By STEPHANIE WILLIAMSON/Contributor
With graduation on the horizon, upper-division college students are increasingly focused on their career trajectories.
“I’m worried about finding a job after graduation,” Denisha Mims, senior health science student, said.
Mims is navigating her post-graduation steps into the workforce.
“Most jobs require experience, but it’s hard to get experience if the job doesn’t give you a chance in the field,” she said.
Mims is not alone in her concerns.
Insufficient work experience ranks as the top worry among college students seeking employment, according to a Forbes Advisor survey. The survey revealed that 80% of students are anxious about job prospects after graduation. Only 20% feel confident.
PREPARING FOR THE FUTURE
Choosing a major is a critical step for students.
A recent Forbes survey found:
- 43% of college students choose their major based on passion
- 17% consider job prospects
- 13% focus on expected salary.
Popular majors include business, healthcare, social sciences, biology, and psychology, according to the National Center for Education Statistics.
“My first plan was to be a physical therapist,” Rebecca Fallas, a junior health science major from Costa Rica, said. “I applied for the physical therapist assistant bridge program at Tyler Junior College, but I didn’t get in.”
Fallas said international students must take classes even when they have not decided on a major.
“I felt like my doors were being shut, and that was not an option,” she said. “I became very unmotivated, and I didn’t even feel that passion.”
This uncertainty prompted Fallas to ponder, “What will I do next? “I want to continue; I don’t want to leave my courses behind because I’m almost there.”
She said she plans to attend career fairs on campus to “make some contacts and gather information” and try to get an internship.
Many students use internships to gain hands-on work experience, Forbes Advisor reported. Co-op programs, work-study positions, and paid work also contribute to workforce readiness.
WORKING THROUGH COLLEGE
“I’m not worried about finding a job after graduation right now,” Carter Phillips, a senior health science major, said. “I work as a (doctor’s) scribe in the emergency department at UT Health.”
Phillips said the benefits of his job include getting observation hours in a hospital and reference letters to get into medical school.
“Recommendation letters from doctors allow me to continue in my career into med school,” he said. “The job market needs doctors, especially in emergency medicine.”
Listings are down this year on the job-posting platform Handshake, which reflects national trends that businesses have fewer openings and have reduced hiring, CNBC reported.
“I am a little nervous about finding a job in the direct field that I want to go in,” Megan Folk, a senior health science major, said. “I’m planning to transfer into psychology for major, for master’s and doctoral so I’m a little worried about that one.”
Despite her concerns, Folk finds reassurance that she already has a job.
“And I’m in the process of having another job lined up as well,” she said.
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