Like so many on this campus, I follow The New York Times on Instagram. Though I am a little obsessive about checking in with the publication\u2019s social media page \u2014 I anticipate a new article every time I open up the app and am even surprised when a breaking news post isn\u2019t first on my feed.\u00a0<\/p>\n
So it follows that I wasn\u2019t surprised when the infamous \u201cnytimes\u201d handle accompanied by a blue verification checkmark popped up on my screen one day last week. What I was surprised by, however, was the post\u2019s headline<\/a> attached underneath the handle: \u201cThe Long-Term Unemployed Today? College Grads.\u201d<\/p>\n I wasn\u2019t surprised by the nature of the post or even the content within it \u2014 what shocked me was how it struck a nerve I\u2019ve been tiptoeing around since I set foot on this campus.<\/p>\n The article<\/a> highlighted that college graduates are comprising a larger portion of those unemployed for more than six months. In fact, graduates are the main force driving the long-term unemployment rate \u2014 which is now 26 percent \u2014 up. The students quoted touched upon the fears of many who are thinking about life beyond graduation, recounting their experiences with long-term unemployment despite obtaining numerous degrees. I think it\u2019s safe to say that their realities are most students\u2019 nightmares.<\/p>\n If taking a course about unemployment this semester has taught me anything, it\u2019s that this fear of being unemployed is completely valid. Each day in my class is a discussion about another employee, formerly employed person or insurance benefits claimant being bureaucratically tossed around by an employer or the unemployment insurance system.<\/p>\n The worry about future employment plans has only gotten worse since the pandemic, during which the unemployment rate was at an all-time high of 14.8 percent<\/a>. Grocery prices have risen 29 percent<\/a> since then, along with the prices of other everyday goods. These days, it feels like I simply step out of my apartment and am charged $15 in some way or another. I\u2019m the walking combination of every meme about realizing that being an adult is expensive.<\/p>\n I also think attending a school as prestigious as Cornell has exacerbated the collective frenzy over job procurement. In 2017, The New York Times reported<\/a> that the median family income of a student attending Cornell was $151,000, well above the national average of $60,336<\/a> for that same year. And I wouldn\u2019t be surprised if the average for Cornell has risen since then.<\/p>\n Students here are surrounded by success stories \u2014 bombarded with peers, administrators and alumni who either come from upper-class backgrounds or have soared in their respective fields. These people have created enviable, extraordinary lives for themselves. My dream is to be a lawyer someday. The possibility has completely captivated and guided me my entire life. When I hear ILR alumni explain how they stumbled into their niche (and amazing) legal careers, it feels achievable for me too.<\/p>\n But then I look on LinkedIn and scroll through posts about others\u2019 incredible summer experiences and subsequent return offers. I didn\u2019t even know this company offered an undergraduate pre-law internship, I think to myself. I have worked almost every summer I have been of age, but my jobs haven\u2019t all related to my future career. (Yes, they have taught me \u201csoft skills\u201d applicable to many careers, but I wasn\u2019t exactly assisting litigators working on corporate law cases.)<\/p>\n My mind jumps to a panicky place: If I don\u2019t get a legal internship soon, will I get into law school? And if I don\u2019t get into law school, what then? I\u2019ll never pay off my loans. I\u2019ll never get my dream job.<\/p>\n How can I compete with people who come from generations of lawyers?<\/p>\n I know these thoughts are slightly dramatic. I\u2019m hardworking; I have drive, ambition and passion; I go after what I want. But then again, don\u2019t most people who are struggling to find employment?<\/p>\n Statistics about Cornell-specific employment outcomes are somewhat reassuring. Out of survey respondents from the Class of 2024<\/a>, 88 percent were employed or in graduate school within six months of graduation. For the ILR School specifically<\/a>, 68 percent of recent graduates were employed and 23 percent pursued law or graduate school.\u00a0<\/p>\n The pre-professional mindset of this school has completely warped my perception of how far along I should be in terms of my career. The viciousness of club recruitment and intensity of internship scouting have me believing I need to know exactly what I want to do right now \u2014 that I should have a return offer at a law firm by now. (Again, I\u2019m an undergraduate student who hasn\u2019t even gotten into law school yet.)<\/p>\n When I talk to the adults in my life about the culture here and the need for a pre-law internship, they simply do not understand the rush. \u201cCollege is supposed to be the best years of your life,\u201d they say. \u201cWhen I was an undergrad student, I spent my summers lifeguarding with my closest friends.\u201d<\/p>\n Even students in high school have LinkedIn pages now. When did we as a society determine that you should know what you want to do in life from the womb? Who taught everyone to network into oblivion? And when did knowing people in professional industries become not just helpful but necessary for securing internships and employment?<\/p>\n I\u2019ve just accepted that I\u2019ll always feel one step behind here. I did for most of my time in high school, too, and it turned out just fine. What I\u2019m experiencing is an overall disillusionment with the exclusive nature of the workforce recruitment system, especially following the news of the rise in Cornell\u2019s tuition<\/a>. We give everything for a chance to be a student here \u2014 our time and money are on the line. How can I ever be sure that I\u2019ll see a return on my investment?\u00a0<\/p>\n It seems as though I won\u2019t know the answer to this outstanding question for at least a little while. I guess for now I have to trust that the work I\u2019m doing is important and will get me to where I want to be. And maybe that end result will be different (or even better) than I\u2019ve always imagined.<\/p>\n Maia Mehring is a Lifestyle co-editor\u00a0on the 143rd editorial board. She is a junior in the School of Industrial and Labor Relations and can be reached at mmehring@cornellsun.com.<\/p>\n Read More<\/p>\n