One of the biggest fears amongst university students, myself included, is lack of employment following completion of our undergraduate degrees. It used to be that a post-secondary education created job security. However, nowadays, it has become the norm, almost an expectation of employers.

Like Cecile said in her blog, there are still many benefits that universities provide, such as co-op and internships. I agree that it is ultimately up to  students to pursue opportunities and make connections, however vague that may be. I wish there were more concrete guidelines to follow, a clear path that insures employment.

While this article in the Vancouver Sun assures that BC university graduates actually have a lower unemployment rate compared to BC’s overall jobless rate, this is only true five years after graduation. This provides little comfort as I imagine my future self, jobless and drowning in debt, after finally completing my degree.

The way I look it, we are all products. We are the inputs in the process of university, and as graduates, we are the outputs, transformed. However, our post-secondary education has become a point-of-parity and we are easily substituted. In order to compete and generate demand for ourselves, we must adopt a differentiation strategy. Our experiences make us unique and we must actively create opportunities for ourselves. Be it work experience or volunteerism, every minute matters.

Photo Sources:

http://dreamfilm.ca/film/generation-jobless/

http://marshallsternonline.com/dare-to-stand-out/#!prettyPhoto