Written by: Alan Mejia

Many students find it difficult to find get jobs after college. Whether it’s the job market or the limited resources students have to find a way to navigate their post graduate endeavors.

“So what’s your plan for after college?” are seven words that haunt college seniors in America. Some may have an idea but for many they have no prospects for their life after college. According to the New York Federal Reserve, only 27 percent of graduates get a job in their respective field. Many students are finding it difficult to find jobs because of limited job opportunities, competitive pools, and little to no resources from their school.

“I’ve been applying for a few months now and haven’t had any luck, ” said Luis Lantigua, a soon-to-be graduate at Saint Peter’s University. Lantigua majored in Business Administration and is looking to pursue a career in real estate.

A big part of the job hunt comes from the resources students have at their disposal by way of the school. There are usually career centers on campus at every school designed to help students in their job hunt. Unfortunately, many students are not aware of these opportunities due to the lack of awareness about the offices.

“It’s important for students to start the process of preparing for graduation when they first start school,”

said Sondra Buesing-Riley. Sondra is part of CEEL (Center For Career Engagement And Experiential Learning). The goal of CEEL is to advise students looking for jobs or internships.

A big aspect of CEEL’s success is trying to get in front of students the moment that they walk on campus. But as years go by, budget cuts and limited resources have made it difficult for CEEL to accomplish their goals.

“There have been times when our office has been involved in freshmen orientation and times that we’re not. How many emails can we send?…Our department has gotten smaller and smaller and it’s a challenge,” said Buesing-Riley.

As students continue to navigate through their early adulthood, many begin to question the amount of pressure that is put on newly graduated high schoolers. Many feel the pressure of having to take a career path and may not even know how to interact with people or don’t know who they are as people.

“I changed majors twice and I even transferred schools,” said James Matute, an upcoming graduate at Saint Peter’s University. Currently majoring in computer science, Matute hopes to find work after graduation through internships.

“Right now, I work at the MotorCycle Mall working on bikes to pay off my (student) debt. It’s difficult to find jobs in CS (computer science) so that’s why I am aiming for internships,” added Matute.

Whether or not the job market will open up for students like Matute remains to be seen. But it’s becoming more evident that times are changing and it’s not as simple as it used to be. As Sondra explains,

“One day maybe we’ll be better integrated with the curriculum. I think that is key because career readiness should be part of what students are doing from day one.”