If you have a son, daughter, niece, nephew, grandson, or granddaughter who is about to graduate or has recently graduated from university or college they are facing significant headwinds in launching their career. There are things you can do to help them.

The unemployment rate for 15- to 24-year-olds is double that for Canada as a whole.  Universities and colleges will tell you that 90% of grads are employed within six months of graduation.  According to the “2021 -22 Ontario University Graduate Survey”  University Employment Outcomes, Graduation and Student Loan Default Rates (gov.on.ca)  published by the Ministry of College and Universities, almost 40% of grads are earning less than $40,000 annually which means they are working part-time or at minimum wage jobs.  Six months after graduation, 24% are not employed and 45% are looking for work. Less than half of graduates thought their work was related to the skills they acquired at school and the subject matter of their program. 

They, and you, are frustrated and discouraged by their inability to launch their career. Their self-esteem has taken a nose-dive, and they have fallen into a downward spiral; their lack of success has discouraged them from trying. If they do get a job interview, their lack of self-confidence knocks them out of contention. They don't know where to turn or what to do. They have taken to sleeping until noon and partying too hard.

You want to get involved. If you are their parent, it's your job, and you've been successful in helping them in the past. If not a parent, you want to help in what way you can. Despite the urge, beyond providing emotional support, don't do it.

Here's why:

• Your involvement will likely contribute to their angst.

• Your advice will not be taken; it is a twenty-something’s mandate to ignore their seniors’ suggestions.

• Your involvement will likely be resented and become a source of conflict that will spill over to other aspects of your relationship.

• You are not an appropriate career counsellor – therapists don’t treat their own children, relatives or friends.

• Your purview is likely too narrow. In most cases, your knowledge of options available to them is restricted by your experience. You may be knowledgeable about the sector or industry in which you work but not much beyond it. There are brand new sectors such as artificial intelligence that didn’t exist just a few years ago.

• You don’t have the skills and knowledge. What worked for you when you started your career no longer applies. It’s an entirely different ball game; the competition is intense, and the rules have changed.

There are things you can do:

• Be supportive.  Thousands of postsecondary have not yet launched their career. In 2020, 590,000 students graduated from a Canadian post-secondary institution, an increase of more than 100% while the economy grew 17.4% in real dollar terms – the economy has not grown with the growth in post-secondary grads.

• Offer advice when asked but don’t dictate; you aren’t a career counsellor so don’t try to come across as an expert.

• Don’t be an enabler. You shouldn’t expect them to put their shoulder to the wheel to launch their career if financial and other support is unending.

Consider engaging a career coach to help in the process.  Many bring the expertise that will make a critical difference.

Leveraging a Liberal Arts Undergraduate Degree in a STEM Universe

You graduated, or are about to graduate, with a liberal arts degree and majored in English Literature, Political Science, History, or the like. You did not have a talent for or interest in mathematics or science and did not take courses in those areas in high school and therefore could not take them in university. It is universally acknowledged that the fields of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) will offer the best career opportunities in the coming decades

So, what do you do now? Firstly, you need to determine your strengths (skills, knowledge, and talents), aptitudes, and interests. Secondly, you need to identify the sectors or industries that offer the best opportunities for personal and professional growth that resonate with you. It is a safe assumption that these opportunities will reside in growing industries where the demand for talent is robust and growth will provide opportunities for career development. Thirdly, you need to identify roles or functions that fit with your strengths and interests. Finally, you need to develop and execute a strategy that will launch your career in that sector and function.

Several assessment instruments can be helpful to assist you in better understanding yourself, including Meyers-Briggs, the Strong Interest Inventory, and Strengths Finder. Write 250 words on the following; Life View – what is important to me in my life; Work View – what is important to me in my work; and Flow Experience – times when you were in the “zone” – what you were doing and who you were doing it with. Talk to people in different roles and industries – find out what they do and what they like about what they do.

In its 2018 study ”The Future of Jobs” the World Economic Foundation (WEF) identified the top ten skill demands in 2022 as (in order): analytical thinking and innovation; active learning and learning strategies; creativity, originality, and initiative; technology design and programming; critical thinking and analysis; complex problem solving; leadership and social influence; emotional intelligence; reasoning, problem-solving and ideation; and, systems analysis and evaluation. Note that there are only two skills directly related to STEM and they are fairly far down the list.

There are innumerable articles, blogs, and books about what will be the growth sectors in the 2020s and the consensus indicates that those sectors will be;

• Artificial Intelligence

• Robotics

• Financial Services (eCommerce and Blockchain)

• Healthcare

• Professional Services

• Social Media

• Renewable Energy

All of these sectors will require technical skills in some areas however, all will also have functions that do not require those skills. Today’s functions will exist in the above sectors including Finance, Human Resources, Sales, Marketing, and Operations. WEF research identified the following as emerging non-STEM job roles that leverage distinctively ‘human' skills including Customer Service Workers; Sales and Marketing Professionals; Training and Development, People and Culture, and Organizational Development Specialists; and, Innovation Managers.

Customer Service Workers: Every organization has “customers” in the broadest definition of the word and will need people who can satisfy the needs of those customers.

Sales and Marketing Professionals: Every company that sells goods or services requires sales and business development teams. The ability to market and/or sell technology-based products does not require the ability to design, develop or make those products. An understanding of the application, features, and benefits is required along with the ability to change prospects into customers. Sales are all about relationship management, being comfortable with risk-taking, the ability to connect with people, understand their needs and solve their problems.

Training and Development, People and Culture, and Organizational Development Specialists; organizations will be faced with the need to hire the right people and develop their skills. Companies will need to successfully adapt to new technologies and markets which will require new skills. Retaining top talent will necessitate an appropriate culture.

Innovation Managers: technological and market developments will require innovation and people to lead and manage those processes. When you have identified your target sector(s) and role(s) you will need to develop and execute a strategy to capture opportunities. That strategy will require a compelling resume and digital presence (LinkedIn), an effective networking campaign (80% of jobs that are filled are never appear in the public domain, and interviewing skills (interviews “close the sale” and get you the job)