The dry erase board to the left of the cash register at Red and Black Café features the daily sandwich specials and a declining count down to graduation. Some people in line at the Café are too busy deciding on which grilled sandwich to have for lunch to notice the countdown. These people are not in the class of 2008.
For seniors, the board breaks an unspoken rule to not mention the May 25 popping of the “Wesleyan bubble,” which provokes excitement, tension, impatience and dread at the very mention of the g-word.
With several years behind them, it is finally safe to ask several alums what they did after graduation, what this “real world” is like and how the declining economy has effected their career aspirations.
Alums seem to agree that it was a rocky transition to go from the attention and support of professors whom they had built close relationships with to entering the harsh reality of the job market. Yet many perceive University graduates as intelligent and hardworking due to the school’s academic reputation.
“Even though I’m essentially at the bottom and constantly have to work my ass off to prove myself, I can hold my own in meetings, even when major studio heads are present,” said Gianna Sobol ’06, who works in the film industry. “People find intelligence and worldliness a breath of fresh air. I have Wesleyan to thank for that.”
In Los Angeles, Sobol has found the University’s career network strong and the “Wesleyan Film Mafia” alive and well. She also meets on a regular basis with a large group of Wesleyan alums who share job openings and opportunities over drinks and is a member of an alumni-run Google tracking group, where graduates alert each other through a closed e-mail list of opportunities.
Hanako Moondance ’06, another alum living in Los Angeles, recalls her immediate post-graduation experience.
“After I graduated, I slept,” she said. “I mean I literally went out to dinner with my folks, and just crashed right when I got to my bed. I had to process the end of a dramatic four-year relationship. Senior week is an intense, beautiful and emotional time.”
Moondance now works two part time jobs, one as an assistant accountant and the other in a library. This allows Moondance to keep her options open.
“Getting a set job or going to grad school after graduation right away just wasn’t for me,” Moondance said. “I’m working on getting control of my life, understanding myself, understanding office politics, and getting to know Los Angeles as an adult.”
After graduating Ben Goldstein ’06 moved to a one-room sublet in San Francisco with several friends. He is currently working for a non-governmental organization that focuses on creating affordable housing.
Making a lot of money is not Goldstein’s focus at the moment. He sees his 20s as an age for discovering his life and career path.
Yet the worsening economy is a topic that weighs heavily on the minds of seniors who will enter into a job market in which 63,000 jobs were reported lost last February, the biggest decline in five years. Goldstein, however, recommends that seniors keep their cool.
“It’s not a good idea to play into the drama of a bad economy,” Goldstein recommends. “It puts you all in a position to worry. Lots of people I know are doing their thing, making ends meet while working on their passions in the music and arts. If you bug people enough you will eventually get a job.”
Marina Klimasiewfski ’05 is more concerned.
“The economy is pretty bad, and its something I’ve worried about,” she said. “I have a lot of friends, all who are smart, educated and fabulous people that are getting laid off.”
Klimasiewfski, who works as a clinical researcher in New York City, says that it took her and most of her friends a few months to find a job after graduation. She recalls that economics majors had the easiest time finding work, though with the current crisis in the financial industry, she admits this may no longer be the case.
Klimasiewfski has recently noticed that after three years in the “real world,” many in her graduating class are heading back to school.
In terms of social life, Klimasiewfski looks back at her time at the University fondly.
“Let the children know that nothing is as fabulous as being at Wesleyan,” Klimasiewfski said. “Work takes up most of your time and energy. You don’t get the free time you get with twelve hours a week of class.”
The pressure that leads to the resentment of Red and Black’s countdown is more than understandable, but the key to a positive post-grad experience, according to Moondance, depends on one’s mindset.
“If you go into post graduation with the understanding that it is a different experience than Wesleyan you won’t have any problem,” Moondance said. “It’s okay to be scared about graduation, but its just another new experience. Be open, it’s only life.”
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