From Global Pandemic to Graduation
What lies ahead for recent and future college graduates.
Story by Henrik Butz
College commencement is supposed to mark a new beginning. It’s an achievement most people spend their whole lives up to that point working towards. It serves as the final transition into adulthood. Students leave the safety and familiarity of campus behind to enter the job market and start their next chapter in life.
However, for the graduates of 2020, 2021 and beyond, the world they prepare to enter is different than the one they were once familiar with.
The COVID-19 pandemic wreaked havoc on the job market. Hiring for entry-level college graduate positions has fallen 45% since the beginning of the pandemic, according to a study done by market research organization Burning Glass Technologies for The Wall Street Journal.
This leaves new graduates scrambling to find work in a vastly changed and increasingly competitive job market.
Over 50% of U.S. internship openings on Glassdoor were canceled at the start of the pandemic, according to data scientist Amanda Stansell. Consequently, students had little to no opportunity to develop the real-world experience required for entry-level positions.
Emily Feek, who graduated from Western Washington University in the summer of 2021, found herself in this exact position.
While in the final year of her journalism degree, the internship prospects that she needed to complete her degree dried up.
“The pandemic hit, and then I was just like ‘I don’t even know when I’m going to do an internship,’” Feek said. “I don’t feel like I can plan for the future.”
The pandemic struck in the summer between her junior and senior year, a crucial time when most Western journalism students complete their internship, which is required for graduation.
Feek, like many other students, was in a precarious position. She couldn’t find an internship and she spent her most critical year in online classes. The future looked uncertain for her and future graduates alike.
With the effects of the pandemic beginning to calm down and things slowly returning to normal, the question for the class of 2021 and onward remains: How will the impact of the pandemic affect their career prospects moving forward?
Despite the daunting numbers surrounding the loss of entry-level positions and internships, Western’s Career Services Center Director Effie Eisses said the job market rebounded significantly once summer began. Employers across all industries told her they are hiring at levels matching their pre-pandemic numbers. Some are hiring at even higher levels, and expect that to continue as we exit the pandemic.
“I think some people continue to be in this state of … fear or shock,” Eisses said. “And I just want those people to know that the market has changed. There are opportunities. You’ll find lots of opportunities listed on our Handshake job platform, where employers are specifically requesting Western grads.”
Handshake is an online platform that serves to connect college students and graduates to employers, entry-level positions, internships and recruiting events through personalized job recommendations.
Eventually, after many months of strenuous searching, Feek was able to find an in-person paid summer internship in her field. She says it has made up for some of the experience lost because of online learning.
Feek said the pandemic forced her to adapt to difficult situations that being a journalist amidst a global health crisis presented, which could be of help as she enters the job market. She spent months reporting online and running an online newsroom, an experience that mirrored those of professional journalists around the world — thus creating a genuine learning environment for her despite the virtual setting.
“I feel like having this time to adapt to the world during COVID-19 is going to help me go into the job market just because things are never going to be the way they were before,” Feek said.
“So many of the changes were just unavoidable, and I hated that at first, but I feel like I’ve made my peace with it now.”
Mirroring Feek’s thoughts, Eisses said the pandemic fundamentally changed the way we work, especially in terms of the permanence of remote work.
With an internship under her belt, Feek said she feels confident to begin her transition into professional life, but the process still feels uncertain as she ventures out into a new world.
As things slowly return to a sense of normalcy, Eisses painted the future in a positive light.
For people who feel like they missed out on vital experiences for growth, employers understand, Eisses said.
“If you didn’t do anything besides get yourself through school, it’s okay,” Eisses said. “Let’s talk about some of the other things that you’ve done and some of your other experiences that you may have had.”