“The continuing job crisis is hitting young people especially hard – damaging both their future and the economy,” reports the October 8, 2009 Business Week Cover Story. Is that accurate? What about Hunter students?

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According to a New York Times story, headlined, “Average Debt for Graduating College Seniors Rises to $23,200,” the national unemployment rate is 10.2 percent and debt for college graduates has increase by 25 percent in four years. Even though college graduates may have an advantage finding jobs, compared to those who only have high school diplomas, the current economic recession makes it difficult even for them.

In August 2009, several news stories reported on a college graduate suing her Bronx college because she was unsuccessful in finding a job three months after graduation. The alumnus, Trina Thompson, 27, graduated from Monroe College with a bachelor degree in Business Administration in Information Technology. According to court records cited by the news media, Thompson sued for $70,000 for tuition reimbursement and for the struggles she said she experienced.

Several Hunter students were interviewed by this writer and other staff memembers. Asked about the value of her studies, Luna Zhao, 20, a junior, who lives in Chinatown, said, “I think it’s security.” She was sitting on a bench behind a table on the sixth floor of Thomas Hunter, wearing a black T-shirt, black dance pants and white flip flops with her hair tied in a low ponytail.

Zhao said that a college degree still has value although the job market has been weak during this recession. For her, the degree will serve as a back-up. Zhao said she wants to perform with a dance company.

“I’m in college and doing this program to gain technique in dance, the degree is like for show,” said Zhao, while she played with a light pink blackberry phone in her hand during a break from class.

Andy Waldinger, 22, from Midwood, Brooklyn, a junior majoring in dance, already has an associate’s degree and said he was in the process of getting a bachelor degree in dance. He said that the extra degree could help him get a decent job as a teacher. “Instead of teaching at a studio, I could work for a company. Nothing can promise you job security, you just have to know people, have connections,” said Waldinger, who was wearing a blue hoodie and black dance pants while he took a break on the sixth floor of Thomas Hunter Hall.

Monica Moore, 25, of the Upper West Side of Manhattan, decided to continue her college education after taking a three year break to dance. She said she had a great job as a Dallas Cowboy Cheerleader but returned to college at Hunter because she felt it was important for her to get a degree in dance.

Moore was asked several questions on this issue via email. Asked, “What do you think is the value of getting an undergrad degree in terms of getting a job in this recession?” she said, “If it weren’t for my subsidized student loans, I wouldn’t be able to attend any college with my limited shifts at work (as waiter at a restaurant).In all other areas of my life, I’ve been forced to cut expenses, budget, budget, budget and pray. But going to classes each day feels like a luxury to me, that I really appreciate and enjoy.”

Moore said that the value of a college degree is as important as the amount of work experience someone has in the job market. She said a bachelor’s degree is only one prerequisite employers look for and that a bachelor’s degree alone may not be enough.

Moore said that she was enriching her talents, and expanding her knowledge as a dancer/choreographer. She said that her education will give her confidence and an edge that will help her in interviews and auditions for work. Moore said a degree could give her an advantage. She said, “My degree will be tremendously valuable for what it represents.”

Asked, “What do you think about the college graduate suing her school because of failure to gain employment after graduating?” Moore said that the case was ridiculous because a college never guarantee employment after graduation. She also said that it WAS the graduate’s responsibility to get a job and that winning the case would be difficult for her since there’s really no way to prove that the she did everything in her power to get a job in her field.

“It’s really a sad situation, though,” Moore said. “I know a lot of people, who are struggling to find work in their field, but in such a poor economic climate, sometimes people have to work where and how they can until things get better.”


Famechy Knight can be reached at fknigh@hunter.cuny.edu