“I graduated from Boston College and I’m working at Starbucks.”
“I got a degree in computer science at UC Berkeley, and I’ve applied to hundreds of jobs with still no reply.”
After seeing recent college graduates make posts like this on social media, I thought logically, this can’t possibly be true.
For years, parents and teachers have promoted college as the end-all be-all for high-school graduates, and as the absolute best way to get a “real job” and be successful.
Yet, most of the colleges these students graduated from are prestigious; this shouldn't happen. Colleges that are marketed as providing a “stellar” education are leaving young adults jobless.
As it turns out, these few graduates that posted about their attempts at job hunting aren’t the only ones unable to find jobs.
In June and July 2025, only 30% of 2025 college graduates reported that they had secured a full-time job in their field of study, and only 41% of the Class of 2024, according to CNBC. And, according to PBS, job opportunities are down 15% compared to last year, but applications are up by 30%.
Reading these articles about the job market and seeing college graduates have online meltdowns about not being able to find jobs is incredibly discouraging as a high school senior because it feels like all of my schooling will amount to nothing. It also makes it difficult to keep my motivation to spend money on an education that may not even land me a job.
According to Education Data Initiative, the average cost of college in the United States is $38,270 per student per year, including books, supplies and daily living expenses; not to mention that the cost of college has more than doubled in the twenty-first century.
So, four years of college would be approximately $153,080. All of this just to end up back in my hometown serving at a restaurant? No, thank you.
On the other hand, college graduates typically start off with a crappy entry level job anyways, because “that’s the way to get your foot in the door in the corporate world.” Young adults usually start working in a company as a secretary drafting emails and answering calls, and then work their way up.
But now, these entry level jobs are either being taken over by technology and AI, or requiring the experience that you learn in an entry level job for an entry level job. Companies are advertising to young adults that they need employees, but then have AI review the applicants portfolio, ruling out many potential employees due to certain keywords that the companies programmed AI to find according to NPR.
This creates a tricky issue for young adults trying to find jobs, and excludes possible jobs for something as simple as a keyword or a discrepancy in the application.
On top of that, the expectation from adults, especially at SM East, is to attend college after graduation. So, even if I wanted to save money and take the community college route, I’m missing out on the “college experience” as well as feeling shameful of not going to a “real” college.
So, this leaves me with a dilemma. Do I take a separate route after graduation and gamble on finding a sustainable job that may only last me a few years, or do I go to college, waste more money, and deal with the same exact fear of finding an adequate job and future career?
In order for young adults to prosper and grow, they need to have a starting point after they graduate to advance in the real world. Making jobs difficult to attain for new graduates makes college seem less worth it in the long run.
Jobs for new graduates either need to be more accessible or the expectation for students having to attend college should be less rigid.
ozmuz
ozmuz