UNITED STATES─One would think this would be the best time of one’s life for those graduating from college. However, that momentous moment might be one of the scariest similar to the 2008 housing market crash. Graduating from college is an amazing feat, but for 2020 it is not a great thing in terms of the job market. Why? Unless you’ve been living under a rock, we have a pandemic in place that has left many businesses closed, many others closing their doors permanently, and countless others laying off or furloughing their entire fleet of staff.

Simply put, trying to find a job today is like searching for a needle in a haystack. This is not me saying you will NOT be able to find a job, but it’s going to be hard as hell to land a decent paying job in such a competitive, stressful and unbalanced work force at the current time. There are a few negatives working against college graduates right now 1) companies are not hiring at top pay 2) companies are looking for those who have a background in their field of expertise 3) companies are closing their doors.

It will be vital for people to get their foot in the door and once that transpires it makes things easy, but getting that foot in the door is perhaps going to be the most difficult thing right now. Most companies are facing massive restructuring, which means top execs, those with massive years of experience and those who were climbing the company ladder or finding themselves temporary unemployed or without a job at all. When those companies get the greenlight to reopen or get their production resuming, there will be people who were let go who will be brought back first and rightfully so. They have an edge over those newbie graduates who might not understand the ins and outs of the company and need a bit of time to get accustomed to things.

That is indeed problematic because time is seriously money in this economy and waiting for something to transpire is a loss of revenue for many businesses who are desperate right now; those who are hanging by a thread. I know 2008 was bad because it was the time that I graduated as an undergraduate and trying to find a job seemed near impossible. Many of my pals went nearly a year or longer without a job, luckily for me I landed not one, not two, but three jobs in the middle of nearing my graduation.  I juggled that stress for several months and let me share it was not an easy feat, but with the economy in such a dire strait there was no way I was letting any of those jobs go anytime soon. The same sentiment being echoed now: if you have a job hold onto it; treat it like your life depends on it because it could.

Thankfully, one of those jobs gave me the opportunity to climb the social ladder where I started to earn consistent hours and a reasonable pay, but not all will be that lucky America. I would not call it the American dream, but it was a glimmer of hope that I received that so many others that I knew did not have a similar fate.

In 2008, things were bad because millions of Americans lost their jobs, the banks were on the verge of bankruptcy and the housing market and auto industry crashed and burned in epic fashion. It was bad, but I feel things are way worse in 2020. Companies are literally closed; so many businesses are bringing in NO REVENUE at all. Many companies will close their doors and not reopen. Companies are filing bankruptcy. There are tons of college undergraduates who will be fighting for one of the coveted openings that a company has, but not just amongst other college grads, but those already in the workforce who have lost their job for a list of unforeseen reasons.

Imagine having that level of pressure, knowing not only must your resume be top notch, but delivering a fantastic first impression, while delivering a knock-it out the park job interview that places you in the top spot to land that position. Yeah, it is pressure people and it’s grand at that.