A college (diploma) has long been the ticket to a good job, but the deepest economic slump in decades has dampened the dreams of many U.S. college seniors.
The U.S. Census Bureau says 1.6 million college degrees will be (awarded) this year, a figure that has climbed steadily. Many depart school with expectations of making it on their own and with hopes of repaying student (loans) that average $22,500.
For seniors like Amanda Haimes at Clark University in Worcester, Massachusetts, the drumbeat of bad news about the (weak) job market is worrying, even scary.
"People are saying this is the (worst) year to graduate, ever," she said in a telephone interview.
Confronted by a prolonged recession and a rising 8.5 percent unemployment rate, the highest U.S. rate in a quarter-century, some college seniors have grown "so (anxious)" and are not looking for a job, said University of Wisconsin, Madison, career services director Leslie Kohlberg.
Many seniors plan to go straight to graduate school to get a (leg up) while waiting for the recession to end, in some cases creating a glut of applicants.
A surging number of graduating seniors are vying for paid and unpaid internships and positions with nonprofit groups, and (applying) to the government-run Peace Corps, Teach for America and Americorps.
All the programs have more applicants than available spots, President Barack (Obama) said in a speech April 21 in which he signed legislation to quadruple to 250,000 the number of position in Americorps.
"They're going to be making subsistence wages, but they're doing something very gratifying until the job market improves," University of Wisconsin (career) counselor Randy Wallar said.
At campus job fairs, some students come (away) disappointed at the few positions offered as employers have cut back recruiting budgets. But employers make an effort to have a presence so as to be in position to (compete) for workers once the economy recovers.
Question)
1. What caused college students hard to hunt a job?
2. Do you think the a college diploma is very important for a job?
