Morgan van Hoven, Campus Carrier staff writer
Seniors at Berry are facing a rapidly changing job market and have begun to plan for the steps they will take once they graduate.
Annie Lukens is a senior nursing major who is a part of the WinShape scholarship program. Lukens is from Tennessee and came to Berry with the intention of playing soccer, but quickly came to realize that her intended major would not allow space for the athletic requirements as well as her work schedule.
Similar to the experiences of other students at Berry, it has been a challenge for Lukens to succeed academically and meet the requirements of her scholarship while also building her resume and applying for jobs post-graduation. Lukens said the work has been put in academically and in her networking efforts despite challenges of the pandemic and a fluctuating economy. The condition of the current job market, however, was something that Lukens did not account for. In the past, Lukens’ dream was to move to Asheville, North Carolina after graduation.
“Sadly, I realized that the price of living in a city would be exponentially higher than it already is now in a more rural area,” Lukens said. “After witnessing the increasing rent prices, I had to switch gears to make a compromise for what I want versus what I could afford.”
The cost of living in the city of Asheville is more expensive than the cost of living in Rome, which is the main reason why Lukens decided to stay and rent an apartment in Rome post-graduation. Another contributing factor was the connections and network that Lukens has built here. Lukens finds a level of comfort in knowing that she will have somewhere to stay if any challenges or unforeseen circumstances arise.
While Lukens is grateful for her scholarship that allows her to live on campus with discounted room and board, her viewpoints on what the college experience should look like have changed alongside the economy.
“Unfortunately, I have witnessed my best friend have to move from her apartment back to her parents’ house for her senior year as a result of the increasing cost of living,” Lukens said. “This situation has caused a disconnect from the college experience of being on your own and growing more independence.”
The current shortage of nurses has offered Lukens a broader range of positions to apply for, which has offered her some relief because she is aware that not everyone is in the same boat as her concerning job availability. Due to this shortage of nurses, hospitals recently began offering sign-on bonuses in hopes to attract newer licensed nurses to work. The sign-on bonuses are attractive, however, to receive that bonus, the nurses are typically required to sign a contract that will bind them to that specific hospital for a range of 1-5 years.
Signing a binding contract with a hospital is a large commitment, especially for college graduates with limited experience in the workforce.
“So much can change in that time. Rent could increase, commuting may be more expensive with gas inflation, and even my salary could decrease in that time span,” Lukens said. “Considering all the ‘what if’s’ it leaves me unsure if I am willing to sign a contract to live in a place that within the timeframe of only two years could have an increase on all living expenses.”
With the increase in gas prices, Lukens is carefully looking over all of her commuting options. Lukens is devising her planning in hopes that she will be able to spend less money on daily necessities and is taking it a step further with her finances to be able to put more money in her savings.
“I want to commute with just a bike or a longboard to work post-graduation if this is a feasible option,” Lukens said. “I know it sounds kind of funny but if I am able to find an apartment close enough to my workplace, I would like to save money on gas by biking to work instead of spending it on my commute to and from work.”
Rette Solomon, a senior student athlete, utilized the school’s Individually Designed Major program to pursue a degree that met her desires outside of what is typically offered as a major. In order to be approved for designing her own major, Solomon had to demonstrate her motivation and self-direction skills throughout her time at Berry.
Solomon knew that the path she chose was not typical for a college student, and said that she is well prepared to enter the workforce with the education she obtained from Berry. The major that Solomon designed for herself is entrepreneurial marketing and communications and she is hoping to obtain a job in the communications and marketing field. Solomon’s plan after graduation looks a lot different now that she is a senior and has witnessed the unexpected challenges in the economy.
“Witnessing the cost-of-living increase has caused me to pivot and think of ways to combat the rising cost,” Solomon said. “I know that there are a lot more jobs available in the city, but I don’t believe that I would be able to live independently in the city, so it has made me consider what jobs are available in a more rural area.”
Because Solomon lives on Mountain Campus, she feels as if she has felt the impact of increasing gas prices more than a student who lives on the main campus and has the option to walk to classes. If necessary, Solomon will work in-person at a location that is close to where she is living post-graduation.
“I don’t think that a starting salary for someone right out of college is going to be enough to cover the cost of gas depending on how far away work is,” Solomon said. “The cost of gas has caused me to consider pivoting my career plans and I will be looking for more jobs that have the option of working remotely.”
Solomon’s focus has shifted concerning job opportunities and she now prioritizes the starting salary more than the experience she would gain at the job.
“In order to be able to keep up with the cost of living that we are dealing with currently I need a job that will pay me more than I had originally expected,” Solomon said.
The jobs that Solomon is actively looking into do not reflect the current cost of living and the jobs that are available are not positions that reflect those who have obtained a college degree, stated Solomon. Depending on the circumstances, there have been recent college graduates who move in with their family or friends due to finances and resources available to them.
“I already know of a couple recent graduates who are in the workforce, but they still have to live with their parents,” Solomon said. “Financially they are unable to move out of their hometown and while that has not affected me yet, I am seeing it all over the place with young postgraduate students.”
Solomon hopes to obtain a job in the Southeast, but is pursuing leads that would allow her to advance in the workforce within the city that her parents currently live due to the starting salaries that jobs are offering in the areas where she is interested in living. While many college graduates want to be fully independent, Solomon said that the cost of living in the economy today is a challenging obstacle to overcome. While the COVID-19 pandemic has opened many doors for companies to explore offering their employees the chance to work remotely, some feel as if remote work can only be performed when a necessity; not to combat rising costs.
“I feel as if the job market is getting more competitive for college graduates and a general degree doesn’t always cut it anymore,” Solomon said. “I am seeing more jobs that prefer their applicants to have master’s degrees and the jobs that are accepting people who have a four-year degree are not paying very much money.”
Kara Freeman, a senior who is majoring in early childhood education, shares the same opinion with Solomon regarding salaries that do not reflect the cost of living. Freeman has job security due to the present shortage of teachers, yet is considering what she will be able to do to ensure financial stability after graduating. She has felt comforted by the fact that she chose a profession that is “always searching” for more people. Freeman has not encountered any obstacles in the job market for employment opportunities caused by the state of the economy, but said that the price of gas may impact her significantly because of the budget which she has laid out for herself.
“I would love to have a job that gives me the ability to have a 10-15 minute commute max,” said Freeman. “I will be teaching despite my expected income and within my first year I do not want to spend more than I have to on gas getting to and from school.”
While the increase in the cost of living is negatively impacting Freeman, she said that she is prepared for the circumstance at hand due to the lifestyle that she has grown accustomed to as a result of the salary that she expects her career will provide post-graduation. The cost of living has not impacted her search for employment because she is “well equipped to navigate the high costs” wherever she accepts a position, according to Freeman.
Instead of looking into purchasing a house or living alone for the first time, Freeman is actively searching for a house or an apartment to rent and moving in with a roommate or group of people to lower the cost.
“I plan on moving in with a roommate so the cost of living will not be as bad when I have the salary that I am planning to have,” said Freeman. “Based on other teachers’ salaries in the county’s that I am currently pursuing employment in, this will be necessary.”
While the seniors at Berry may not be impacted in the same ways, many have had to alter their plans in some form to account for the changes in the current job market. Berry prepares its students for life outside of the “Berry bubble,” however it can still be challenging to learn how to swim in uncharted waters.