I personally have never heard anyone say this. Not here on CC or in real life.
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I agree, if you had an internship in 2020 you were very fortunate - my S18 got his informal offer from a think tank in the last week of Feb 2020 and was relieved that they continued the program remotely. His college had grants to cover living expenses for people taking unpaid internships in DC but none of those happened so he got the grant instead (even though his internship was both paid and remote - he used it to sublease an apartment in LA). When it came to later job applications there were no expectations whatsoever that people would have held an internship in summer 2020 - the fact he had one at all was remarked upon.
I don’t think now its the same at all - and it is often the highest paid and/or supposedly most prestigious opportunities that are being cut back the most.
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Not that - but people do say - I want to go to x school because I want to work at FAANG. One person just noted that Va Tech because it’ll get them to Amazon.
So we read it up front from many - but not followed up on four years later.
Sure. But that is very different from saying:
The latter is a made up narrative, to be honest; and I haven’t read/heard anyone actually say it.
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Or worse, “I’m going to take loans to go to a more expensive college because I’ll get a high paid tech/engineering/finance/consulting job that will pay them back”
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Maybe some kids’ starting salaries right out of college may not be as high as they perhaps were when the employers were clamoring for warm bodies, but it’s just their first job. There are several college websites (don’t have time to pull one up at the moment) that show what their graduates’ average salaries were at graduation, and then 10, 20 years down the road. They will be fine.
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No, only some of them will be fine. As per the study above, a substantial portion will end up underemployed in jobs for which no degree was necessary, and those that enter such jobs are likely to remain in them ( or similar underemployment) 10 years after graduating.
The grads have good reason to be nervous.
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There are often other mitigating factors that interfere with job progression. I just had a long text chat with the mom of a college graduate whose anxiety sounds like it hasn’t been adequately managed and may be the biggest obstacle to her child’s career opportunities.
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I think the post was referring to systemic or societal issues which impede this class’ employment prospects, not any one individual’s personal problems. Just as those that graduate during a recession often do not quite catch up to their peers are few years ahead or behind them, this class may have continued difficulty from a rough start.
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I gave one example because I just had that text chat. This is a pervasive problem that can contribute to underemployment. There are many students who can make it academically but not in the working world.
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When 50% are underemployed, there are structural reasons.
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And this addresses other reasons for underemployment- many more college grads and employers expecting unrealistic experience for entry level positions. And as for the person mentioned at the outset of the article, unfortunate their last name is Santos. Maybe the employers thought it was George!!!
And many interviewed said college didn’t adequately prepare them for the working world (paraphrasing).
It’s pretty obvious why this student in the article can’t find a job:
“I don’t have any professional work experience, but I have worked 3-4 service/clerical oriented jobs and have picked up many skills throughout my academia. I know I would fit in well in a professional setting but I am unable to find that breakthrough opportunity. Not to sound arrogant, but why are employers turning down a Bachelor’s degree holder for a job that pays $30,000 a year? Am I really that underqualified in the job market right now? I desperately would like to avoid going back to fast food services, but that’s looking like my only option currently.”
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An econ/data analytics double major with no professional work experience? Prior to graduating, did this person think of securing an internship? Waiting until after you graduate is not the time to get your first professional job.
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The reason no one wants to hire this student for $30k is they know once they get experience at their company, they’ll leave for a better opportunity. Who wants to train someone, take on their learning curve, just so they can leave after a year.
Excellent points. But if she is related to the “other person with that last name” maybe she can claim she was the former president of a small country! 
Did we really “learn” these things in college back in the 70s, 80s and 90s? Is this something that colleges are responsible to teach? I’m not surprised these candidates aren’t landing jobs.
From the Forbes article:
According to the surveyed employers, young adults fail to hold eye contact during job interviews, have unrealistic salary expectations, dress inappropriately for the job interviews, refuse to turn their cameras on during virtual calls and some recent grads even bring their parents to the interviews.
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This WSJ article claims that some things have changed in this generation:
This truth about “follow your dreams” highlights a companion lie and truth: We may be told “know your worth,” but the truth is you need to “work on your worth.” The mantra of many life coaches, “know your worth,” says you should never settle for anything less than you deserve. But while we deserve good friends, partners and even unclogged shower drains in our first apartments, as young people early on in our careers, most of us are somewhat worthless, and we should expect to be treated that way.
Indeed, the blanket statement “know your worth” conflates our personal and professional worth. I’ve watched many entry-level and early-career employees trip up when their otherwise enviable self-worth manifests as entitlement. Instead of wanting to be treated with decency and fairness, they expect to rapidly ascend to higher positions and salaries. My generation certainly deserves some of the blame. We created participation trophies for kids, which turned success and failure into synonyms. As these kids grew up, we offered college deferrals and wait-lists to postpone delivering bad news, as well as trigger warnings and safe spaces, even though we know that the real world is often both uncomfortable and offensive—and bad news usually travels faster than good.
So it’s no wonder that when young people start working, too many feel betrayed—or at least bored—by tasks that don’t inspire or obviously benefit them. They were told they could do anything, and now they’re being told to schedule zoom calls or get three iced lattes.
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Some excellent advice in that article!
My 2024 State Flagship Grad chose a practical minor to accompany his major. He applied for around 50 jobs in two cities in different states, interviewed with 4 or 5 different companies and was offered two professional level jobs in his minor. He accepted the one in his preferred city at $75,000 plus great benefits at a highly regarded company with lots of room to promote. He did take one additional online certificate class in his minor prior to graduating, and also had continuous work history since the summer after junior year of high school. Junior and senior year of college he worked a blue collar union job part time while attending school full time. That job dovetailed with his minor and gave him field experience to go along with his academic credentials. He did not do any internships. I think ideally students should study what they want rather than be slotted into “safe” majors (which really aren’t safe). But it also makes sense to increase your marketability with a minor or a certificate program in another field if your major doesn’t have a predictable outcome. I think part time employment while a student is highly desirable both for the resume value and for the experience navigating the working world. Earning your own money is another bonus. Best wishes to all the 2024 Grads still searching. I do think it’s a numbers game, and obviously geographic flexibility increases your odds. I don’t think most grads start out making six figures, but salaries do vary widely by region as does cost of living, so the numbers need to be adjusted accordingly. Ultimately, the primary consideration for a first job after graduation should be, can I fully support myself?
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I agree, and I’ll add what I think is the worst of all - grade inflation. Not only does it mislead students, parents, and institutions about the true quality of work and acquired skills, but it also undermines the integrity of academic standards. Collectively, it diminishes motivation and rigor, rendering transcripts less meaningful and potentially eroding the value of education itself.
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It’s not that easy. My son has just finished his 3rd year in EE and has been applying widely for 6 months now to land an internship with 0 success. He’s deeply worried that without an internship on his resume he also won’t be able to find employment once he graduates.
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