KANSAN.COM / THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN / TUESDAY, MARCH 15, 2011 / NEWS
LIFE AFTER GRADUATION
7A
It's a tough job market for new graduates
BY JACK RAFFERTY editor@kansan.com
Last May, walking down Memorial Hill to commemorate the completion of his finance degree from the University of Kansas, Andrew Zarda had little idea of what the future had in store for him. He never would have guessed he would soon be spending 60 hours a week training employees, bidding contracts, managing payroll and waking up at 4:45 a.m. to drive his employees to work to keep his company, Harvest Hiring, in business.
With no job offers after 10 applications and four interviews, Zarda, a graduate from Shawnee, decided to take matters into his own hands and founded Harvest Hiring. According to its website, Harvest Hiring is "a contract labor company dedicated to finding employment for disadvantaged communities while providing high quality, low cost and dependable labor to surrounding Kansas City businesses."
"During college I volunteered with Bhutanese refugees in Kansas City and found that it was very difficult for them to find jobs on their own," Zarda said.
He didn't realize until forming Harvest Hiring that his knowledge in business could be a vessel for his love of helping others.
"I still wanted to be able to help the Bhutanese find employment but
I knew I needed to find employment for myself," Zarda said. "I came up with a way to solve both problems by starting an employment company that works to find employment for refugees and others seeking work."
A TOUGH MARKET FOR NEW GRADUATES
While the Kansas unemployment rate continues to hover near 6.4 percent, 3 percent below the national average, many college graduates are facing the same predicament that Zarda faced.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that there were 3.2 million jobs available across the country in November, but with many jobs requiring specialization and more than 14 million unemployed Americans it is still a challenge to find employment upon graduation. Such was the case for KU graduate Heather Miller. After graduating with a degree in music performance, Miller sought employment as a high school band instructor, but many school districts had no positions available because of state and federal budget cuts.
During college Miller worked as an office assistant for Mary Kay, selling beauty products. This job allowed Miller to earn a good income and continue to teach flute lessons.
motivated women, travel throughout the year, and continue to teach flute lessons so I felt it was a perfect fit," said Miller.
"I realized Mary Kay was a career that would enable me to work with
Miller didn't mind that her position with Mary Kay was not music-affiliated because her income exceeded what she would have earned as a band instructor.
Many graduates like Miller work in fields not related to their degree or in fields that do not require a college education.
According to a May, 2010 New York Times article, Andrew Sum, an economics professor at Northeastern University, found that only 51 percent of college graduates under the age of 25 were working in jobs that require college educations, down from 59 percent in 2000.
For graduates who choose not to work in retail, as a barista, or some other entry level position not related to their area of study, there are few remaining options in the marketplace.
GRADUATE SCHOOL
Some KU graduates opt to begin graduate school rather than enter the work force. While earning a graduate degree, students are eligible to postpone student loan payments accrued while earning their undergraduate degree. It is this benefit and the belief that a graduate degree will increase the individual's chances of future employment that has lead to
the three percent increase in graduate enrollments in the United States, according to the Council of Graduate Schools.
HUMANITARIAN WORK
For some graduates, the desire to travel and serve the less-fortunate outweighs the desire to further their careers in academia or find employment. As of January, the Peace Corps had 8,655 volunteers serving in 77 countries and Americorps had approximately 74,689 volunteers serving in all 50 states. Both organizations, which are funded by the U.S. government, offer volunteers the ability to defer student loan payments while earning a monthly stipend to cover living and housing expenses.
"The LRA needs to be stopped and the people of the Congo and northern Uganda need to be protected and if I can help with that, then sign me up," Linderer said. He will spend the next six months
Many non-profit organizations, such as Invisible Children, a nonprofit organization seeking to end the conflict in Uganda and stop the abduction of children for use as child soldiers, offer no financial support for volunteers. This did not discourage former KU student Alex Linderer, who spent six months of his life living in a van while travelling the country to help raise awareness for the organization.
FAST FACTS
- As of November, 2010, the Bureau of Labor Statistics estimated that there were 3.2 million jobs available across the county, but more than 14 million people unemployed.
- According to a study highlighted in a in May, 2010, New York Times article, 51 percent of college grads under 25 worked jobs that required a college degree.
- 900 people applied to the Invisible Children's spring internship.
75 were accepted.
- As of January, 2011, the Peace Corps had 8,655 volunteers
- As of January, 2011, the Peace Corps had 8,655 volunteers serving in 77 countries. Americorps had 74,689 in all 50 states.
traveling throughout Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Illinois with three other volunteers screening the organization's newest documentary. After each screening volunteers will be asking the audience to financially support Invisible Children's expansion into the Democratic Republic of Congo.
For the 900 individuals that applied for Invisible Children's spring internship and for the 75 individuals accepted including Linderer the opportunity to help bring relief to a war stricken nation outweighs the comfort of financial security.
"I've seen and love the way Invisible Children lights little fires in people all over the country, injecting hearts with purpose and love. It's infectious, and it changes lives and I want to be a part of it," Linderer
said.
"Living in a van with three other volunteers I have nothing in common with is difficult everyday," Linderer said. "I work around the clock without reward, without pay and without thanks, but I still have to be patient and those I meet on the road. I believe this experience has sharpened me into a better human being, which is what I need so I can live a good life and take care of people. That is what nurses do they take care of people. They show compassion in their lowest moments. They sit next to the dying, the sick, the afraid and say 'I am with you, and that's beautiful and that is what I want to be."
Edited by Tali David
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WALTER S. SUTTON LECTURE SERIES
THE UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS SCHOOL OF BUSINESS and THE KU INTERNATIONAL CENTER FOR ETHICS IN BUSINESS
100 Years of Caring: Corporate Social Responsibility at Hallmark
Carol Hallquist, Vice President Hallmark Corp. Foundation
Tuesday, March 15, 2011 at 7 p.m.
Woodruff Auditorium, Kansas Union, 1301 Jayhawk Blvd.
Free to the public. No RSVP necessary.
KU SCHOOL OF BUSINESS
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KU INTERNATIONAL CENTER FOR ETHICS IN BUSINESS
The University of Rasua