Lilly Bratka

Daniel Restaneo

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the job market is expected to experience rapid growth over the next ten years; yet this has not been many people’s lived experience. Since 2020, many Americans, even those with advanced degrees, have complained that the job market has become a scam and found it difficult to secure employment. 

During the past year, individuals have taken to the internet to accuse job market sites of being a scam. Agentdeeej on TikTok explains that he applied for over one thousand jobs, and only one job followed up with him. He also states that he was overqualified for most of the jobs that he applied for.

The older generations encourage the younger generations to simply go to college, apply for jobs and they will be set. As of 2025, Forbes claims that Americans need two jobs to pay rent for a two-bedroom apartment, utilities, groceries and a car note. As inflation increases, wages remain the same. So, the difference between the older generations and the younger generations is not effort; it’s the ability to live comfortably with income from only one job.

College tuition costs lead many people into significant debt without a simple way to pay it off. Due to the difficulties in the job market, it’s hard to find jobs to cover student loan payments, which begin within six months after graduation.

Colleges advertise an almost guaranteed job within six months of graduating — when student loan payments begin. It’s not to give incoming students hope. It’s the deadline.

Recent alumnus, Breae Armstrong graduated from Kent State with a bachelor’s degree in human development and family science in August of 2025 — seven years after she started as a freshman. 

Like many students, she changed her major a couple of times during her time at Kent State, which extended her time in college. 

Armstrong found a job as a registered behavioral therapist while she was still studying in the field. Armstrong was one of the lucky few who had a connection to get the job; she was friends with someone who already worked there, and they sent in a recommendation for her that pushed the process forward. For her, having an association within the company helped in the job search.

Similarly, Abigail Gore, a graduate of Kent State, graduated with a bachelor’s degree in international relations and a minor in public relations in 2021 and with her master’s degree of communication studies and a minor in Arabic in 2023. 

Gore says her minor in public relations and master’s degree helped her acquire her current job. When she earned her master’s degree, the market was still healing from COVID-19. People needed jobs, and prices were becoming higher. 

Gore explained that she submitted over three hundred job applications from January to May 2025. Her experience in the job search with just a bachelor’s degree was very stressful.

“I think college does not prepare you for job hunting,” Gore says. “They prepare you for the transition. They don’t prepare you for the actual stress that comes with it.”

Gore landed a job before graduating, thanks to her combination of degrees and consistency. She is currently the manager of undergraduate funding and young alumni programs at The Case Alumni Association Inc.

So, the job market post-graduation can be tedious and disheartening, but there is still hope. By making connections and being consistent, a job will eventually come through. Keep persevering through all of the trials and hardships of the job market.

Good luck, future graduates!

Kamryn Dowdell is a writer. Contact her at [email protected]