The bad economy is looming over the heads of many Americans, and students at Texas A&M University-Commerce are not exempt.
With the job market shrinking and local businesses having an increase in layoffs, college students are feeling an all-new type of pressure and have been faced with a tough decision concerning their careers.
According to an article from CNN.com, new graduates and those who plan to graduate in May are likely to face the worst job market in 15 years. The unofficial unemployment numbers don’t include those who have settled for a part-time position or, even worse, have given up on looking for a job altogether. “Since I am a senior, I am really worried that when I graduate there won’t be any jobs,” senior Candace Carroll said. “I am an education major and there seems to be a great decrease in hiring teachers.”
Graduation is normally a time of celebration and hope, but students who are about to graduate feel their job future will be bleak. As the job market gets worse, more graduates and seniors will be forced to take jobs outside their field or depend on parents and family for a little help, which is a far cry from most post-college plans.
“I’m defiantly worried about the economy because there is a shortage of jobs, even for teachers. Look at DISD! I have kids and I am really worried about the economy because it is my job to support them,” senior Vashoney Bailey said.
It seems that seniors are feeling more pressure from the slow economy than any other classification, but sophomores are also feeling the effects.
Sophomore Ashley Tapp has had to budget just to get to classes.
“I commute and when gas prices were at their highest, I had to adjust my spending. When prices are up, my personal spending is down, and when they are down, I can spend a little more on myself,” Tapp said.
But there is hope on the horizon for the freshmen class as they have a little more time to watch the economy and see what will happen. Many have hopes that there will be a full recovery before they graduate, giving them the perfect opportunity to land their “perfect job.”
“I’m not worried about the economy, I’m a freshman and have a few years before its going to matter,” Samantha Goss said.
Louis Manango is another freshman who has high hopes for an economic recovery.
“I’m not really feeling the effects right now, the economy goes up and down, it will eventually bounce back,” Mangano said.