by Sara Pun

Created on: January 16, 2009   Last Updated: September 10, 2009

I am slightly more than bitter of the situation that awaits me upon graduation: the cold, hard reality of money and survival. Questions arise in a dizzying fashion that faces many graduates like me with a Bachelor of Arts in the Humanities or Fine Arts. After the bloody war of exams, all nighters and sheer perseverance, we graduate with high grades and an optimistic idea of an ideal job that will pay the bills and most importantly, that mortifying student loan. University has taught us to think critically, problem-solve, analyze and maybe pick up a language or two. We are scholars and the generation of tomorrow's leaders... and yet, I am broke and putting my world skills to selling teenage fashion at a mall.

It's not that I haven't looked or applied for jobs that are related to my career. The hard truth is that employers will only hire you with 'specific qualifications' for that job. That's why we come across the scenario where the university graduate is working at MacDonald's and the college graduate from a technical school is driving a new car, mortgaging a house and treating you out for a beer because you can't afford one.

In today's world, a university degree is no longer useful, but rather a stepping stone. Everyone gets a degree these days, all you require is money, time, and some determination. We as a society, have made education too easy, almost too accessible. Many students at universities attend to simply pass and move on. These days, a Master's degree or PHD is required for the 'Good Paying Job' and is no longer an additional bonus. Another pitfall, is the hiring process. Due to the Internet and technology, many companies only accept resumes online and are initially screened by a computer. If your resume does not carry certain key words, you are automatically eliminated. What has our world come to? What happened to quality hiring due to the person's impression, character and qualifications? Have we come to a point where all we care about are numbers and so called time-saving efficiency?

Perhaps that is why straight A students are accepted into Medical school and students with B averages and hands-on experience are not accepted. As a result, there are many doctors who lack interpersonal skills and do not view medicine as a professional duty, but simply as a prestigious and silver making career.

Technology should never replace human consideration; companies and employers should remember the old hiring process of meeting people and assessing people as a whole, rather than in categories. Perhaps then there is hope for post-graduation work in the real world; the scholar who is versatile and in waiting.

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