By Cassidy Grom | Echo
By Cassidy Grom | Echo
Caleb Stevenson has 37 days until graduation. Thirty-seven days to find a job. Thirty-seven days until he leaves the security of the Taylor bubble and steps, for the first time, into the unplanned and unknown.
The apprehension surrounding graduation is a common emotion for Taylor seniors. For some seniors, however, the pressure squeezes even tighter. In just a few short weeks Stevenson and many others will be handed a piece of paper without having any idea what to do next.
The Calling and Career Office (CCO) reported in their 2013 Graduate Report that 97 percent of alumni have a job or are in graduate school within six months of commencement.
No one wants to be in the remaining 3 percent.
"You think I'd be able to do better than the 3 percent because the 3 percent are obviously the slackers, right?" said Stevenson, a mathematics systems and computer science major.
Stevenson must secure an internship in order to graduate. He has applied to about 30 companies and heard back from only one.
Taylor's job placement statistics gave him a false sense of security during his freshman and sophomore years. "I felt like, 'Oh, 97 percent of people have jobs within the first year, obviously I just have to go with the flow and eventually I'll find something,'" Stevenson said.
What Stevenson didn't realize was that the placement rates include part- or full-time employment, graduate school, or post-graduate internships-and make no distinction between this and students who did not find employment in the fields they were seeking.
The CCO's report, which complies with the National Association of Colleges and Employers' standards, asked each recent graduate about his or her current employment status, according to CCO Assistant Director Jess Fankhauser. The report divides the 87 percent of respondents into two categories: excellence and success.
Those placed in the excellence category included those who work full time, are in graduate school or are in an internship position. The success category included these options as well as graduates in a part-time job.
The report considers graduates successful regardless of whether or not they land a job in a field reflecting their major. Past reports, including the 2013 edition, have not included any questions regarding the discipline in which graduates work.
"Because of the interdisciplinary nature of a liberal arts institution it is common for students to choose post-graduate outcomes that may be different than their direct area of study," Fankhauser said.
CCO leaders plan to research graduates' level of satisfaction with their current careers for future graduate reports.
Katie Vaporis graduated with a degree in Biblical studies and Christian education. Now, she is a waitress at two restaurants. She lives at home with her parents in Chicago.
Vaporis wants to find a ministry job working with children who have special needs, but she feels discouraged.
"Sometimes I avoid looking for new jobs because I'm scared that I am not going to be able to find what I am looking for," Vaporis said.
Living near Wheaton College has been an additional hurdle in Vaporis' job search.
"Companies have heard of Wheaton," Vaporis said. "They have heard of how it is a great school, but they haven't heard anything about Taylor. They don't know if it is school for just anybody or a school that requires academic fervor."
Shane Steinman, an accounting major, ran into a similar issue after his graduation in January.
"I live in New Jersey," Steinman said, "and Taylor does not offer much in my area, so I felt in some ways I was on my own with few connections." Steinman found a position with a building contractor doing odd jobs, but he helps with the bookkeeping twice a week.
Taylor offers and promotes a variety of job fairs and career building events throughout the year. With graduation looming, Stevenson regrets that he has not taken advantage of them.
"There was a career fair in Indy before spring break," Stevenson said. "Then I got behind in my classes and actually I stressed myself out to the point of making myself sick. And because of that I didn't end up going to it, and that would have been a wonderful opportunity."
The clock is ticking for the members of the class of 2015. Tomorrow will be 36 days until the seniors pop the Taylor bubble and enter a world of the unknown. There are still chances for stressed-out seniors to find post-grad opportunities. Stevenson has hope: he recently had an interview with Investor Tools. If he lands the internship, he will graduate with the 97 percent.
