The Voice - Student Newspaper

Students question post-college employment in face of industry shutdowns and declines

By Michelle Tabatabai-Shahab
Reporter, The VOICE

When employment prospects decline students will have trouble affording higher education because of minimal job opportunities. The student body will be affected with each passing day of the employment decline.

In July, the economy lost 51,000 jobs, according to the Employment Report provided by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Normally, near 150,000 new jobs are considered necessary each month to keep the nation stable. Since then the Unemployment rate rose from 5.7 to 6.1 percent in August.

"Among the unemployed, the number of persons who lost their last job rose by 417,000 to 4.8 million," quoted from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

This will have an effect on every single person in America.

Think about it, with fewer jobs available how are people supposed to live in an overpriced economy? The price for gas is still steep, considering that just last year the price per gallon was barely reaching three dollars.

Milk already costs nearly four dollars now and filtered water isn't free anymore.

Everything is going to cost something, exactly like America has seen in its past history.

When the employment rate declines Americans will clam up and save money for bills and necessities.

Without an appropriate number of consumers businesses will feel the wrath, especially small businesses.

Small business owners are having trouble profiting or breaking even with expenses.

Unemployment ramifications will be endured by owners, employees, product suppliers, delivery services, as well as valuable clientele.

Students are being let go from their jobs for a myriad of reasons. Part time jobs will be harder to come by and paying for college will be more difficult.

The price for books and materials will increase due to poor sales. Gasoline prices will empty consumer pockets.

People will have to turn off their air conditions and suffer in the Arizona heat to save money.

There might even be high rate of freeloading off of Costco and Safeway samples just to get by.

Sure, nobody can skimp like a college student, but college students hate skimping.

Some students, like Angela Beckett, believe that, "if the employment rate is going down, doesn't that mean that college will be pointless? I mean, we are all here, trying to educate ourselves for careers we want. Are we just going to luck out at graduation?"

Are college students striving for careers that won't be available upon graduation?

In hindsight, if the economy gets any worse, there may be a noticeable drop in the number of students enrolled.

Be aware that now is the time to save money for next semester, especially while you still have a source of income.