Berkeley Professor Says Even His ‘Outstanding’ Students With 4.0 GPAs Aren’t Getting Any Job Offers — ‘I Suspect This Trend Is Irreversible’
There seems to be a large percentage of recent college graduates who are unemployed.
insta_photos | Shutterstock Recent college graduates aren't fairing any better than the rest of the job seekers in this difficult market.
A college professor admitted that he's seeing it happen to some of his former students who did extremely well but are having a hard time finding work. In a LinkedIn post, James O'Brien, a professor of computer science at UC Berkeley, insisted that it's become a bleak reality for many college graduates because even though they have their degrees, a job isn't coming as easily as it should.
The Berkeley professor said even his 'outstanding' students with 4.0 GPAs aren't getting any job offers.
"Tech degrees no longer guarantee a job. Lately, I'm hearing similar narratives from students. Previously, a Berkeley CS graduate, even if not a top student, would receive multiple appealing job offers in terms of work type, location, salary, and employer," O'Brien explained in his post.
He noticed that even outstanding students with 4.0 GPAs were now reaching out to him, worried because, despite their impressive transcripts and experience, they weren't receiving any job offers. He concluded that this was happening because of an irreversible trend that is also part of a broader issue that's impacting almost every job seeker in every area.
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The professor hypothesizes that even people starting college today will find themselves in a bit of a bind 4 years down road when they are looking for employment.
There might even be limited options available, which added to the growing number of people who have been laid off and continue to be, it's clear that there's a real issue on the horizon for future graduates.
"We should be doing something about it today," he urged. O'Brien also cited a WSJ article about how tech jobs are seemingly drying up. The publication found that postings for software development jobs have been down more than 30% since February 2020, according to Indeed.com.
Industry layoffs have continued this year, with tech companies shedding around 137,000 jobs since January.
It's disheartening to hear how lackluster the job market is for recent graduates, considering how often we hear about the benefits of going to college and that with a degree, the job market is pretty much your oyster.
Now, however, it seems that even though people are going through four years of college and accruing unimaginable debt, they are still struggling to find employment.
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Job hunting has become a real problem for college graduates, no matter what field they're heading into.
In a recent report from the Strada Institute for the Future of Work and the Burning Glass Institute, researchers found that 52% of graduates with only a bachelor’s degree end up underemployed a year after getting their diploma, which means they work in jobs that don’t typically require a college degree. Ten years on, that number only drops to 45%.
Similarly, a survey of employers by the National Association of Colleges and Employers found that hiring projections for this year’s college graduating class were below last year’s.
It showed that finance, insurance, and real estate organizations were planning a 14.5 percent decrease in hiring this year, a sharp turn from its 16.7 percent increase last year.
To combat the grim reality for many college students who may be inching their way toward graduation, universities and colleges are being urged to really educate their students on what the job market is like now.
That includes quality career counseling, resume reviewing, and assistance, as well as being transparent about the types of occupations that students may end up in once they are no longer in school.
Nia Tipton is a Chicago-based entertainment, news, and lifestyle writer whose work delves into modern-day issues and experiences.