By JESSICA BROW
Students are finding that the more experience you have on top of obtaining a basic three-year undergraduate degree the more likely you are to get a job.
Department of Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs officer and graduate Kate Ford thinks everyone should have at least a three-year degree to put next to their name, but believes it’s what you do after your degree that benefits your career prospects.
“I was offered no jobs having completed a three year Bachelor of Arts at the ANU, and yet having done two months volunteer work in Cambodia, I was offered my first preference for a job,” she says.
Ford believes it’s all about getting your foot in the door which is why internships and graduate positions are so necessary for students these days.
“You have to do either honors or some kind of volunteer work just to get a look in for a graduate position,” Ford said.
A fellow graduate, Estelle Blair-Holt, agrees.
“The GFC has contributed to employers demanding a ‘one step further’ approach to one’s resume,” she said.
Blair-Holt said that the caliber of people applying for jobs these days is much higher than it once was, and in order to get some kind of opportunity you have to stand out in the crowd.
“Experience and volunteering is necessary in order to spice up ones ability in the work force, but I am more inclined to educate myself further by doing my Masters in order to become work ready,” she said.
Both these students agree experience is the key to success, and it appears so does the majority of the public.
ANU Vice Chancellor Professor Ian Chubb said,“62% of the public believes that employers are more likely to hire university graduates than those people without a degree that could do the job just as well.”
However Chubb also found that “80% of people believed a university degree was not necessary to get a job.”
Obtaining a degree is becoming a more recognized and key factor in getting a job for the future, but not necessary in all industry areas. Experience, rather, is what individuals need in order to get some kind of opportunity.
