THE GRADUATE:As he enjoys a trip to Malaysia, recent Trinity graduate Jonathan Wysetalks to friends back home about what happens next – more study or entering the workforce
MY FRIEND Dave and I are relaxing on the Perhentian islands, off the East coast of the Malaysian peninsula on a post-college holiday. It’s extremely relaxed here, and I take the opportunity to catch up with some friends back home.
Talking to recent graduates usually involves a lot of panic and confusion, depending on what they’ve been studying. There are some predictable responses.
Aspiring journalists are typically complaining about being on the bottom rung, or trying to work out whether they can afford to take an unpaid internship. They are also wondering whether the number of opportunities for young people in the industry will pick up after the recession, despite some quarters saying print journalism is on the decline.
Law students also complain about the low wages at the start of their careers, but nobody has any sympathy for them and it is considered poor form to complain thus in the presence of non-lawyers.
My friends studying business are all just trying to dodge the accountancy profession, the default post-college career for students with monetary inclinations. On the positive side, it’s recession-proof, as firms always need accountants. Negatives include the mind-numbing boredom of doing audits.
Those who have accepted their fate are easily spotted, as they are trying to work out which type of accountancy is “actually not as bad as the others” and “can be quite interesting sometimes, according to my sister”.
The gullible are wondering when Nama will start delivering all the economic activity and jobs that were promised by the Government in the initial costing stage, refusing to admit that it was all a bunch of hype.
Needless to say, worzking for the State is still as relatively attractive as ever. For our generation though, such cushy numbers have become thin on the ground. Those thinking about working for Government agencies will also have to weigh up the public sector’s higher wages and less work with being the target of scorn for those private sector friends who are suffering pay-cuts and being made redundant.
Those with a passion for public service are, of course, hoping that the economy will pick up too, but for different reasons to their contemporaries.
When the recession ends, everyone else will go back to being ignorant of how much new recruits in the public sector are being paid and the amount of work they are required to do in comparison with people doing the same job in the private sector.
For the time being, recent graduates can only be envious of those fortunate enough to have graduated two or three years ago. These people are already lolling about in the public sector with perfect job security and are lucky enough to have avoided the recruitment cut-backs.
Becoming a teacher is surprisingly popular. It might have something to do with the short hours, guarantee of employment and long holidays. But despite all this, prospective educators can only be heard complaining about low wages.
This makes no sense to me, since these people are choosing to enter the profession in clear knowledge of this reality. Luckily, they will have plenty of time to complain during the summer.
As for my fellow economics graduates, they are far more optimistic now than they were 12 months ago. Some are entering the financial sector. After perhaps over-zealous hiring freezes and redundancies, firms are back hiring. One of them has hired me. My friends are condemning me as a sell-out for spurning further study and academia, and instead entering the financial sector as a graduate recruit. I tell the eternal students in the group that I must not be as afraid as them of leaving college.
If you don’t like the prospect of further study or getting a job, you’re left with few alternatives.
Elections for sabbatical positions in the Students’ Union are bitterly contested, providing the victor with a year to mope about in free college accommodation with little to no responsibility beyond “being a representative for students in the university” and publicising the occasional rally against fees. They can rest easy, knowing that they are making a difference and also that they don’t need to think about getting a “real” job for another year at least. Plus, it’s cheaper than a gap year.
The exceptions? Medical students are looking forward to another year of study at the taxpayer’s expense, an education that will eventually allow them to earn multiples of the standard industrial wage before they even think about plying their trade in the private sector.
Their Irish peers studying in the UK, who are paying exorbitant fees for such a privilege and spend their summers stressing over same, can still be heard quietly cursing the CAO’s random selection process.
Those of us entering the real world are slightly envious. Another year of study doesn’t sound so bad now.