Recent Grad Sees Hope in Struggling Job Market

Since graduating in December with a teaching degree, 23-year-old Emily Driessen has applied for about 50 jobs either in or closely associated with her chosen field.

Of those applications, only two led to interviews.

“There are some out there that are getting positions … We all hope it will pick up,” said Driessen, who is from St. Charles and works part-time at , a Wheaton-based children’s gym, babysits and picks up odd jobs to supplement her income.

The U.S. Labor department released job figures for June, which showed unemployment had crept up to 9.2 percent from 9.1 percent in May, according to the Huffington Post.

Driessen, who considers her work at the children’s gym to be valuable experience, appears to be faring better than millions of other Americans.

According to the Huffington Post article from Friday, 14.1 million people in the U.S. are unemployed.

However, the economy would need to add between 125,000 and 150,000 new jobs every month for those just entering the labor force, the article states. The private sector added 57,000 jobs in June while government jobs shrank by 39,000.

For Driessen and others still new to the job market, this means continuing to scour job websites, attend fairs and reconnect with their professional networks.

After finishing her undergraduate work in health and fitness education at Illinois State University, Driessen saw just how tough the market was for new teachers. Because of the wealth of applicants out there, schools have more to wade through. This means a longer application process—more waiting—as schools find the right candidates.

“Obviously, in this market right now, teaching is one of the difficult jobs to get,” Driessen said.

Seeing this, Driessen expanded her job hunt to include fields closely associated with her training, such as hospitals. She estimated the number of applications she has fired off at around 50, however, that's a rough estimate.

“I couldn’t even tell you. I’ve applied for so many jobs,” she said.

Despite the continuing job hunt, Driessen has remained positive about her prospects and enjoys her work at the children’s gym, calling it “good experience.”

With the new school year approaching, school districts are starting to hire new teachers.

“Now is the best time to see potential new jobs …” Driessen said.