Six months to life

By: Moleen Makumborenga

The burden of growing up watching early career successes of the rich and famous is sometimes overwhelming. It seems like success is defined by people who can find their niche in the economy, get their degree in no time at all, become a millionaire, donate exorbitant amounts of money to charities and still have time to Snapchat the internet fitness challenge they are doing with their parents. They also seem to have time to maintain a healthy family life and eight hours of sleep every night.

Ours is also the burden of being 22 years old and the crushing disappointment of realizing you might not be able to move out of your parents’ house unless you really like how student debt feels. The narrative is fed by extreme scenarios: at one end you can invent the next technological advance and solve world hunger and on the other hand you can start memorizing the McDonald’s menu to become the best overqualified cashier during the morning rush hour.

In an effort to win the war against my feeling of disillusionment about my degree choice and ultimately the end of my studies, I have begun actively researching what life looks like for a millennial after graduation. In this scenario, I am focusing on the first few weeks up to six months after receiving the $50,000 piece of paper called an undergrad degree. What is the average predicament people find themselves in? Is it worth being upset if you have not started your first NGO/tech start-up by age 24?

Going to a university that ranks in the top 100 in the world seems to help with the employment predicament. Nine out of 10 McMaster grads are employed six months after graduation. The next question is what type of employment is available to you with an undergraduate degree. The answer to that seems to depend on what else you were doing with your time besides studying.

I know of a humanities student who worked on her swimwear label throughout her time at McMaster, had an international clientele by graduation that included celebrities and works as her own boss as well as employs other people. And this is the irony of early success experienced by said Mac grad and Silicon Valley CEOs. Early success is not really ‘early’, but rather takes years of skill-building done behind the scenes of your regular life.

The average graduate cannot emulate her success unless they were building the necessary transferable skills for the 21st century job market. The sad, sad reality is that the $50,000 piece of paper, drenched in the sweat caused by multiple consecutive days without leaving Mills library during exams, seems to not be enough. So before you know it, it’s four months after graduation and you have found yourself unable to get a job because you do not have experience and skills to get a job. You are unable to gain experience because you do not have a job.

Extracurricular activities become even more important when you consider, that more people in the Canada are attending university than ever before. In 2014-2015, there were 1.7 million undergraduate students enrolled in universities across Canada; and those are the makings of a crazy competitive job market, with few entry-level jobs for to meet demand.

I believe most would likely start looking at post grad education options in the form of grad school or a post-graduate certificate at a college by now.  The idea to do more schooling is never an easy one, because the money to do so has to come from someone. Will the decision to get more education be a good one? It all depends — because when all factors are considered individuals transition between education, training and work on account of personal circumstance. There is no singular solution to post-McMaster life.

I do not know to what extent it is necessary to have figured out your whole life’s purpose by 22 or 23.  I am awed by those who do, but also I always wonder if Mark Zuckerberg at 45 will tire of the idea he had at 18, and go on and get that degree he left unfinished way back when. Of course, that Facebook money will cushion the blow of changing careers mid-life.