in hopes of igniting his career.
“It sucks,” said David. “Those first few weeks were nice…I had a lot of time for myself [but] it has gotten to the point where it is too much time.” As a student, he enjoyed his freedom from any real world responsibilities, but now feels as if there is no light at the end of the tunnel when it comes to finding work. “It’s a harsh reality,” said David. “I thought I’d be writing sports stories for a newspaper or working public relations for a team right now.”
Living at home has helped David with his finances, but like Lauren, he’s made an effort to visit friends during his free time. He said that although the economy may not be treating him well when it comes to employment, the silver lining is that it’s given him the opportunity to go on the road to visit friends and family since gas prices are more reasonable.
Overall, David has also maintained a positive outlook during these tough times. “Everyone needs to keep their heads up,” said David. “It may be a lot more challenging than they ever thought, but that can be part of the fun and will help make them stronger people in the end.”
David is still chasing his dreams of working for a sports team but also advises other recent graduates to re-think their career goals. “Graduate school is definitely an idea that should be on everyone’s radars right now,” said David. “Let’s enjoy our time while we can before we put the pedal to the metal and work for the next thirty, forty, fifty years.”
Editor’s Note: Job loss statistic from the U.S. Dept of Labor
Related posts:
Very interesting article…as sad as it is, i am happy to see i am not the only one in this position. Thank you.
It’s so sad that parents are spending hundreds of thousands of dollars to further educate their children and the jobs are so scarce and/or saturated in specific areas. America better wake up..we’re losing our best and brightest – our youth! This article was very well written and timely.