Server Calls College A 'Scam' When She Is Unable To Land A Job After Graduation
Get a degree, they said. You'll get a job, they said.
baranq / Shutterstock We are often told that if we want to be successful in our career paths, we need to get a college education and a degree in our desired field. However, many of us found out the hard way that even if we take all these steps, securing a job still seems impossible.
Despite being promised that we would get a job as long as we studied hard and obtained the proper certifications, many post-grads are realizing that this is simply not true, at least not anymore. One woman took to TikTok to call out the inaccurate societal expectations and the disheartening reality of college.
The woman, who works as a restaurant server, called college a scam after being unable to land a job in her field.
Alison Johnson, a fitness coach on TikTok, revealed that she has a “bone to pick with America," specifically the corporate world.
Many of us who have a college degree were led to believe that the piece of paper would secure us a job position that would make us financially stable. Although the 24-year-old obtained her business marketing degree — which put her $80,000 in debt — she quickly realized that getting a job in her field was going to be far more difficult than she anticipated.
“I’ve been applying for marketing jobs for weeks now, and the pay cut is insane,” Johnson said. “But the jobs that are like a cute $150,000 to $200,000 a year, I’m not getting those.”
Now, she feels as though she is battling against corporate America for a job — and she is losing.
What society fails to tell us as high school and college students dreaming of our future careers, is that in addition to a degree, you need endless experience before you are even considered for a job position.
“People say, ‘Get your degree, but then they don’t talk about how you need experience,” Johnson noted. “The degree was the experience!”
Despite going to college, getting her degree and constantly applying for different positions, Johnson still works as a restaurant server, a job she hates.
Getting a job, despite an impressive education and multiple certificates, is getting more difficult by the second.
Johnson and everyone else with a college degree who are tirelessly seeking jobs are not imagining it. According to TIME, 51% of job seekers with a Bachelor’s degree completed the entire interviewing process without receiving an offer.
Market saturation has made it especially challenging for those looking for work. In some industries, there is increased competition for a limited number of positions.
Many job seekers with college degrees were also under the impression that their degree would be enough to land them a job. However, after they graduated, they discovered that many employers prefer those with practical experience in addition to a degree.
There are several ways one could obtain more experience in their job field after graduation and increase their chances of landing a decent-paying job. There are internships and volunteer opportunities you can participate in, and in the meantime, you may have to take part-time and minimum-wage jobs to pay off your student loans.
Most of us will also have to start at an entry-level position before we can work our way up to the big leagues with bigger paychecks.
The process is grueling and competitive, and some days you will be utterly exhausted. However, as long as you continue to work as hard as you did to get your college degree, employers will take notice, and all of your efforts will pay off eventually.
Megan Quinn is a writer at YourTango who covers entertainment and news, self, love, and relationships.