Is your career goal the same as it was a year ago? For most university students across the country, the answer to this question is no. Alongside the struggle of online learning and the lack of the promised ‘university experience’, students are graduating into an unclear future where jobs are hard to come by. An article published by the BBC in September states that more than one in three students believe that they will have to give up their dream job for any job.
“It feels like my entire future is left uncertain” said 20-year-old student, Courtney Gardner.
Currently in her second year of Drama, Theatre and Applied Performance at Newman University, her dream career is to be a children’s entertainer for ill, hospitalized children or to work within theatre – neither of which she believes will become reality due to Covid-19 and the negative effect it has had on the economy. Unemployment rates are increasing in most countries, including England being into a recession. The IMF described the declining economy as the worst since The Great Depression.
When asked about a career in the arts Courtney said: “With the way the arts have been treated throughout the pandemic, it really makes me wonder how many people are going to look at my choice of degree and question how useful it is.”
This comes after the government backed an ad featuring a ballerina, suggesting her next job could be in technology. The ad was highly criticised as it dismisses the arts, leaving a lot of people like Courtney feeling like they can’t go into their dream career. She’s not alone in lowering her expectations and having to consider alternative career paths, 43% of young people say “I expect I’ll never get a job I really love.”
However, it’s not just students with art related degrees that are struggling. 20-year-old Olivia Ellis is a second-year student at the University of Birmingham.
Her dream job is within the financial sector working as either a banker or auditor, although this is proving to be a challenge as she is struggling to gain work experience due to Covid-19.
She said: “I have had companies tell me they aren’t taking on work experience placements this year because they are unaware of what the situation will be like in the summer.”
For example, she recently applied to a financial services company called Ingeus and they were unable to offer her any experience as they are all working remotely. She is worried the lack of experience will lessen her chances of finding a job after graduating. Companies providing work placements have also received a greater number of applicants than previous years, therefore making it even more difficult for her to be chosen. She also contacted Lloyds Bank about work experience but received an email back stating that the application process has taken longer due to the ‘exponential amount of applications’ that they have received this year.
As well as having to reconsider her career goals, her mental health has also suffered as a result. She said that: “The stress of trying to look for a work placement whilst doing my uni work and not really getting anywhere, as well as not having the social impact of university has negatively impacted me.”
In a survey by Young Minds, it was found that 80% of young people agreed that the pandemic has made their mental health worse.
Lisa Bradley, Journalism lecturer at the University of Sheffield, says she has noticed that: “Students are either completely de-motivated and have a bit of a what’s the point attitude or they’ve gone the complete other way and are really focussed, trying to get the best out of what they can salvage out of this year.” In addition, she also mentioned that the University of Sheffield holds a lot of employability events. For example, the Daily Mail came to do their recruitment drive recently, however this year there were fewer undergraduates than normal.
Could this be a reflection on the lack of motivation students are struggling with? In a survey by the Princes Trust, it was found that within the UK out of 2000 people aged 16-25, 44% had lowered their aspirations for the future due to Covid-19.
“I was hoping to apply to graduate schemes about now but Covid-19 has basically thrown a massive spanner into the works” said 22-year-old politics student Hugo. Back in March, he was working with his University to get a job placement in an office but this fell through due to the pandemic. His dream is to work in the public service sector although with rising unemployment this is becoming a difficult hill to climb.
He added that: “Sitting in my uni accommodation all day was giving me mental and physical health issues so I’ll give it all another stab come September.”
However, it’s not all negative and there are ways students can increase their chances of getting a job after they graduate. Careers coach, Rachida Benamar said: “I was happy to see that despite the appalling treatment they have received from this pathetic government, the students I mentor have shown an incredible level of resilience and are determined to finish their degree and get the job they wanted pre-Covid.”
Some advice Rachida would give to students who are worried is:
- Continue to Network online by joining professional discussions online and attending webinars.
- Be proactive in finding a mentor. With LinkedIn and the internet, it is very easy to find a name and email address.
- Be careful with what you like online because this information is visible to your prospective employer.
- Have a strategy in place. Your personal branding has never been more important so brush up your LinkedIn profile and make sure it reflects the values you want to share with the world.
- Anytime you feel like you do not have “what it takes” to apply to a role, apply! You might be exactly the person they are looking for.
Furthermore, most universities have a careers service you can contact if you need help and are feeling lost with what comes after graduation. Dr Claire Conway, Deputy Head of the University of Sheffield Careers Service, said: “Our advisers in the University’s Careers Service are here to support students to understand where opportunities are in the current job market, reflect on their skills and to help with making a plan, as well as give access to additional dedicated careers support for the Class of 2021.”
She went on to stress that if a student’s chosen occupation has been affected by the pandemic, they should try not to panic as most career paths are not linear, even in usual times.
* featured image by Sheffield.ac.uk
