Before we were graduating seniors, we hoped the mysterious virus that came to our shores in March 2020 would be an elongated spring break.
Then we wished for declining cases and thought we’d be in person by Fall 2020. The semester came and went and we anticipated we’d be together for our last first day of instruction in Spring 2021. Still apart, we crossed our fingers for a vaccine and a commencement ceremony, socially distanced or not.
However, our hope was squashed. San Jose State President Mary Papazian announced in a March 1 campuswide email SJSU would be “safely honoring our spring graduates.”
The email read similar to statements sent to the Class of 2020 and it dealt the same blow as a college or job
rejection letter.
I can’t imagine the pain it caused many first-generation students or hopeful graduates who’ve dreamed of walking across the commencement stage.
I was emotional not only for myself but for my parents and grandparents who’ve supported me through undergrad and won’t see me walk the stage to receive my diploma.
I even cried one day later when I got an email about my virtual graduation slide because how can a 150-character message rectify a normal celebration?
The short answer: it can’t.
And I won’t even attempt to give you the laundry list of reasons why it’ll never make up for the usual pomp, circumstance and utter euphoria of waiting to hear your name while baking under the California sun.
On the other hand, this might be the time to discover new ways to celebrate.
I’m buying all my graduation regalia and taking as many pictures as possible. I’m going to party hard through Zoom because after all, we’re celebrating our entrance into the big, wide world of job opportunities . . . right? Wrong.
Economic experts have started calling the job market uncertain for recent graduates, according to an April 10, 2020 USA Today article.
It feels a bit like the world’s falling apart accompanied by moving out of your parents’ house to become a “grown-up” in one of the country’s most expensive states.
Since the pandemic began, hiring for entry level and college graduate positions fell 45% more than any other education category, according to a Feb. 4 Wall Street Journal article. As if that wasn’t bad enough, as graduates start getting hired, they’re more likely to be paid less or be in a “mismatched” job because of the economic downturn.
Because recent graduates are being paid less, it’s probable they’ll need to make up for it in the future.
Graduates who begin careers during a recession earn less for about 10-15 years versus those who start in periods
of economic growth, according to an April 2019 Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research study.
Despite these scary statistics, the world isn’t falling apart. In fact, we’re starting to pick up the pieces as more people receive vaccinations daily.
It’s time to change our perspective on graduating right now.
Don’t be afraid to move back in with your parents after graduation to save money and don’t be scared to take a job that doesn’t initially fit your standards.
Just like our predecessors, we will prevail.
Maybe we’ll get a slower start but we’ll strive with unrelenting hope. If there’s one thing this pandemic taught us, it’s how to rely on that hope regardless of whether normalcy is within reach or a million miles away.
