Download PDF

It’s Time to Reduce Our Job Expectations

1 Star2 Stars3 Stars4 Stars5 Stars (No Ratings Yet)
Loading...
Post Views 0

Speaking during a meet at the University of Nevada-Las Vegas in the first week of July, 2010, President Obama, while referring to the economic situation, is reported to have said, ”The simple truth is, it took years to dig this hole,….It’s going to take more time than any of us would like, to climb out of it.” And that statement, for all sorts of reasons, is more true than many realize, or are ready to admit, for it implies our loss of direction as a nation and failure to keep track of reality.

The recession as an economic force is compelling us to take stock of the situation and get synchronized with reality, rather than keep chasing after impractical personal aspirations. The recession is helping us to rid ourselves of trends that hurt both the nation and ourselves in the long run. And the recession, as a force of evolution, is persuading us without mercy to reassert ourselves, ensuring the survival of the fittest, and a future American economy planted solidly on its own feet. Be sure that when the recession is over, we will naturally find an America supported more by internal competencies than by external dependencies, regardless of the wishes of politicians or policy makers.

As a nation of immigrants, America should never have lost hold of the reality that education that follows job market needs is more beneficial for the nation than education that follows personal dreams. But it did happen, and in all fields of education, we find students aspiring after personal dreams that widely diverge from economic reality and market needs. It was assumed for generations, that as American citizens, jobs were there waiting for us, whatever be the field of studies we chose to graduate in, and whatever combination of subjects we chose to satisfy ourselves.

Today, we find students destined to succeed being unable to grab jobs in their personally chosen fields. Take for example the case of a student of International Human Rights and Welfare who topped at class and graduated in 2007. She still has been unable to get a job in her chosen field (mentioned in a letter written to the editor on July 7, 2010, New York Times) even though she is ready to work in her chosen field for even $30, 000 a year!

Only a tight and recessive job market forces the young to recognize the gap between reality and personal dreams. The situation have rarely been so bleak for young college graduates whose unemployment rate at 5.5% is currently double of that during the Great Depression for the same social group. Despite the situation, we frequently hear of young adults refusing to accept jobs that do not meet their expectations. Unsurprisingly, and as according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, a large 23% of young adults are not even seeking jobs, preferring to wait out the recession before starting their careers. Meanwhile, as according to President Obama’s indications, the end of the recession is hardly in sight. It’s time for the young to reduce their job expectations and get back in touch with reality.

This article was originally published in EmploymentCrossing. EmploymentCrossing is a leading job reporting and research institution, consolidating jobs leads from all possible sources in the world. For more such informative articles, please visit EmploymentCrossing.
It's Time to Reduce Our Job Expectations by
Authored by: Harrison Barnes