Spring and summer bring equal measures of jubilation and despair to hundreds of thousands of university graduates across Canada. The joy comes from completing a post-secondary degree after years of study; the misery from discovering that there are no jobs.

Taxpayers blame politicians for wasting money on funding universities; politicians pressure universities to better prepare graduates for the labour market. Universities reply that their role is not to produce job-ready workers for employers, but rather to educate.

At the heart of the dilemma are expectations — on the part of students, parents, and citizens — that are wildly unrealistic. Graduating from university should not be seen as ticket to a good job, or even to a job. However, this is often how a degree is advertised to teenagers by high schools, universities, and family members.

Young people are taught — by parents, teachers and others — from a very early age that completing a post-secondary degree will mean financial security, a fulfilling and prestigious career and comfortable life. Not surprisingly, there is a sense of betrayal when, after graduation, job applications for those financially rewarding and secure jobs are rejected.

Many recent graduates believe that completing their university education is the one — and only — criteria demanded by prospective employers. This is not true. Employers look for individuals who have demonstrated passion (for a topic, cause or activity), who have contributed outside of the classroom, and who have a range of interpersonal and professional skills. Graduates unable to demonstrate that they have mastered some of these qualifications will not be offered jobs.

Furthermore, sometimes students come to believe that the process of learning is secondary to the goal of obtaining a degree. In other words, that passing a course and a program is sufficient to unlock the doors to employment. However, employers increasingly look only for those who have excelled in their studies, on the assumption that strong academic performance is positively correlated with high workplace performance.

Many recent graduates expect to land full-time, permanent and highly paying jobs with large private and public corporations. This is unrealistic. Those jobs are, and always have been, the domain of individuals with years of experience and a set of skills that a new graduate cannot hope to have.

Finally, the transition from school to work is almost always stressful, complex and fraught with uncertainty. Arguably today’s graduates are more fortunate than those in the past. At present, the unemployment rate for those aged 15 to 24 stands at 15 per cent, far below the 22 per cent faced by the baby-boomers graduating in the early 1980s.

What can be done to aid graduates in making successful transitions from school to work?

First, ensure that students and their families have realistic expectations. In particular, that a university degree, especially in the social sciences and humanities, is but one building block in preparing for employment. Moreover, that some — or even much — of what transpires on a university campus does not directly affect employment prospects. In other words, a university education is a wonderful opportunity to explore, learn and grow, but it may have little immediate impact in the labour market.

Second, students need to better understand that their academic performance is a determining factor in the judgments of potential employers. As such, students might be wise to limit the number of hours of part-time employment and make certain their programs of study are in areas for which they have aptitude and passion. Students can also more explicitly link their studies to future employment through internships, co-op placements, volunteer work, information interviews, and going to meet potential employers as part of conducting research for classroom assignments.

Third, students and graduates need to be more flexible in their search for employment. That ideal job with a well-known organization is not going to be offered to a recent graduate. Rather, the contract job in another city or even country, with the less than optimal hours of work, is within reach of many young graduates. After a decade or two of experience and further learning, that wonderful job may be within striking distance, but not at age 22 or 23.

Lastly, universities need to take steps to aid their students to enter the labour market. A course or seminar — perhaps mandatory during the last year of studies — on writing résumés, preparing for interviews, post-graduation options, labour market trends and related topics, would be of great benefit to students.

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The transition from school to work is rarely easy or simple, but with more realistic expectations and more preparation, it can be a less stressful journey.