Where misconceptions lead

By Naila Jibreel

misconception n. a mistaken view, getting the wrong idea.

Why and how does this word apply to the student/graduate community? Misconceptions shared by many students eventually lead to their future career contradictions.

The first misconception is the belief that gaining a degree in ‘x’ subject qualifies you for that perfect career. Though this may have been true in the past, in reality gaining a degree is as standard as going to school – anyone can do it and intelligence and diligence have become a basic requisite for employers. Instead an emphasis is placed on skills and initiative. Gaining a degree may have been an achievement for you, however to stand out you will need something more.

The second commonly held misconception is the belief that the yellow brick road is paved with graduate schemes that eventually lead home to the perfect career. Graduate schemes are competitive and though they may provide an option they are not always the best or the only plan. Companies running graduate schemes, like other employers, will ask for demonstrable skills.

The University of Sheffield conducted an analysis of 10,000 positions advertised in the Guardian, The Independent, The Telegraph and The Times. It concluded that though recruiters valued motivation, oral communication, interpersonal skills, organisation and foreign language competence, graduates did not only lack in these skills but also those associated with degrees ie time management, decision-making and problem solving. Therefore though individually career paths may be different, when it comes down to gaining the perfect job, it is obvious that skills are a priority.

THREE GRADUATES

Natasha Smith from London graduated from Kingston University in Art and Design. Jane Casement graduated in business management from Keele University. Dang Lee is a fellow Keele graduate, in Marketing. All three have degees but are nowhere near their career ambitions.

Living in London is competitive and what has made it even harder for Natasha is the realisation that regardless of her academic ability ‘…we didn’t have enough work experience and if we want experience it has to be voluntary unpaid work just so we can get on the career ladder….no employer will take on a graduate even if they have a first-class degree unless they have experience.’

Jane, on the other hand is in a better position: she is a trainee surveyor, and landlord. Jane’s position was made possible by further study - after graduating she worked for a year before studying at Nottingham University. Experience was needed and it was made easier by her father - a property agent.

Both these cases have a common element. Though Natasha hasn’t reached her goal, realising her mistakes she is still determined to succeed. Jane, too, decided to increase her employability - through studying and gaining more experience. However, for Dang the case is different. Five years of studying did finally lead to working with AIG Marketing (Korea), only to be hit later by the quarter-life crisis - a crisis that is experienced by many young adults (the author included) between the ages of 21 and 30.

FEARS AND HOPES

This ‘crisis’ is the misconception that led us, me, you to believe ‘the quest to define ourselves begun during childhood’ but when we ‘enter the "real world", the process can seem to start all over again...’ (Wilner and Robbins). Personally you begin to re-evaluate yourself; you do not only begin to feel insecure and wonder where you’ll be in a year or two but get scared because you barely know where you are now.

Sufferers begin to understand themselves and what they want and don’t want. They begin to worry about loans and making a life for themselves. And though winning the rat race may be great, they find themselves stuck in a job that doesn’t even come close to where they had anticipated. They end up looking for an opportunity, only to realise that they’ll have to start at the bottom, and they are afraid.

Although it is clear that misconceptions can lead to stressed circumstances what is not clear is how to avoid this. Perhaps the best and only way is knowing what you want.

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