Grads grapple with future
With two degrees under her belt, Shelly Hansen thought finding a job would be easy. After graduating from USU with an FCHD degree, she moved to Texas where her family is from.
When she arrived in Houston, Hansen said she began her job hunt.
“I probably applied for like 20 positions at different residential facilities,” she said, adding that she wanted to work with troubled teens or individuals struggling with addictions.
“I didn’t think it would be so difficult — I have my degree,” she said.
After months of working at a restaurant and interviewing for different positions, Hansen said she was ready to give up.
“This economy is so terrible. But a lot of places are cutting back on staff to save money,” she said.
Finally, she found a receptionist position at a facility, but it was not her dream job by any means, she said.
“I didn’t go to school for eight years to end up filing documents and answering the phone,” Hansen said.
She said she completed a degree in musical theater at Southern Utah University before moving up to Logan.
“I knew music wasn’t going to be a career for me, I just love the environment,” she said. “But I also have always wanted to help people.”
Hansen said the FCHD program at USU was really incredible for her and her professors were encouraging and helpful. However, she isn’t planning to go back to school for a third degree.
“I really don’t feel it’s worth it at this point,” she said. “I already have student loans up to my eyeballs.”
Student loans were also a struggle for Melissa Trump, who graduated from BYU-Idaho with a degree in psychology.
“I know everyone says that you need to get a master’s in psychology, but I just don’t have the money,” she said.
She said, after paying out-of-state tuition for five years, she had quite a bit of debt to pay off.
“I’m not even halfway out of debt, and I had been working full-time throughout school.”
Trump said she applied for jobs in the Rexburg, Idaho, area but thought location was the problem, so she decided to move to Salt Lake City.
“I figured there would be more options in a bigger city,” she said. “But none of the places I applied to — and I’m talking piles of applications — wanted to hire me.”
She said she felt she was well qualified for the positions she applied to, but nobody was hiring.
“I had a 3.7 GPA and I rocked my GRE, even though I can’t go to grad school now,” she said.
“But I’m happy with where I am now.”
She said she nannies for a small family and loves the twin girls she takes care of.
“I wouldn’t say my degree was a waste by any means. I will always have that knowledge with me, and it’s useful. I just wish I didn’t have to pay thousands of dollars for it.”
Emily Daines, who graduated from USU in secondary education, said she knows she’s not alone among the group of graduated students who can’t get jobs in their fields.
“I applied for probably eight to 10 positions, but I didn’t really want to put up with the Utah education system,” she said.
Now, Daines works at Five Napkin Burger in the upper west side of New York City.
“It’s frustrating. I’m a college graduate, and I’m working at a restaurant,” Daines said. “You think going into education there are always teachers need, but they have all these requirements.”
She said underemployment is a common thing, “I think it’s a generation thing. A lot of us are graduated and working in jobs that don’t relate to our field.”
According to the GhanaWeb.com nearly 45 percent of graduates from universities and other institutions are jobless. These graduates, the site states, are between the ages of 22 and 25.
“The most upsetting part is that I really thought the four years I put into studying would pay off,” Hansen said. “I definitely wouldn’t take it back. My college experience was great socially. I just thought getting a degree guarantees a job. But no.”
“I don’t feel it’s hopeless. Maybe someday I’ll get my dream job. Maybe not, but I’ve realized I can’t base my happiness on if I have a career job,” Trump said.
– natashabodily@gmail.com