Stavenik 1 Catherine Stavenik ENG-1100 College Writing Work and Identity October 2, 2013 Are Degrees Meeting Their

Standards? It was her way or the highway. Crystal new she could be anything she wanted, she was determined and stubborn and when it came to an education, she knew. Radiography had always stuck with her, after breaking her arm and leg; she loved to see what the doctor had to show her on the x-ray. When her father broke his foot, she tagged along to see what his pictures would look like. It was that day that she truly wanted to work in radiology. The hospital did not just have x-rays, but had CT scans, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), ultra sound, and more. The science of looking inside the body without surgically opening it was astonishing. From that day forward, Crystal worked hard in middle school and high school, graduating with high honors. In college, out of 245 people in the radiography program, 35 made it to the last semester, and 24 completed the program. Crystal graduated top in her class, a nearly perfect GPA. She applied to Mercer Hospital, Robert Wood Johnson in New Brunswick and Hamilton, Hunterdon Medical Center, and three more county hospitals. Not one hospital would accept her employment, despite her academic accomplishments. In the work world, is it worth the expense and time of a college degree if the risk is unemployment? Inexperienced college graduates in todays economy have a difficult time finding employment in their degree field. Some researchers believe that this phenomenon is due to the harsh economic times, while others believe experience decides whether you are hired or not. However, both economy and experience affect employment. Most businesses during hard

Stavenik 2 economic times will hire more experienced workers with higher degrees than those fresh out of college (Carnevale 300). The same goes for a hospital, would patients trust a nurse with needles if they have only experienced plastic dummies to work on? Of course not, nurses that know a hospital environment provide better medical care. For recent architecture graduates, the falling of construction and the housing market makes employment just as likely as a high schooler being hired (Carnevale 298). With more background experience the chances of employment increase. Dr. Boccino, a chiropractor and professor at William Paterson University, took four years to open up her own practice (Boccino). Clients prefer a more known practice rather than if she started fresh out of school. She worked her way up the system and became very experienced, first working alongside in other practices, then renting her own space for her clients, to eventually owning her own chiropractor practice in Cedar Grove (Boccino). When she graduated in 2007, the economy was comparable to the Great Depression, her odds of employment were 2 in 25 (Carnevale 298). Despite her chances, she gained experienced and became successful. Not only does experience and economy effect employment, but also the competition.

In todays society, competition in the work world is growing more and more. In the instance of Crystal Brandt, a family friend, the competition for employment after graduation can be excruciating. For most graduates who desire to work in healthcare, they must compete against the increasing estimates 712,000 other graduates looking for the same job (Carnevale 303). At this rate, its conceivable why medical school is incredibly competitive. In Renee Staveniks experiences, her interviews for being a neonatal nurse consisted of 30 applicants and only two would be hired (Stavenik). Her experience in two other reputable hospitals for nine years gave her the upper hand against competitors (Stavenik). Dr. Boccinos focus in chiropractor care left

Stavenik 3 her with mostly male competitors (Boccino). The twentieth century still remains slightly gender discriminated; she noted that men typically had the upper hand in her field (Boccino). She had to exceed the levels of her male competitors to prove she could be successful and employed in practice (Boccino). The projected labor force in todays economy is coming back since 2007; the competition for any college student in any field is only growing (Carnevale 303). In Richard Sennetts, No Long Term, he comes across a man, Rico, who is always at risk of unemployment and fails to maintain a steady work experience (Sennett 312). Rico works hard as a firm holder; the risk of unemployment keeps him moving across the country with his business (Sennett 313). Although he is a hired work man, his competition with new workers puts him at risk of being laid off.