Young, educated and jobless – blog competition winner
By Susan Reedie
Susan’s personal story is the winning entry in our “Your 2011″ blog competition.
It’s the economy stupid. My wonderful, tall, handsome, intelligent, hard-working son graduated with a 2:1 degree in archaeology from the University of York in 2010. Since then he has had no proper job.
He wanted to work in archaeology or ‘heritage’ and applied for lots of jobs; most didn’t even acknowledge his application. So he took an awful shift work job in a cereal factory and traded up to a temporary job in our local Marks & Spencer before last Christmas. They liked him and wanted to take him on permanently but head office said no.
Since January 2011 he has had no job at all, despite applying for at least one job per day: graduate jobs, non-graduate jobs, anything. There aren’t even any vacancies posted at our local Tesco. When a new branch opened a few miles away they had about 60 applicants per post.
He has volunteered one day a week at the County Museum – doing proper work, putting up temporary exhibitions, cataloguing an archive, recording a previously unrecorded pre-war dig. The place is mainly staffed by volunteers as they can only afford to employ about three members of staff.
Then he was offered the opportunity to work unpaid two or three days a week at a charity in London. They paid his travel expenses and luckily he was able to stay at his girlfriend’s parents’ home in London.
He had hoped it might lead to a job offer, but when a member of staff left, no offer was forthcoming. Why should they pay someone when there are queues of people willing to work for free?
At last, in October, he got a job selling Christmas trees. It’s not as bad as it sounds, he’s doing it from an office, but the thing about Christmas trees is that nobody wants them in January, so it won’t last.
So the news in 2011 has depressed and angered me. There is no end in sight to high youth unemployment. Every euro crisis makes the prospects seem darker.
If my son had been paid for the voluntary work he has done, he would have spent money himself, rented a flat with his girlfriend, gone out, bought things and the economy would have benefitted.
Instead his life is on hold and his student loan is gaining interest. I keep telling myself that it will be all right in the end, that a society to which someone like my son cannot contribute is unimaginable in the long term but how long will this term be? And how damaged will my son be at the end of it?
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There are 12 comments on this post
This is not meant as an insult to your son, for whom I have utmost sympathy along with all those unemployed in this current nightmare, but perhaps one of the things that people/politicians/all of us need to think about is what qualifications we should be getting.
I am 38 years old and am very lucky to be in work, but if I was to go back 20 years, I wouldn’t do a History degree, or a Social Policy degree, or – as your son did – an Archaelogy degree. I would do business studies, perhaps with a side order of economics. Or, I would train to be a plumber/electrician.
It is a really nasty world at the moment and I would urge anyone considering their choice of subject for further or higher education to think carefully – what will give you the best chance to start your working life? What can give you a strong foundation on which you can later build if things turn in your favour?
I like the blog, and I think it shows what a horrible let down the political class have been and the clearly ineffective ‘trickle down’ model of capitalism, but as we live in such a bad world, what can we do to arm ourselves for the future?
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The real issue here is that there’s been far too much pressure on students to go on to university education. I’m 21 and was one of only a handful of 6th form students who decided not to go to University. Granted, my grades were poor but my 6th form education in English Literature was enough to get a job in online marketing straight from 6th form. Sure, I got lucky, but I’m not the only one. My housemate is the same age as me, he left school with poor grades and started two successful band agencies, which all things considered was probably less work than a university degree in business studies and without the debt.
Many of my other friends however, decided to go to university. Four of those have decided to go on to do a masters degree as an alternative to becoming jobless, gambling that jobs will become more plentiful by the time they finish their course.
It’s worth noting here that according to their facebook pages, two of these four masters degree students don’t know the difference between your and you’re.
There is something very wrong with our education system.
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My daughter, always a traveller at heart, got a job in a Building Society after her degree. She saved up by living at home, did her one month TEFL and after a trip to Tanzania/Malawi where cerebral malaria almost killed her, winged over to Taiwan, where two and a half years later she is about to travel S E Asia for 5 months, having saved a substantial amount and had a life.
It is drastic, I agree and very hard for one’s only offspring to fly so far but she is happy and that – with health – is all one can ask for. I exhort Susan Reedie’s son to do something drastic like work abroad… he could gain valuable skills volunteering in a heritage site whilst teaching for example- perhaps a longer route to what he wants to do but at least he’d be trying new experiences.
The very best of luck and hopefully 2012 will be his breakthough year. I’m of to Taiwan on Xmas Eve- so there are benfits for mums too! Kind regads, Kathy M
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I agree with H Carless, too much pressure on kids to go to uni. Expectations raised, told that a degree will guarantee them a career that will soon pay off that debt – it’s so wrong. I can’t imagine how desperate thousand upon thousand of young adults in this woman’s son’s position must feel. Cheated and misled by the establishment I expect.
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I am in exactly the same position though I have a 2:1 degree in English. Yes, English; a very sought after qualification with the benefit of eing applied to most professional occupations, and I am yet to be offered a proper job.
I also graduated in 2010 and all I have found so far is temporary work (for a week or couple of days at a time) and a Christmas temp job which will be ending this Friday (I only managed to get that because of somebody I know working there). I have also volunteered over the past year and a half at a local animal sanctuary to heighten my chances of a job offer. This has made no impact whatsoever so far.
95% of graduate schemes and companies haven’t even acknowledged that I’ve applied to their vacancies, and I apply to a lot! It’s disheartening to think that I am at rock bottom with no apparent light at the end of the tunnel. If I had a permanent job somewhere I would be spending the money on rent, going out and using it without too much caution instead of keeping everything I earn in my savings. – just like your son.
We really need the government and private sector to help us but it seems impossible at the moment. Life is pretty dismal for unemployed young people.
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I agree with Kathy Miller, sometimes to change things means taking a greater risk. My daughter came out of university in 2009 with a 2:1 in Fine Art and got herself an unpaid internship at an arts festival in Canada for 6 months via online application/Skype interview. She got 3 part-time jobs (cleaning & retail) to pay for rent and living to survive. Now much wiser and more employable.
I’m not saying this is right for your son, just that it’s not the qualification alone (whatever the subject)that will ultimately lead to success.
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Susan your Son’s a credit to himself and proof, if any were needed, that the majority of young people are no less hard working and persistent than their parents or grandparents were at that age. The reason developed nations are struggling to create jobs for many of its citizens, has to do with efficiencies. The underlying governance for businesses in developed countries is a persistent need to reduce costs, increase profitability and reduce risk; it’s not governed by a job creation criterion. Jobs are a bi-product and are only created if they promise increased efficiency.
Many UK businesses are based on 300 year old industries. Through decades of invention and reorganisation they’ve reached the 21st Century as efficient as they can be. For many companies this often means creating jobs abroad in developing countries, as further job creation in this country is no longer efficient for growth.
Working voluntary or for free proves your Son’s ambition, It’s about him having a go and making you proud of him. – It’s also about our children trying to prove to business that they can still add efficiency’s. Please ask him to stop trying to squeeze himself into a 300 year industry! – it’s like trying to squeeze oneself onto a tube train during a 300 year old rush hour. It means he and many people like him will need to innovate their way towards the next 300 years, largely alone, without experiencing the job security his grandparents enjoyed. He belongs to the “Creative Class”, not the “Working Class”, which means he has to create new ways to make archaeology efficient and profitable.
So encourage him to learn how to read and write code, for not knowing how to programme in the 21st century, will be like not knowing how to read and write in the 20th. Persuade him to mix with musicians, programmers, artists, computer technologists, writers and mathematicians; because together they will create work, for themselves and others and eventually get a little coin for their efforts. Ask him to be brave, because it might be a long journey with many unknowns. Please reassure him that there’s an all but empty train on the other platform filling up with archaeologists, historians, scientists, writers, artist, mathematicians philosophers, engineers, musicians and builders ready to define the next 300 years….What Ebay did for merchandise GPS will do for archaeology, hold strong the youth, it’s a very exciting time to be young.
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I’m a graduate recruiter and, as your son has experienced, there is extreme competition for all positions and placements. I too screened over 60 applications for every position available in 2011 (I did acknowledge receiving them and provided outcomes to all candidates, although it can take me a couple of weeks to screen and reply due to volume). I have not seen your son’s applications or met him, so do not know how he is writing his applications, but here are a few of my thoughts.
In my experience, a strong application provides a clear outline of the candidate’s motivation for applying to that particular role with that particular company. As a basic rule of thumb, if your son could substitute the company’s name with that of their competitor in his letter (or application form), his letter (or application form) is not targeted enough. He should refer to recent awards, senior hires by the company or sector news and state why that interests him (search Google, LinkedIn, Twitter, Glassdoor etc to find tidbits).
He also needs to ensure that any covering letter or application statement includes a clear link between his skills and those required of the job. Stating how he can apply his skills to the role advertised is key. Stating “I have excellent communication skills” provides little value to an application, but stating something similar to “I developed strong interpersonal skills as I (what he did) in a work placement with (where he did it). This will allow me to (mention one of the duties from the job description here)” indicates that he’s thought about his own abilities, where and how he learnt them and how.
Finally, spell check, spell check, spell check, spell check. Please! I mark applications’ spelling and grammar and there are many, many applications which fail miserably on these basic requirements. Any job application is important to the candidate (I hope) and if a candidate doesn’t take the time to spell check such an important document, why would I trust them with communication on behalf of my company with a client?
I suggest that he approaches his former university to ask if he can use their Careers Service for them to review his CV, application forms or covering letters. Many allow graduates to continue to use the Service for a year or so after graduating, although it may be limited to using their website to search for roles. I keep meeting students who, disappointingly, have never been to their Careers Service and they really are a fountain of knowledge!
I wish him all the best.
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Susan, your blog on your son’s woes in trying to secure a job in his chosen profession hits home with me as he typifies many hard working, well intentioned graduates seeking employment in the new world order. Contrary to James’ assertion that your son may well have chosen the wrong subject, suggesting he would have been better off in economics etc, our own son graduated with an Upper Second from a very reputable red brick University in Accountancy and Finance and no job offer despite countless applications. Had it not been for the fact that he was fortunate enough for us to offer him an administrative post in our own business until he could secure a post in his chosen field, it would have been total despair and dismay for our family.
He finally got offered an internship in a leading accountancy house 18 months after graduating, boy is he working hard, you bet he is, only too grateful for the opportunity.
Our younger son will hopefully graduate in the same field next year, we will be better prepared for the roller coaster through these turbulent times when it comes to his turn!
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I hope by the end of 2012 there will be a happy ending to the story or at least a beginning somewhere for your son. Maybe he should consider taking his masters and specialize in conservation. There is funding available for certain courses and museum collections around the world are not going anywhere. Care of objects is becoming increasingly specialist, in the current job market people need to have indispensable and bespoke skills.
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Sadly for your son and many graduates and young people the pool of Labour employers can choose to recruit from is ever expanding.
Over 5000 people per WEEK arrive in the UK intent to settle, and this means employers can easily find the skills and experiance they need without having to engage with or train youngsters. A recent arrival is a better bet for a company than a British worker, as they are often highly dependant on and tied to the organisation, yet the organisation can fire them at will and can thus call the tune on thier working conditions.
Wages (ability to buy a home and raise a family) are ever declining in real terms.
The situation for your son today, is in a job market of unlimited immigration where a FTBer is over 37, and houseprices are 6-7 times gross earnings. Today peoples real wages and living standards are continuously declining with rising inflation.
Contrast this with the 1980s period with highly restricted immigration in which houseprices where 3 times earnings, the average age of a FTBer was 23 and wages and living standards strongly increased in real terms under declining inflation and taxes.
It is not going to get better.
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On reflection, I would consider that this thread possibly represents one of the most important issues facing the United Kingdom and developed nations for some considerable time: It’s up there with climate change! And is far too important to allow it to become just more internet noise; or over-shadowed by further chatter over Justin Bieber’s navel hair!
I’ve actually commented earlier to this thread and I’ve since elaborated on the points I made on 22nd December, extended to my blog page. I really don’t post on my blog often – (about 4 times in 4 years OK!) but I simply had to on this topic. The articles entitled “Cooking Yourself a Digital Dish” – please do visit http://www.quirkyposture.blogspot.com to find out why.
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