“Some students or a lot of students when they graduate do have debt, including student loans or credit card debt,” said Glenda Jones, director of career services.
Jones said some of the challenges students face after graduation stem from the economy. “Hiring is not what it was in the past although the economy is improving,” she noted. Another challenge some students face is how to find careers within their majors.
A third of the U.S. population has a college degree; two-thirds of those graduates will face a debt with at least $25,000. The problem that students face after graduation is if their major can be reliable when finding a job.
Many students assume that a bachelor’s degree will automatically provide a job and a source of income, but a recent study conducted by Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce, showed the unemployment rate, for recent graduates is about 7.9 percent.
With debt being a problem and a competitive job market, half of those graduates are forced into jobs which they didn’t go to school for, according to the Center for College Affordability and Productivity.
“Going to a 4-year school like Prairie View allows you to grow on your own. A four-year college will allow you to get away and experience yourself and become your self,” said senior Rodney Alexander.
Another Prairie View senior, Taylor Woodson, also commented on why going to a 4-year school is important.
“Because you get to gain the college experience as opposed to a 2-year college with a degree and also have time to network with other people,” Taylor said.
In a Wall Street Journal article, The Diploma’s Vanishing Value, Jeffry. J Selingo writes, “In Virginia, graduates with technical degrees from community colleges make $20,000 more in the first year after college than do graduates in several fields who get bachelor’s degrees…Tennessee, the average first-year salaries of graduates with a two-year degree are $1,000 higher than those with a bachelor’s degree.”
Similar to a double edge sword, students are pressured to find a degree that can be resourceful, yet be enjoyable or interesting. Graduates face the responsibility of paying debt while finding a job in a competitive market.
In the society people live today, students are required to think carefully when picking a major.
Prarie View A&M
Tuesday, June 24, 2025