The transition from college to work during the great recession: employment, financial, and identity challenges

Abstract

This study examines the challenges that recent college graduates face in a hard-hit US region during the Great Recession. In their poignant and sometimes heartbreaking perceptions of their ‘biggest challenges,’ graduates vividly illustrate the negative implications of degree completion during the recession. Based on an analysis of both closed and open-ended survey data of Michigan's 2012 graduates, we find that women and first generation college graduates fare the worst in terms of their employment status, debt and income levels, and subjective assessments of job opportunities and financial stress. In contrast, men, especially those whose parents have at least a bachelor's degree, were more likely than their counterparts to report that their ‘biggest challenge’ since graduation was linked with making the transition into adult roles. Taken together, these findings suggest widespread difficulty after graduating from college during the Great Recession, and the ways in which these difficulties are linked with gender and class inequalities.

Keywords:

• young adulthood
• higher education
• recession
• employment
• gender
• social class

Acknowledgment

We would like to thank Paula Tijerina and Nicole Mangis, who provided assistance with data collection and coding, and Joy Beatty, Gabrielle Eschrich, Pam McAuslan, Liz Rohan, and Marie Waung for editorial suggestions.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes

1. Differences in work status by gender were statistically significant (χ² = 100.750, df = 2, N = 7054, p < .001).

2. Those with different parental education backgrounds had the same rate of ‘not employed’: 17%. Differences in work status between first generation college graduates and those whose parents have at least a bachelor's degree were statistically significant (χ² = 10.761, df = 2, N = 7054, p < .01).

Additional information

Funding

This project was supported by Michigan Economic Development Corporation, the Presidents Council of the State Universities of Michigan, and the Michigan Municipal League, with support of the Detroit Regional Chamber.