Class of 2020 graduates into bleakest job market since 1933. Here’s how some are faring

Bethany Theuret is working as a barista at Starbucks, but the 2020 criminology graduate said she’s applied for a dozen jobs, from a dispatcher to a victim advocate. She’s only landed one interview and no call-backs.

The Fresno State alum describes trying to start a career in the middle of the pandemic as stressful.

“I’m just trying really hard not to give up on the search and keeping an open mind,” she said. “I might have to start off doing something else entirely before getting to my dream career.”

Theuret is just one of the many graduates in the nation who were pushed out into a job market that hasn’t looked this bleak since the Great Depression when unemployment peaked at 24.9%.

May’s unemployment for the state sat at 16.3%, the California Employment Development Department announced Friday, which is a small change from April’s 16.4%.

In Fresno County, the unemployment rate in May was 15.7%, down by more than one full percentage point from April’s rate of 16.9%.

Across Fresno, Madera, Merced, Kings and Tulare counties, 74,000 jobs have disappeared since the coronavirus began shutting down businesses. Although unemployment was slightly higher in the central San Joaquin Valley in 2011 than it is now, the rate skyrocketed much faster than it did a decade ago.

Getting creative

The Career Development Center at Fresno State has been busy, according to director Debbie Young. Staffers have been conducting webinars, such as “Graduating in the New Normal,” and they’ve seen good attendance from both students and alumni.

Young has worked at Fresno State for 30 years and has seen ups and downs before.

She said after the recovery from 2008, the job market in the last six years has been “phenomenal.”

“We would see students with multiple job offers,” she said. “Although there are signs of recovery now, it could take two or three years before the jobs return.”

She estimates it could take six to eight months for new graduates to find a job amid the current market. But some sectors are doing better than others if job seekers are willing to stray from their majors.

Agriculture and wine industries in the San Joaquin Valley are always a good bet, she said. One graduate the center helped recently used her biology degree to get a job with E & J Gallo Winery. Wineries in Paso Robles are looking for lab technicians, too.

“A lot of times, science majors don’t think that way, so we were really trying to expose them to industries that hire various majors.”

Young said teaching was booming just a year ago, but she’s now seeing some offers rescinded.

Some sectors of healthcare are still going strong, as well as set career paths such as construction management. Logistics and transportation are still running at a high volume because delivery service is needed.

Working in the Valley

Although about 85% of the university’s graduates stay in the Valley to work, they may have to branch out if they want to find employment.

“Expand your geographic location, know that it’s gonna take longer to network,” Young advised. “And then also really do a lot of research — if I’m going to stay in this geographic location, where are the jobs in this geographic location right now?

But even leaving the Valley might not be a guarantee of a job, as the pandemic has stretched the globe, impacting every industry.

When John Ahlberg graduated from Fresno State this year, he was looking forward to using his linguistics degree to teach English in Japan and Korea.

“I had been setting things in motion for about two and a half years,” he said. The goal was to teach internationally, then return in a few years for more education.

“I found out that the plan I had been cooking up was going south fast around mid-March,” he said. That’s when travel restrictions took hold and hiring dropped.

Young said graduates might have to lower their expectations for landing that dream job out of college. But there’s still hope.

“Employers want to see college-educated people,” Young said, “and we really encourage students (not to) get too hung up on your major.”

She said because of high unemployment rates, graduates now have to compete with people who have experience.

She recommends students and alumni keep learning new programs or training to add to their resume. She says having a LinkedIn account is also essential as more employers are looking for that.

She said those who already have jobs shouldn’t quit. “I think you just have to be persistent and know that (your) degree is going to pay off.”

Ahlburg is cautiously optimistic about being able to travel next year. Meanwhile, he is taking advantage of time and enrolling in a few classes at Fresno City College while continuing to work in the hospitality industry in Fresno.

“So, if things go well, (it) could work out this time next year,” he said. “Or not. Time will tell.”

The Education Lab is a local journalism initiative that highlights education issues critical to the advancement of the San Joaquin Valley. It is funded by donors. Learn about The Bee’s Education Lab on our website.

This story was originally published June 22, 2020 at 12:45 PM.