Stavenik 1 Catherine Stavenik ENG-1100 College Writing Work and Identity December 15, 2013 Why do Graduates Struggle

for Their Dream Job? It was her way or the highway, Crystal knew she could be anything she wanted. She was raised to never give up and she is a determined and stubborn individual. When it came time to decide what career to go to college for, Crystal knew. Radiography had always caught Crystals eye, it was fascinating. She had broken her arm, and leg once before and was amazed that the doctor could identify the problem through an x ray picture, not cutting needed. When her father broke his foot, she could not wait to see what the x rays would show. That day she knew radiography was her perfect career. The hospital did not just have x-rays, but had CT scans, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), ultrasound, and more. The science of looking inside the body without surgically opening it was astonishing. Crystals stubborn and determined personality kept her busy with school. She knew she needed to do great to achieve her dream career. Crystal worked hard in middle school and high school, graduating with high honors. In college, out of 245 people in the radiography program, thirty-five made it to the last semester, and twenty-four completed the program. Crystal graduated top in her class, a nearly perfect GPA. She applied to Robert Wood Johnson in New Brunswick and Hamilton, Mercer Hospital, Hunterdon Medical Center, and three more county hospitals. She knew that competition for the job was high and she needed to increase her chances at employment. However, not one hospital would accept her application, despite her high academic achievements. In the work world, why is employment so difficult? Is it worth the expense and time of a college degree? College graduates

Stavenik 2 find employment complications for the reasons such as economy, lack of experience, and competition, but the struggles are worth the expense. In todays economy, inexperienced graduates seeking for a job have a difficult time finding employment with their degree. Through studies, experience decides whether you are employed or not. Sometimes the best choice is to go back to school to enhance education and experience. Carnevale says that the best strategy to increase future employability is to go to graduate school (Carnevale 299). Experience makes all the difference in achieving employment, veteran workers are the optimal choice. The same preference goes for a hospital, patients would never trust an inexperienced doctor to perform surgery or stick them with needles if they have never practice on real life patients. Medical employees with experience and higher education that know a hospital environment provide better medical care. In my findings, I searched for a teacher that not only experienced the tough work field, but had to work hard to reach her dream career. With my finding, I wanted to learn what I could do to make my nursing career achievable. Dr. Andrea Boccino, a chiropractor and professor at William Paterson University, took four years to open up her own practice (Boccino). Clients prefer a more known practice rather than if she started fresh out of school. She worked her way up the system and became very experienced, first working alongside in other practices, then renting her own space for her clients, to eventually owning her own chiropractor practice in Cedar Grove (Boccino). Dr. Boccino not only makes a great chiropractor but also is passionate and knowledgeable in what she teaches. Through collecting experience and stepping it up in the tough work environments, employment will be achieved. Graduates with little experiences will have the most trouble finding a job.

Stavenik 3 Jobs are scarce in a bad economy and results in low employment rates. Imagine that the economy is a rollercoaster and employment rates are the passengers. As the speedy coaster takes its twists and turns, the passengers feel the same affect. The roller coaster crawls to the ultimate peak, where in a few seconds it will plummet to the ground. When the economy falls, it takes much longer to get back up. In turn, the employment rates follow the same path, when the economy is low, employment rates are low. In New Jersey, the recent years if recession has causes employment rates to plummet. Businesses have tightened their work crew and select only the experienced and most efficient. Most businesses during hard economic times will hire more experienced workers with higher degrees than those fresh out of college (Carnevale 300). In the crumbling construction work world, architecture graduates are just as likely as a high school graduate being hired (Carnevale 298). In the case of Dr. Boccino, she finished her education and searched for a job in the hardest economy in decades. In her 2007 graduate, the economy was comparable to the Great Depression, her odds of employment were two in twenty-five (Carnevale 298). She advised me to always study the economy before applying for a job. Despite her chances, she gained experienced and became successful. Not only does experience and economy effect employment, but also the competition. In todays employment environment, competition in the work world is growing more and more. For most graduates who desire to work in healthcare, they must compete against the increasing estimated 712,000 other graduates looking for the same job (Carnevale 303). At this rate, its conceivable why medical school is incredibly competitive. In Renee Staveniks past experience, two job openings were available for neonatal care, thirty nurses applied and the competition as high (Stavenik). Her employment in two other reputable specialized hospitals for thirteen years gave her the upper hand against competitors resulting in her hiring (Stavenik).

Stavenik 4 Renee, my mother, always advises that I stick my foot in the door (Stavenik). The more experience and the more hospitals get to know my name, the better chance I have at becoming a nurse too. Dr. Boccinos focus in chiropractor care left her with mostly male competitors (Boccino). She explained to me that Its tough no matter when you enter the field. Since its a male-dominate profession, often women have to work a little harder to get recognized in our profession (Boccino). For my personal success, I know that my competition will be the same as my mother and Dr. Boccino experienced and that I need to overcome that obstacle. Crystal Brandt, Dr. Boccino, and Renee Stavenik all experienced the long hours of college studying, exams, and late night crams. In my pursuit to becoming a nurse, their collective advice told me to always gain experience at whatever opportunity comes. All of them felt how that they were always at risk of unemployment despite their education, but were their struggles worth it? Despite the difficulties of employment, college is worth the time and expense and eventually lands most graduates with a job. Experience will increase employability in hard economic times and provide the graduate with the upper hand against other competitors. No matter what field of employment, the competition is inescapable, and defying it with education is the best approach. In the instance of Crystal Brandt, a family friend, the competition for employment after graduation can be excruciating. She told me that without her determination and stubbornness to never give up, she probably would not have made it to her dream job today. Today, Crystal is a full time X-Ray technician and coordinator at Mercer County Hospital in New Jersey. Dr. Andrea Boccino owns her own practice, she out smarted all her male competitors. She is such an expertise in chiropractic that she spent summer of 2013 with the Olympians and Paralymians in the Olympic Training Center (Boccino). She told me that the struggle to finally become worthy of being a medical assistant in the Olympics was worth it. For

Stavenik 5 Renee Stavenik, my mother, her success in college despite raising four toddlers, resulted in her current overall twenty-one years in the medical care field. She is my idol and the ultimate determined career seeker because she could balance education, money, and family and be successful. The difficulties in employment are immense but is can result success. In the work world, college graduates find employment difficulties because of economy, lack of experience, and competition. However, these risks are worth going to college and receiving a higher education in the pursuit of the dream job. College graduates find employment complications for the reasons such as economy, lack of experience, and competition, but the struggles are worth the expense.