Are College Graduates More Likely to Land a Job? (The Bureau of Labor Says So)

by SodaHead News Posted 2012/06/06 13:00:00

Related Topics: College, Jobs, Unemployment, Unemployed, School, High School, Student, Glee, Labor, Image, Graduates

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	Yes	187 votes	52%
	No	172 votes	48%

It's not exactly the best time to be getting out of college right now, with unemployment still hovering around 8 percent, but according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, a college degree is better than nothing. Way better, in fact. They report just 3.9 percent unemployment among college graduates, compared to 8.1 percent among high school graduates and 13 percent among high school dropouts.

However, there's one major catch. That 3.9 percent unemployment for college grads does not include anyone under the age of 25, and according to Good.is, more than half of college graduates under 25 were unemployed last year. And while any employment is better than none, Good.is also notes that the Bureau doesn't specify what type of employment these grads are under. So what do you think, are college grads actually better off than those who never got a degree?

+22

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meg 2012/06/06 18:47:00

Yes

+4
Depends on what kind of field they are in I would guess, but it is always better to have more education than equal to or not enough.
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More polls by SodaHead News

kit kat 2012/06/06 19:05:58

Yes

Nobody is saying that Africa needs diversity.

Nobody is saying that Asia needs diversity.

They are already 100% diverse.

People are only telling white children in white countries that they need diversity.

White countries will be 100% diverse when there are no white people left.

Diversity is a code-word for white genocide.

reply
thomas.... to kit kat 2012/06/06 19:56:14

I kind of see what you are saying but that's a little extreme...

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lee to thomas.... 2012/06/06 20:13:50

white supremacists usually are.

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Julian to kit kat 2012/06/06 20:30:57

How does that relate to college graduates finding work?

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phil to kit kat 2012/06/06 21:41:25

Give them hell kit cat. Purr fect statement

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Tentimesinfinity 2012/06/06 18:57:22

Yes

Duh

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anna.stinson.39 2012/06/06 18:57:17

No

+1
Those of us with degrees and years of experience have a hard time landing jobs, good luck to the new graduates!

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JERSEYDUDE 2012/06/06 18:56:25

No

+2
that piece of paper isnt what it use to be

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meg 2012/06/06 18:47:00

Yes

+4
Depends on what kind of field they are in I would guess, but it is always better to have more education than equal to or not enough.

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Julian to meg 2012/06/06 20:32:57

I basically agree, but in a college setting, more education usually means more debt.

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meg to Julian 2012/06/06 20:37:39

Unless you're smart enough to go into a career that can easily pay off loans, right now I'm facing the decision of applying for loans or not, my career as a pharmacist could afford it, but I just hate owning people money, but I might not have a choice once I attend the university.

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Julian to meg 2012/06/06 22:55:21

I'm sure you'll make the right decision. BTW it's owing, not owning.

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meg to Julian 2012/06/07 04:59:57

+1
my bad sometimes i i miss type and spell check things wrong, I'll probably use what the FAFSA gives me for community college and I'll probably need a loan for when I transfer to a university unless i land an awesome scholarship, which is unlikely.

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Julian to meg 2012/06/07 05:13:01

I think it's great that you have a target job in mind before going to college. Do you have a family connection to pharmacy or is it something you decided to do yourself?

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meg to Julian 2012/06/07 05:22:01

+1
Kind of my uncles long term girlfriend has a family owned pharmacy, but when I head this it kind of clicked because I have no interests or hobbies in life so when I think about what I want in my life what comes to mind is the opposite of what I had/have growing up, something dependable and reliable not having to worry about money but I also don't have skills so it would have to be a learned field something I can train for so health career is reliable people will always need medication and people to explain what to do and side affects and such things from there on out and to be a pharmacist you have to have a doctorate degree and the means money and money means a stable life.

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Julian to meg 2012/06/07 05:33:22

That's good thinking. Does your choice of school matter to employers?

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meg to Julian 2012/06/07 05:46:41

+1
No I don't think so I plan to get my associates degree in pharm tech then transfer to a university, I would really like to get into Washington State they also have a really good pharmacy program, and it would allow me to stand on my own two feet living across a mountain range from my parents you know be on my own i was looking at apartments over there and they are super cheap compared to the west side of the cascades like around $500 some as low as $200 and close to the university and while I'm going for my doctorate I can work as a technician. I don't mean to tell you my life plan or anything I'm just really excited, I start college in the fall well hopefully I'm on the waiting list but for sure in the spring.

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Julian to meg 2012/06/07 06:00:05

I think that's great. You're going to do really well. I can tell, your enthusiasm and your clear goal will carry you through.

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meg to Julian 2012/06/07 06:04:13

+1
I refuse not to succeed, this is my last hope at any kind of success. I think my hate for my mom will drive me forward, I don't think that's how she wanted me to succeed but I think she wants me to be successful so at least we both get what we want.

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Julian to meg 2012/06/07 06:25:57

If my experience is any indication, you may hate her now, but once you two get some space between you it won't be long before you actually look forward to seeing each other. Time and distance have a way of softening things.

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meg to Julian 2012/06/07 06:34:56
Julian to meg 2012/06/07 06:46:26

Is your mom's store a franchise or is it something she put together herself?

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meg to Julian 2012/06/07 06:47:08

+1
She put it together, some nobody online shop on etsy.

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Julian to meg 2012/06/07 07:04:51

Hmm. The reason I asked is it's pretty common for people who run their own business without a well organized system to find it takes way too much of their time and energy. The more successful they become, the worse it gets. It can make life seem like a drag.

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meg to Julian 2012/06/07 07:21:19

+1
She isn't successful she sells maybe 10-15 items a year and the site pretty much runs it it's self all she has to do is take pictures and make jewelry which she bitches about all the time when she isn't bitching about her health when I was younger I use to think she actually was ill than I connected the dots all she was complaining about was her lack of sleep and back pains things I'm use to no a every night basis, never complained once. I have come to the conclusion that she is no worse than the in laws she also whines about she just loves attention and drama. What really made me mad is that I have discovered similar traits in myself which made me think I didn't want to bring children in this world to make them suffer like my mom had done to my family, I'm still conflicted on that. I feel as though I should apologize to you, I don't mean to unload my personal life on you, you just make it easy as cliche as that sounds.

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Julian to meg 2012/06/07 07:45:27

It sounds like you're really going to enjoy moving out. Every generation looks back at their childhood and their parents and sees things they liked and didn't like. What it means to you is up to you. Some see excuses to do the same things they didn't like, others see reasons to do things differently. It can be a painful journey to the realization that one's parents are just human beings with flaws like everyone else. In the long run you'll probably find it's a lot less painful to love your mom in spite of her flaws than to hate her because of them.

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sundance 2012/06/06 18:24:20

Yes

This is another one of those questions that required very little thought (something SodaHead is becoming rather infamous for). Lets see. If you just graduated (39th in your class) from Mule Shoe high school, do you think your employment opportunities are looking up? Well, if your life plan includes "working for Goobers great grandson Scooter, at the fillin station in Mayberrry", then I would say yes. Should your plans for employment not contain the words "Would you like fries with that?", then I might suggest you get a bit of College under your belt. People think that College gives you the edge because it expands your horizons, and provides more education. Well, for the most part you would be mistaken. Employers hire more college graduates, based on their participation and GPA, than their specific academic achievements. Why you ask? Simply because they can see their future employees willingness and drive to succeed, in black and white. Now yes, should you want to follow in the footsteps of your "Legal Eagle" brethren, then a law degree will, in fact, help a bunch. However, just having a degree, will help keep you farther off the mundane job list, and out of the unemployment line....Just a thought....

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Magnus ... to sundance 2012/06/06 18:42:11 (edited)

But you see, it is not as simple as that. There are not very many families out there anymore who can afford to put their high school graduates immediately into college, especially not when you consider the cost of even community colleges having raised the prices by no less than 50% versus what they used to cost back in just the 90's.

If employers won't give high school grads a chance, then how are they going to ever be able to afford to go to college? That's the predicament I am in right now, in fact, for the last five years straight out of high school. And it wasn't from a lack of drive or work ethic either. If it weren't for the state of the economy, I would have been set with UPS. I was their top 'Runner' for three Peak Seasons (some even told me I was among the best they'd ever seen, the most driven), out of 150 and I still couldn't get hired through my hard work, despite having several senior drivers and even upper-management go to bat for me to try and get me in.

I imagine it would be much of the same scenario if I had been fortunate enough to have been born into a family that could have put me through college straight out of high school too (of course, to be paid back to them - I don't want a free ride at all). Also, student loans and private loans aren't in the cards either, most will not even consider you for it without a co-signer and NOBODY is willing to go down that route in such dismal economical conditions, not even family.

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sundance to Magnus ... 2012/06/06 19:06:08
Magnus ... to sundance 2012/06/06 19:14:07 (edited)

Thanks for replying, wasn't trying to attack you or anything just trying to put some factors in there myself, so thanks for not going all defensive like so many would have lol. It's just an all around sucky situation. I understand WHY employers would consider college grads over the rest, but honestly it's just not right. You would think they would get a couple red flags being raised on why it is exactly that a college grad, with a degree for a specific/limited area of the workforce, would even be applying for a job outside of that spectrum. I know I would be suspicious... it would say to me, "perhaps they couldn't hack it getting into their chosen field of study", if you know what I mean.

It's really becoming a problem for those of us unable to get off to college. If all of the college grads are snatching up all of the 'unskilled' or 'no experience required' jobs, then where does that leave the rest of us? Nowhere...

But then I guess that's not going to change. Ugh...

And so much for all of that stuff that is said, that if you stick out high school you'll be going places. Hasn't been true for me nor for, I am sure, over half of my generation. The next generation will be in the same boat too, and on and on it's going to go until or unless this flop of an economy turns around. But I honestly don't see that happening any time soon, not for "the lost generation" anyway.

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sundance to Magnus ... 2012/06/06 19:29:12

Again, I can relate. The only viable escape from your predicament, is to attempt enrollment in a trade school, or technical college. At least they do provide employment assistance as part of their package. I would further that, they are usually completely covered by PEL, which almost everyone can receive. It is an idea, and it will get you a job. I would add that most programs take little time, and most even count as work experience (or apprenticeship) with prospective employers. Contact the dept. of Education, and they have a complete list of accredited tech and career colleges on their web site...Good luck

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Magnus ... to sundance 2012/06/06 19:51:22

Thank you, I will definitely look into it. Even trade school for me will be tough to swing though. They seem to be just about as expensive as community college used to be now. I'll figure something out, or so I hope. I can't just sit here any longer wishing and hoping though, that's for damn sure. Only getting worse out there. When even Seasonal work disappears, you know it's a volatile condition.

It really is too bad that most computer science/IT employment opportunities are going over-seas now though, really is. I'm a savant in that area, I can fix and optimize anything (especially networks) but there's little to no chance in thriving in that field now. And they're starting to do all of that kind of thing remotely, porting to the system from distant Nations rather than having technicians physically going out and fixing the systems. Oh well.

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sundance to Magnus ... 2012/06/06 20:53:01

+1
Like I said, look into the local tech/community college in your area. The accept PEL, and their tuition and curriculum are cheap enough, that you will have money left over. Go to the FAFSA website and fill out the application. This will tell you what amount you qualify through PEL, and go from there. Good luck...

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phil to sundance 2012/06/06 21:43:34

Too deep dont change there is no work and the loans kill them

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sundance to phil 2012/06/06 23:19:35

Im not sure I understand your reference. Could you clarify a bit?...Just a thought...

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ReindeerWS6 2012/06/06 18:12:34

No

+1
Better off to learn a trade... a college degree is no longer a guarantee of a better job much less a job at all. Another thing to consider is the return on investment. If a person is going to spend $100+ grand on a college degree, there should be a reasonable expectation that they will see a return on the investment over their working life, and these days that just ain't happening. this isn't counting the interest paid on school loans, costs of living that aren't figured into the cost of the tuition (car, dorms, food, etc), and missed earning opportunities. Figure that this could amount to as much as a half million dollars by the time all is said and done if the grad came from some of the more expensive universities.

I also object strongly to the obviously spun numbers being used in this article. First off, when the media and this article talk about the unemployment figure of 8.9%, they are going off the BLS U3 curve. However, the U6 curve which is the comprehensive unemployment picture is more like 14.8%. Even that doesn't account for discouraged workers and others that are no longer getting unemployment benefits. The Lamestream Media (CNN) is finally admitting that there are 86 million invisible unemployed in this country... if this is true that puts the REAL amount of une...

Better off to learn a trade... a college degree is no longer a guarantee of a better job much less a job at all. Another thing to consider is the return on investment. If a person is going to spend $100+ grand on a college degree, there should be a reasonable expectation that they will see a return on the investment over their working life, and these days that just ain't happening. this isn't counting the interest paid on school loans, costs of living that aren't figured into the cost of the tuition (car, dorms, food, etc), and missed earning opportunities. Figure that this could amount to as much as a half million dollars by the time all is said and done if the grad came from some of the more expensive universities.

I also object strongly to the obviously spun numbers being used in this article. First off, when the media and this article talk about the unemployment figure of 8.9%, they are going off the BLS U3 curve. However, the U6 curve which is the comprehensive unemployment picture is more like 14.8%. Even that doesn't account for discouraged workers and others that are no longer getting unemployment benefits. The Lamestream Media (CNN) is finally admitting that there are 86 million invisible unemployed in this country... if this is true that puts the REAL amount of unemployment over 40%.

For those who don't believe me here is a link to the news article:
http://money.cnn.com/2012/05/...

Bottom line is I would say that a college degree is currently a bad investment.
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Magnus ... to Reindee... 2012/06/06 18:34:17

+1
I do believe you, I've even under-estimated the actual, total and real-world unemployment (without benefits etc.) to be 30% even before they started loosening their lips and hinting at how truly high it is. The piddly 8-9% didn't sound right to me, I see more "for lease" and empty buildings and a whole lot more foreclosed, barren homes than that paltry figure could possibly explain. I live in a small neighborhood that sprang up in early 2000, and half of the homes are empty and unkempt now (although, we've had a massive influx of crime and gang activity, I believe both of such groups to be squatting in those empty houses, using them as their hangouts). Makes me sick...

I'm also one of such that aren't and never will be counted as unemployed, too. The only job I ever managed to get out of High School (graduated in 2007) was a Seasonal position with UPS during the '08, '09 and '10 Peaks (last year, they did not hire any 'outsider' help and more than likely will not be hiring any of us this year). I have sent out thousands of applications in these last five years, I have only been able to secure around 4 interviews (not counting the three UPS ones), and failed to acquire the open position each time (even at a Party City, Seasonal). I also am unable to even qualify for food stamps,...

I do believe you, I've even under-estimated the actual, total and real-world unemployment (without benefits etc.) to be 30% even before they started loosening their lips and hinting at how truly high it is. The piddly 8-9% didn't sound right to me, I see more "for lease" and empty buildings and a whole lot more foreclosed, barren homes than that paltry figure could possibly explain. I live in a small neighborhood that sprang up in early 2000, and half of the homes are empty and unkempt now (although, we've had a massive influx of crime and gang activity, I believe both of such groups to be squatting in those empty houses, using them as their hangouts). Makes me sick...

I'm also one of such that aren't and never will be counted as unemployed, too. The only job I ever managed to get out of High School (graduated in 2007) was a Seasonal position with UPS during the '08, '09 and '10 Peaks (last year, they did not hire any 'outsider' help and more than likely will not be hiring any of us this year). I have sent out thousands of applications in these last five years, I have only been able to secure around 4 interviews (not counting the three UPS ones), and failed to acquire the open position each time (even at a Party City, Seasonal). I also am unable to even qualify for food stamps, despite my absolute 0% income! That could really help my family out as they're helping me out. It's really getting expensive.

Wanted to go to college or a trade school, but until or unless I can get even a $8.50/hr part-time job, that's not going to happen. Just sucks.
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Anpadh to Reindee... 2012/06/06 20:08:45

+1
I agree with you. I am a college English teacher, with a Master's degree. I can no longer find work as a teacher. I am going to learn a trade. i am not sure what it will be yet, but something practical, like auto-repair or computer-repair or something like that.

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john Kills 2012/06/06 18:09:00

No

I am a high school drop out with a GED. I have worked my way up to a middle management position in a fortune 500 company and I have many college graduates work for me. A lot has to do with work ethic and drive. There are so many college graduates with experience who are looking for work that it's hard and going to get harder for a fresh graduate to get a foot in the door. They will find it hard to get the lower paying jobs because they will be over qualified for those positions. They may find it easier to not mention college while looking for work and once they're in they can work their way up the ladder.

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sundance to john Kills 2012/06/06 18:33:09 (edited)

If I could be so bold? Could I inquire as to the "fortune 500" company you work for? I ask, only because, at onetime, Blockbuster was a fortune 500 company. A "middle management" job for those bright folks, would still include such wit as, "today is to-for Tuesday, would you like a second video, and maybe some popcorn?", when your "lower management" employees, failed to show up for work. No offense, just had to ask.....

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