2M Underemployed College Students?  Yup.

2M Underemployed College Students? Yup.

We think of college graduations as happening in May or June. And it's true that many colleges graduate one class only in those months. But many students, particularly this year, are graduating in December. Some took an extra term to finish. Others accelerated and graduated earlier than planned. This week's newsletter is especially for those who are graduated in December (or those who graduated earlier but may not have have yet landed their dream job). And, also, for those who plan on graduating in just a few short months.

Google "getting ready for college" and you will find thousands articles full of fantastic tips on how to make that transition from high school to college as successful as possible. And then there's the support the college or university provides before you start -- from videos, to webinars, and even on-site orientation programming for student and their parents. Tons and tons of guidance and advising on everything from what to bring to make that dorm room feel cozy to how to survive your first weeks of class.

Google "getting ready to graduate college" and you will find hardly anything and nothing truly current. There's this one article from US News filled with not much advice on how to do anything but a lot of dire warnings to do something as you will face a "challenging job market fraught with uncertainty as employers reel from the financial blow inflicted by the coronavirus."

Tip #1 in most of the articles you do find is "visit your carer services office." What you don't read there, however, is the reality of these offices. According to the National Association of Colleges and Employers, the average ratio of staff to students is to 1 to 1583. Another statistic worth noting: only about 55% of the time of that meager allotment of career services staff is spent with students.

Less than 1% of staff assigned to advise you on how to score an interview, how to get an offer, and how to negotiate an offer have any background whatsoever in recruiting talent. They have never had a role as recruiter, hiring manager, or executive making the final decision in the organization. In other words, they have never been in a position to hire others either as a hiring manager or recruiter. Their best skill set is really securing employers to visit the campus and arranging internship opportunities. And to accomplish this nearly 75% of their time is spent engaging with employers to get them to attend career fairs and host internships.         

For most college students, the focus of their time while in college is not on a job search but on their courses, their activities, those internships, and for many working full or part-time to afford to attend college. The reality is the job search, for nearly 80%, comes after graduation.

Where does this leave you the freshly minted college graduate?

Well, if you ask most college graduates seeking employment, they get their advice on the topic from friends, the internet, and (occasionally) family members.

And when we look at the impact of those resources on employment rates of college graduates and we will find that:

  • 52% of graduates with only a bachelor’s degree end up underemployed a year after getting their diploma — that is, they work in jobs that don’t typically require a college degree. Ten years on, that number only drops to 45%. 

In case you are wondering that's around 2M people -- in 2024.  Just that one year!!          

  • While the share of young college graduates who are neither employed nor enrolled in further schooling is lower relative to the pre-pandemic peak, there is a mild long-run upward trend in this share since 1989.

That's what really scares me.  The upward trend of this.  We're not heading in the right direction, folks.  And there's massive impact to all of us unless we fix this. Because --         

“Idled” young adults lose vital work experience and further education, which translates to compounding losses in their lifetime earnings.

If that's not bad enough, data indicates that graduates entering the labor force during poor economic times earn less than those who enter during a healthy economy for at least 10-15 years.

I started JobMorph to provide another option to the new graduate. From where I sat, what was provided was clearly not working! And it was getting worse every year!

My approach is that I meet multiple times weekly with each college student; giving them the structure they need to succeed.

They ask questions.

They stay on track.

They get more interviews.

Their confidence increases.

They get more offers.

My model is to teach the college graduate how to effectively search for jobs including how to network in a way that builds relationships they already have but establishes new contacts that they can foster for a lifetime.

It's about teaching them to fish -- not fish for them.

I am not trying to create a dependent relationship between my company and the college student. The idea is, during the course of working with me, I'm transferring all my knowledge (30+ years worth) on resumes and cover letters, interviewing, and negotiation, to them so that they can use those skills in the future.

When people understand what I'm doing and how I do it, they are incredibly grateful to have found what they truly need.  I hear that so often from the college students themselves, from their parents, and from the many friends they send my way.         

If you want to invest in JobMorph, please set up time to meet. To date, I have 121 investors and that's how I've gotten this far with it!

If you are interested in being a distributor, where you can refer people to me and earn some extra cash, send your inquiry to info@jobmorph.com

If you want to start right now working with me 1:1, choose the right program for you to learn more about the fees, what you get, and read success stories:

Retirement Advising Pass

Career Coaching Pass

Academic Advising Pass

And to learn more about my my story -- how I got from refugee to CEO of the most amazing company in the world, go here.

Justin May

Turning 'What if?' into 'We did it!'

5d

Are certain degree majors linked to underemployment? Schools need to focus more on career discovery and the long-term impact of different career paths. Following a passion that isn’t in demand can lead to disappointment. Students deserve clarity before they commit.

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Shantanu Verma

Give me 1 hour/month & get 10+ ideal B2B prospects on your calendar who see you as the obvious choice | Fractional CMO for $1M to $10M consulting firms.

3w

These stats highlight a crucial gap between education and career readiness. It’s a strong reminder that skills, experience, and the right opportunities often matter just as much as a degree. Bridging this gap with mentorship, career coaching, and alternative pathways like franchising could be a game-changer. Great insights, Maryse!

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