Catherine Rampell of The New York Times today reported the unsurprising news that the job market is tough on recent graduates - so tough in fact that the value of a college degree is coming into question.
Young graduates who majored in education and teaching or engineering were most likely to find a job requiring a college degree, while area studies majors — those who majored in Latin American studies, for example — and humanities majors were least likely to do so. Among all recent education graduates, 71.1 percent were in jobs that required a college degree; of all area studies majors, the share was 44.7 percent.
An analysis by The New York Times of Labor Department data about college graduates aged 25 to 34 found that the number of these workers employed in food service, restaurants and bars had risen 17 percent in 2009 from 2008, though the sample size was small. There were similar or bigger employment increases at gas stations and fuel dealers, food and alcohol stores, and taxi and limousine services.
It's vital to point out that Latin American studies graduate degree holders suffer diminishing career results, although it's mean to do so particularly when your buddy from college who has one but works in IT support just went through the hassle of moving and probably doesn't want to hear it.
On a more serious note, an article like this is required to show that it isn't just repeating something that has ever been thus - something that Rampell does reasonably well in the article although one surmises that the NYT's focus on stories that appeal to their middle readerships' anxiety about their offspring helped it along.
Interesting as the insight is, the real reason I'm highlighting the story is to note that for students with an interest in public relations who might wish to work at a great little financial services boutique, give me a shout. The job market doesn't look so bad from here - we're hiring.
