Students more frequently question the results and rationale of postsecondary education. Why bother to keep going to school? Consider the state of the economy; through this recession, unemployment rates continue to fluctuate. Also, with the jobs that are being created by the government, a vast majority are temporary. Another concern is the fact that many collegiate graduates are caught with the issue of not being able to work in their chosen fields. Instead, they are left to scrounge for any job that can supply them with a sufficient income, even if it means bagging groceries at outlet stores. Many uncertainties, especially the previous, generate the questionings of expending funds on a future that we may not even be able to pursue. What is the point if you cannot do what you have been trained so long to do?

Unfortunately, as fresh graduates from college, unemployment is not something that individuals would think about. Most graduates consider themselves prepared and excellent candidates for employment, therefore developing a sense of pride. With so many years of education, they feel ashamed to even consider applying for unemployment. Instead, they end up being placed out of the labor force and mostly return to school because of weak employment prospects. There are many that remain practically stuck in a catch 22 whereas they cannot meet the criteria for unemployment opportunities since some have never been employed initially.

As the work field has become increasingly competitive for college graduates, the economy is not the only factor behind its frenzied state. Experienced workers with families and bills to pay that have been laid-off are just a faction of the millions of people that college graduates have to struggle against for diminutive job selections. Also, as the number of individuals that graduate college increase, the higher the competition is for applicants with degrees alone; this therefore depletes the significance of having a college degree.

Nowadays, having a degree is no longer a scarcity; if everyone has a degree, what is going to make an individual stand out? Basically, to successfully get a job, a person is going to need much more than just a college degree to catch the eye of an employer now. However, not having a degree will reduce job opportunities drastically, so working hard to achieve in the upper end of the field is not an easy task. This is also a significant issue that college graduates have difficulty facing. As they now have to make themselves stand out even though they thought that just a college degree would do the trick, there is issues with making a resume look good. A lack of interview and people skills, networking, and preparation of a good resume are significant factors that impede success. Focus in these areas will increase an individual’s work value considerably.

Although pursuing an extended education may be a hesitant decision to make, especially in these hard times, it will affect what unfolds in the coming years. That will have to be a long evaluated personal decision. If a risk is not worth taking, then success may not be the finishing prospect. The field that one will desire to pursue, the circumstances, and one’s determination and devotion as whole, will be the key factors behind the rationale of providing a good future for oneself.