Most people who go to college do so not because they enjoy sitting in stuffy lecture halls while listening to monotone-voiced professors, but so they can carve out a better place for themselves in the world when they graduate. Or at least, that's what most expect.
Therefore, there are plenty of indifferent college students floating through the motions. This same indifference will continue after graduation as they wonder why no employer calls after submitting résumés to Monster.com or CareerBuilder black holes.
A new study from the Center for Labor Market Studies at Northeastern University in Boston found that college graduates who take jobs below their education level not only earn less, but also trail the earnings of other graduates who were able to secure career-track employment upon graduation.
Students who settle are the ones simply taking classes and don't have a clear focus of where they want to end up after graduation. Some go to school blindly with no major and hope that eventually they'll fall into a cushy job just because they went to college. What a stupidly expensive and risky proposition.
Take just a few examples of people I've encountered. One student finished her associate's degree at the local community college. She says she wants to be a nurse, but none of her classes fulfilled the nursing pre-requisites. Now she's discouraged that she wasted two years pursuing a degree that isn't quite what she needs. A communication student is looking for an internship. He said the bad economy is preventing him from finding a job, but the truth is, he hasn't networked or made an effort to secure an internship. He has the secret hope that someone will just call and offer a job.
You have to plan ahead and take responsibility. You can't leave your future up to naive wishing that things will turn out because you showed up. Find a mentor, a career counselor, a professional who can help coach and guide you through the obstacles of getting where you want to go.
In the end, there is no one to blame for your failures and disappointments except yourself. Too many people are trapped in a state of indifference to develop the necessary problem solving skills to compete in the world.
Liz Carlston is a staff writer at the Daily Utah Chronicle.
