How Coronavirus Has Affected Upcoming College Graduates

By Shianne Vincent

CHATTANOOGA, TN (mocsnews.com) Covid-19 has put out many plans this year making it difficult for upcoming college graduates from some classes switching to Zoom, to not having a proper senior year or graduation, and more importantly to finding their dream jobs. Many graduates are already experiencing stress about entering the “real world” upon graduation. Adding these piling stressors are no exception. 

With the many students who have graduated this year and are about to graduate, the collegiate class of 2020 are now known to be entering one of the worst job markets in U.S. history according to thehill.com. 

Students have expressed their concern with the stress of finding a job after graduation during a pandemic. Elizabeth Dotson, a student at UTC said, “I am very much worried about not being able to find a job after graduating. I mean, it’s already hard enough during any normal year but adding a pandemic into the mix just makes me so much more stressed.” 

Based on an article from Good Morning America, this year some graduating students, who originally had a job waiting for them after graduation, received notification that their offer has either been rescinded or postponed indefinitely.

Miranda Sawyer, a senior at Lee University, said that she has been looking into Masters programs recently but has found it challenging since her out-of-state schools of interest are not accepting applications at the moment due to Covid-19. When asked about being successful in finding a job this year due to the pandemic, Sawyer replied, “I have yet to attempt to find a job, but I intend to look for one soon. I am worried about it, however, due to the complications covid is causing on that front.”

Kendall Napier, a TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) major at Lee University, was asked if she has experienced the piling stress of finding a job after graduation. She stated that she hasn’t yet, but she plans to take time off once she graduates seeing that her major will require her to go overseas to teach and she can’t do that with the pandemic. She said she will continue working at her current job until it’s safer to travel overseas for a job. 

However, Napier also stated that she has so many hours of teaching she must complete this semester, but it has been challenging for both her and her peers due to some schools turning out to go virtual instead of being in the classroom. 

Dotson said she was able to land an internship, but unfortunately it is not directed toward the path she wishes to take with her degree. 

CNBC posted a list of tips for graduates entering the workforce during a pandemic. Some of these are to be flexible and realize that you may not be able to get the dream job you want right off the bat. Another is to network, build your online profile, apply to multiple places and be persistent.

About Shianne Vincent

Check Also

The UAW says its strike ‘won things no one thought possible’ from automakers. Here’s how it fared

By The Associated Press undefined The United Auto Workers won at least partial victories on …

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *