Even for a recent graduate in Commercial Trade everybody knows that integrating the job market is fraught with pitfalls.
Ever since I was a child, I have always been told the same story: do well school in order to go to the university of your choice and assure a good and stable professional future no matter what happens. Now that I am about to integrate the job market, I have been faced with the reality that about 20 % of young graduates are unemployed compared to 10% for the whole population and it takes on average several months for them to get out of this situation. Not to mention the fact that every Tom, Dick and Harry is fighting for the same position.
So, what can I do if studying does not allow me to find a good job? Wait until the end of the crisis? Work at Mac Donald’s hoping and praying that somebody decides to hire me? How frustrating.
One of the big problems of post graduates is the lack of experience. To be hired you need at least 2 or 3 years of experience. Well, okay, no problem, but how can we manage to accumulate any valuable work experience if nobody wants to start hiring us.
Two solutions here: accept a job for which you are definitely over qualified for or find an internship.
An internship, what a great concept! A company can benefit from low cost highly motivated labor force and in return the students can store up the necessary experience that they needs for their future jobs. “Everything is for the best in the best of all possible worlds”. In theory, yes, because integrating the job market is a perpetual fight.
We will soon realize that an internship is not enough and that we will have to take on another and another in disastrous financial conditions. The minimum salary for a trainee in France is 417,09 Euros, so it is hard to manage to pay a rent, to feed ourselves and provide for our needs in such conditions.
Now that my student life is almost over, I have been asking myself a lot of questions. What is going to happen after university, where am I going to end up? In which situation am I going to find myself? Is it going to be difficult to find a job? Our future is not safe we have absolutely no idea how our lives will turn out even if I batten down the hatches in the name of all the almost-postgraduates I can assure you that this is totally frightening!
Carine V.
Personally, I am frightened as much as you to integrate the job market, the nightmare of many students. In time of crisis, I think it’s better to stay at university to get a valuable degree instead of directly integrating the job market and find a badly paid job. Some people claim that nowadays, it’s useless to be over graduated since you’ll be forced to accept a job, as you rightly said, you are over qualified for. Nevertheless, the opposite is not possible, as you will never be hire for a highly qualified job if you have no valuable degree.
ReplyDeleteConcerning internships, I totally agree with you. Unfortunately, internships, when companies play the game, are the only mean for students to get some valuable experience.
But as that old proverb says: « good things come to those who wait » !
Mathilde Desmoulins-Colas
And as the African proverb says: “For tomorrow belongs to the people who prepare for it today”.
ReplyDeleteMost of us wish to live in a secure future but we have to make it happen. Even if, an economical crisis period is maybe not the best time to easily succeed, if we are well prepared there is no reason for us to be frightened.
Carine V.
Integrating the job market after university is my today’s concern. I am really worried about not managing to find a work adapted to my profile. Of course, I will find a job but having studied 5 years after A-levels, ending up at McDonald’s or at Carrefour as a cashier doesn’t interest me.
ReplyDeleteThe main question is to know if all your years of study will worth it. Because entering the market place at the guaranteed minimum wage is rather a waste of time…
That’s why I think that French education system and, more particularly, higher education must be subjected to a reform by making studies more professionally aimed.
Margaux
A good alternative may be to work abroad. In France the degree inflation is an issue but it is well known that in some countries a college degree assures you a good work overall. In addition to allowing you to accumulate valuable work experience, coming back on the French job market will be a piece of cake.
ReplyDeleteCarine V.
The problem is also that most of the firms want to hire young graduated but those future employees have to offer significant experience... What a paradox ! How can you justify of two years at least of experience when you just have been graduated?
ReplyDeleteTo ban this obstacle, reforms have to be undertaken and I totally agree with Margaux about a studies’ professionalization (to develop both internships as well as sandwich courses). Besides, the Government should implement programs with the firms to promote the integration of young graduated in the job market; not to mention the benefice companies could get out joining this kind of programs for their corporate image!
Anne R.
I do agree with you but I have a few things to say firstly I dont think it is that hard to have work experience , you have manipulate the students job you've done to make them look like valuable experience and some students jobs are offering some opportunities to evole and accumulate experiences in numerous fields of activity.
ReplyDeleteBut it can be fairly frustrating when you people with a C.A.P finding a job just after graduation when you struggle to find one with a masters degree .
J.T
ReplyDelete