Finding dream job after graduation tougher than young people think

By Kate Shumakova

There are multiple reasons why young people fresh out of school fail to find their dream job, said a local expert.

Based on data from Statistics Canada, one in four young persons with a university degree is employed full-time in a job that doesn’t require that level of education. Diane Roberts, assistant executive director of the employment service Career Edge, said recent graduates are looking for a high-paid job related to their education but it is difficult for them to manage it because of lack of experience in a required field.

CBC reported on Friday the Canadian unemployment rate for young people aged 15 to 24 was estimated as 14.5 per cent for April and as 13.5 per cent for May. This decrease was explained with economic growth and 54,000 new jobs for young people. But the improvement in numbers for past two months was in the general construction industry that didn’t demand high-qualified skills.

It is more than just external challenges. Amanda Bolyea, student employment services Coordinator of Belleville’s Career Edge office, said young people cut down their abilities to find job themselves.

“Young people shouldn’t focus on a specific career because I think they are very limiting themselves. If you are interested in nursing for example, and you are really passionate for health care then do that, but keep an open mind. May be there is no a nursing job when you graduate, you may put those skills to use in some other capacity,” she said.

The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development reported just over 50 per cent of Canadians has earned degrees or diplomas – the highest rate among all OECD countries.  But nowadays, to be educated doesn’t mean be employed.

“I don’t think that it’s realistic for people anymore to think: I’m gonna come out of college or university and have my dream job,” Bolyea said.

She advised young people to keep in mind that they just want to develop a skill that they are good at, and success will follow

Most universities and colleges have career centres. The focus is getting graduates their first job and making other successful experience. Loyalist College also has a career centre that offers the service to all students and graduates for free.

Francine Short, office coordinator, said they basically help students with anything to do with their job search, such things like resume, letters, interview preparation, career driving, if they are not sure what they want to do.

“We don’t offer a job, we give them the resources and tools to be able to find their job,” she said.

According to Short, around 1,000 Loyalist students made use of the career centre this year, and the numbers have grown in comparison with last year.

Every February the centre holds a job fair, which allows students to connect with the 80-100 employers there in hopes of finding work.

Roberts said the employment services depend strongly on the local economy and the economic situation in Canada.

“Youth unemployment rates have always been considerably higher. I think that trend, you’re seeing it all over the world.  It’s not a local thing, it’s not even Canadian thing,” she said.

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