Five weeks from today, the Class of 2023 will enter what we have affectionately come to call “Life After Whitman”—having the day before walked across the stage to receive their diplomas to the applause, tears and hugs of family members and friends. That ceremony will be a true commencement to a new identity and growth.
Accordingly, this column focuses on knowledge and suggestions that are particularly relevant to our amazing senior class. (That knowledge will also be helpful to others who are getting ready to make moves into the economy this spring through internships and summer jobs.)
Not surprisingly, given this special season, national news is filled with guesses at what the unpredictability of the economy may mean for college graduates.
Businessline.com notes, “Those graduating this spring are entering the job market at a weird time: the U.S. unemployment rate is at a 50-year low at the same time that waves of layoffs, hiring freezes, and recession warnings continue to break. Gen Z is looking for stability and many new grads, fearing economic uncertainty, are broadening their search as they try to land their first job.”
Slightly more ominous, earlier this month, in an extensive interview with Wall Street Journal reporter Lindsay Ellis, Marketplace concluded, “The class of 2023 is graduating into a challenging job market.”
But wait … don’t despair! More cheerfully, according to a recent CBS news story on the prospects of new graduates, “online jobs board Indeed, has seen a sharp rise in listings between September and February, for more than two dozen job titles that pay more than $40,000.”
Three stories and three different interpretations. As has been the case throughout this entire semester, it’s difficult to draw definitive conclusions about the effect of the economy on the prospects for new college graduates.
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