Yes, the college students known as millennials of today’s world are both under-prepared and underemployed once they have graduated college. Now-a-days college students are having to work at least a part-time position just to make up the cost difference that even student loans may not cover. While the price of a college credit has increased, financial has not increased.
Underprepared
College students do feel unprepared for the workforce. Even though they have taken the college courses and earned a degree, they still do not know what to expect when they land a career opportunity. Experts are encouraging college students to learn through work experience. These skills are the ones in which they believe will set college graduates up for success.
Communication
Yes, you are required to take a speech class but that doesn’t teach you how to deal with an irate client or how to defuse the situation. Communication isn’t just for communication majors. Everybody needs to know how to deal with, talk with, and listening clients. Even if you intend to own your own business this a must have skill.
Negotiation
Learning to negotiate for what you want is an art. You may need to negotiate the cost of your vehicle or house upon purchasing or your salary. Knowing how to approach these negotiations with the right tact could save you money or earn you more money. Learning to be cost efficient will help keep within your budget; it’ll make ‘making ends meet’ so much more bearable.
Finding the right job
This is important in helping you feel self-sufficient. College may teach you your desirable subject area. But as for the real world, it will teach you how to best find the best job available for you. It doesn’t matter, during college years, whether you work on-campus or off-campus; it’s the work experience that you are seeking. Attending job fairs and career days are a good way to make future employment connections.
Critical thinking
Hasty decisions are made all the time; haste makes waste. If you haven’t had to make an important decision such as which home would best suit your needs and budget, then just wait until you must make it under the constraint of time. Choosing a cereal to eat at the last minute isn’t the type of critical thinking that’s going to help college graduates in their adult future.
Money management
Not every college student will take a personal money management class during their college course. As you grown into the adult world, you will need to be able to figure price discounts, balance a check book and percentages on large purchases. While you are going to college this is the best time to learn how to budget your finances.
Time management
Time is of the essence. Managing your time is a skill that most adults still to this day don’t manage very well. When you began to manage your time between work, college studies and your social life, managing your time efficiently should be a targeted skill.
Taxes
Most young people don’t realize that they must file and pay taxes to the United States government. Every year you must file a tax return for the IRS. You can file online through online companies like Turbo Tax or H&R Block. You can physically go to a tax preparation agency such as H&R Block or you may also choose to go to a CPA office.
First aid
Not everyone can administer CPR, this is a skill that you can use in every aspect of your life. You may be at home cooking and severely burn yourself and you will need to know the best way to care for your burn. It’s not as easy as just running it under cold water or ‘walk it off’ as your coach would say.
Technology management
You need to know how to go about your day without technology. Not all jobs require the use of technology.
Cooking
To live a healthy lifestyle and survive, you need to learn to cook. You can’t always rely on fast food restaurants even if they have healthy choices. Cooking at home is an essential way of living. It’s also cost efficient when you’re on a budget trying to repay your student loans.
Etiquette
Saying please and thank you go along way. Your attitude and behavior towards people and work needs to be a high value priority. Present your self as a quality member of society.
Self-protection
Knowing how to protect yourself while you are out and about will come in handy. Take a self defense class or carry an item such as pepper spray. Whether you are on-campus or off-campus self-protection and how to go about it is vital for your survival.
Failure management
Oh, yes, you will fail and how you handle this will prove how resilient of an employee you will be. Failure can be seen as failure or it can be seen as another attempt at getting it right.
Strength and weakness
Know your strengths and your weakness. Grow in your strengths and learn how to moderate your weaknesses. No one needs to know what your weaknesses are if you learn to cope with them on your own. Are you hiding it from your current employer? Yes, and that’s okay if you can compensate for them.
Stress management
Learn what you need to do to keep your stress level down to a minimum. Some people need meditation and some people need extreme physical fitness. No matter which one you need employers want you to be in the best mental and physical condition that you can be in, in order to perform top-notch at work.
Ways to prepare for Real World
Working through the college years are valuable on-the-job experiences, it’s educational as well as training. Having actual experience to put on your resume will set you apart from others that don’t have any experience at all.
Avoid debt – pay for as much as you can with cash, don’t use credit cards and only take student loans if necessary.
Working well with others is comparable to playing well with others. Look for companies that offer the best coworking atmospheres.
Develop time management skills. Time management, self-motivation and self-initiation are acquired skills. Learn how to manage your time with scheduling your day and make the most of your time.
Learn responsibility, don’t use your personal phone during work hours specially to text, check social media, play games or just to chat with a friend. Save that for after work hours. Be on time and stay till it is time for you to go home.
Work hard for better grades, don’t let people tell you that working at a job will take time away from studying because it will be very beneficial to learn work related responsibilities and habits.
Employee benefits, some employers offer similar benefits to part-time employees as they do to full-time employees. You may qualify for sick time, retirement and health insurance. Most of all you will be paying into social security which you will need during your retirement years.
Underemployed
Recent reports show that 43% of recent college graduates are underemployed. For example, you are majoring in psychology, but you have worked for years as a cashier at local grocery store. I’d say that when you land your first job as a psychologist, you aren’t going to feel very prepared. The Dallas Morning News reported that the struggle for newly graduated students is finding a job in their major course of students.
College age millennials are more underemployed now than their preceding generation who are in their late 20’s and early 30’s. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 10% of Americans between the ages of 18-24 are 10% less like to have a job than those older than 25 years of age. The Gen-Xers or Baby Boomers have better employment track records due to the fact that college was not as expensive, and they didn’t have to work as much outside of college to make ends meet.
Parents were better able to afford college tuition. Ten years or so ago, scholarships and grants covered the majority of tuition costs.
If you are interested in looking at more concrete ways to get your first job after graduation, have a look at our sister blog recruitersreport.com on this topic.