Statistics tell us that today's job market is tough for 20-somethings, unless they happen to be code cowgirls (or boys). As part of our ongoing Student Voices series, we floated this question to Northwest fledglings who are getting ready to leave the cozy college nest and look for (gulp) a job: What's your plan for getting a job in the Puget Sound region after you graduate, and how optimistic are you about your prospects?
Here's what Seattle University senior Lauren Burgeson and WSU senior Meaghan McGlynn had to say:
I am going into my last year of college and am incredibly nervous about finding a job after graduation. It's difficult for anyone in their twenties to not be nervous about job prospects considering the economic climate that we've grown up in and the horror stories from friends, family and the media.
I am, however, optimistic about my own situation. I have tried my best to take a lot of voluntary research and internship opportunities, talk to my professors and network with people in positions that I would like to have.
My plan for getting a job is to really focus in on what my possible connections in the region are and put myself out there! A lot of my peers don't learn enough about how to network and why that is so important. — Lauren Burgeson, Seattle University, Public Affairs & Urban Studies major
In today’s world, where higher education is expected, and yet unimportant, I plan to network. [Getting a job] is who you know, not necessarily what you know — though, what you know usually helps when you meet people — and my plan is to use the relationships I have built, and continue to build as a way to get into the career I want.
Preparing while I’m in college has been the most important part of this plan. My relationships will be stronger, and my network will be bigger because of the internships and other activities I am involved with at school. These things connect me to more people, and will give me the leg up I need when I enter the real world. — Meaghan McGlynn, Washington State University, Communications major
Crosscut will pose a new question each week to Northwest students — high schoolers on up to post-graduate. We hope all you Washington students out there will take the time to send us thoughtful, well-crafted replies. Each week's "best of" will be collected here. And if you have burning questions you’d like us to ask, please send them along to studentvoice@crosscut.com and we'll toss them in the hopper.
