College Grads Turn to Public Service as Job Market Softens

A weak economy coupled with an increase in civic mindedness are driving a new generation of college graduates to postpone traditional postgraduate employment to work for social causes, the Wall Street Journal reports.

According to a Monster Worldwide survey of almost one thousand employers, only 59 percent of employers expect to hire a recent graduate by the end of the summer, down from 76 percent the year before. According to the article, the deteriorating job market is contributing to a surge in applications from young college graduates at public service organizations.

Teach for America, a national service organization that recruits college graduates and young professionals for two-year stints as teachers in low-income public schools, saw applications jump to almost 25,000 from 18,200 a year ago, an increase of 36 percent. Of those who have applied, some 3,700 will be selected to teach in school districts next fall, up more than 25 percent from the previous year. Other organizations experiencing an increase in applications include the Jesuit Volunteer Corps, WorldTeach, and the Peace Corps, which counted some eight thousand volunteers during 2007 — a level of enthusiasm not seen since the 1970s.

Rebecca Graziano, who plans to teach English to students in sub-Saharan Africa as a member of the Peace Corps, said she eventually wants to go to graduate school, though she hasn't yet decided her field of study. In the meantime, "I want to do something that makes me more competitive" as an applicant, she said. "[Volunteering in Africa] is a more valuable experience than working at some job, like a bank, for a few years."

Chaker, Anne Marie. “Altruism Meets a Weak Job Market.” Wall Street Journal 7/07/08.

Primary Subject: Civil Society
Location(s): National

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