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Ways College Grads Can Survive the Recession

Ideas for Recent College Graduates Struggling with Unemployment

Mar 16, 2009 Katherine Kuzma-Beck

Students who have recently graduated have had a shock with the economy. Companies are not hiring and lack of student loans is making graduate school even more difficult.

College students who graduated last May, and those who are finishing up this term, are finding themselves in a panic. Companies are not hiring like they used to – people leave or are asked to leave their current positions and the employer is not filling the vacancy. Some students are turning towards graduate programs instead of immediately entering the work force, but even that option is becoming a dead end as funding for school is drying up.

Graduates are finding themselves in need of some alternate planning in order to see themselves through our current economic crisis. The following are just a few ways to avoid finding oneself jobless and burdened with student loan repayments.

Stay in School

Though obvious, not many graduates are willing to pick up an extra minor or even a major to stay in the academic system. It is actually easier to keep funding than it is to give it up by graduating and trying to reclaim it later on. Education is something that can never be taken away and once the economy improves, it is something that can only help a candidate once they enter the job-seeking market.

AmeriCorps

Many students often think about doing the Peace Corps – a program requiring about a year's commitment in a foreign country volunteering. However, it's often forgotten American counterpart can work as a simpler solution. AmeriCorps takes people and places them at a variety of sites throughout the continental US, working in a broad spectrum of volunteering opportunities. It offers similar benefits as the Peace Corps in terms of loan forgiveness and forbearance. In addition, the program occurs within the country making it easier to travel home on holidays and breaks.

Teach for America

A program aimed at training recent graduates in education, Teach for America requires a two-year commitment. Corp members are assigned to sites throughout the United States that are suffering from educational inequality. Upon completion of service, the Corp member has the option to stay in the classroom or to move on. Teach for America also offers career services, graduate school partnerships and advising for its members.

Overall, attaining a dream job right out of college has always been a hard, but the current recession is only making it harder for recent graduates to find even entry-level work, regardless of their internship experience and academic record. Until the economy starts moving forward, those who have graduated or will be in the near future need to become creative in their employment search.

The copyright of the article Ways College Grads Can Survive the Recession in Career Advice is owned by Katherine Kuzma-Beck. Permission to republish Ways College Grads Can Survive the Recession in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

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