As seniors prepare to graduate on Dec. 19, the realities of the professional world present several daunting aspects, including finding a stable job, paying off student loans and seeking affordable housing. Regardless of the difficulties that lie beyond campus, many Biola students preparing for graduation feel confident and equipped.
A recent report by the Los Angeles Times regarding millennial generation graduates revealed a sharp increase in young adults continuing to live with their parents, due to difficulties gaining employment.
In 2000, 24.6 percent of millennials were reported living in their parents’ household in California. Now, between 2009 and 2013, that percentage has risen to 34 percent. This statistic suprasses the national average of 30 percent.
EQUIPPED FOR WHAT COMES AFTER
Hannah Brisson, senior communication disorders major and fall 2014 graduate remains undaunted by reports such as this one.
“I feel like our department preps us pretty well for the masters programs. It’s a really good job market for a speech therapist right now so I’m pretty confident about getting a job right out of graduate school,” said Brisson.
Brisson has applied to 13 different grad school programs for speech pathology and will spend the next few months being an au pair in Italy in place of her spring semester at Biola. She will do all of this without any student loans.
Her peers nearing graduation also maintain an overall level of confidence, with many engaged or married students who are financially stable enough to get through without a dream job for the time being, said Brisson.
The early marriages taking place following graduation from Biola do not align with recent trends surrounding millennial marriages. The California percentage of 18-year-olds to 34-year-olds who never marry has risen from 54 percent in 2009 to 68 percent in 2009 to 2013.
FAITH IN UNCERTAINTY
JJ Carroll, senior cinema and media arts major will graduate in December with a small debt load and no job. However, working toward the end goal to produce, act and write for comedy films, Carroll will work on a feature film project as co-producer and co-director.
While an amount of uncertainty surrounds graduation, he will financially get by, said Carroll, and remains assured of God’s plan for him as he has seen his faithfulness and provision in the past.
“Looking back at my time here, all of the connections I’ve made and all of the amazing people that I’ve met, it’s just been stepping stones towards where I want to go in the future and God’s been a part of every single one of those,” said Carroll.
A number of other graduate friends will stay in the area, continuing to rent houses and apartments near by, with a few returning home for the time being to financially get a leg-up, said Carroll.
Cathryn Collier, senior communication studies major, faces a significant amount of student loans. However, a job following graduation recently fell into place and has confidence that she will be equipped for the world through her time at Biola and through God’s faithfulness, said Collier.
“I’m realizing that a lot of calling in life is very progressive and filled with stepping stones and I think its been important for me to see that it’s less about arrival and more about focusing in on the fact that God’s plan for my life is alive and active right now,” said Collier.
