Life after graduation,the harsh road to employment.
After graduation, many young people step into the world with high hopes, carrying their degree certificates as a symbol of achievement and a promise of opportunity. Families, friends, and even society at large celebrate their success, believing that education will naturally open doors to stable employment and a bright future. Yet, once the celebrations fade, the harsh reality of the job market quickly sets in. Thousands of graduates face long periods of unemployment, spending months or even years submitting countless job applications that rarely attract responses. Even when opportunities arise, the competition is overwhelming, as hundreds of applicants with similar or even higher qualifications vie for the same position. Entry-level jobs, ironically, demand years of experience, leaving fresh graduates locked out of the system that is supposed to absorb them.
With mounting pressure, many are forced to settle for casual labor, unpaid internships, or low-paying jobs unrelated to their field of study just to make ends meet. For some, this survival strategy becomes a long-term trap, making it difficult to climb into their desired careers. The situation is worsened by financial strain, as graduates often have student loans to repay, younger siblings to support, or families that invested heavily in their education with expectations of quick returns. Instead of being celebrated contributors to the economy, many find themselves dependent once again, living with parents or relying on relatives for basic needs. The disappointment weighs heavily, leading to frustration, loss of confidence, and in severe cases, depression and hopelessness.
In many countries, structural challenges further complicate the situation. Corruption, nepotism, and favoritism are major barriers to employment, where merit is often overlooked in favor of connections or bribes. Qualified graduates without “the right people” to recommend them are sidelined, regardless of their competence. Others face systemic mismatches, where universities produce more graduates than the economy can absorb, leaving an oversupply of skills in fields with limited opportunities. For example, graduates in education, business, or humanities often find themselves working as sales agents, clerks, or boda boda riders to survive, while their specialized knowledge remains unused.
Despite these miseries, the resilience of graduates is notable. Many turn to entrepreneurship, starting small businesses with little capital, often in informal sectors. Some migrate to urban centers or even abroad in search of better opportunities, enduring new struggles along the way. Others return to school to pursue further studies, hoping that an additional qualification will increase their chances, though this often deepens financial strain. This cycle of struggle highlights the gap between education and employment, and the need for systems that not only produce graduates but also prepare and absorb them into meaningful work. For most graduates, the journey after receiving their degree is not a straight path to success, but a difficult battle marked by sacrifice, adaptation, and resilience in the face of a tough job market.
