English 2 Essay - 3 pages

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PART III: An Anthology o f Readings

Chapter 6

The Changing Landscape of Work in the Twenty-First Century

CHAPTER SUMMARY

This chapter takes an extensive look at a topic that’s most likely prominent in your students’ minds: the job prospects that await them after graduation. Because

students are already considering this problem, they’ll appreciate having a broader

perspective and getting real information that they can use to assess their

situations and develop a strategy for the next few years.

The chapter is divided into four sections. The first, “Prospects for Graduates,”

begins with a visual selection—Jenna Brager’s cartoon flowchart “of misery and

pain,” which may provide some catharsis and give students a laugh. The next selection, “Many with New College Degree Find the Job Market Humbling,”

provides statistics on the number of college graduates who are finding jobs and

how much these employees are earning. Then, reporter Lacey Johnson asserts in fall of 2011 that the job outlook has been improving. In the second section, “Data

on the Job Market,” researchers from Georgetown University contend that the

prospect of employment varies greatly on the basis of college major. Then, the

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics provides a summary of projected employment figures from 2010 to 2020.

In the third section, “Work and Identity,” Richard Sennett describes the careers

of Enrico and Rico, an Italian-American janitor and his well-educated business- consultant son. Sennett shows the tradeoffs each had to make in order to

progress, or hold steady, in a career. The last section is “Trends Affecting Work.”

An article by Alan S. Blinder encourages students to work in “personal services”—jobs that require provider and customer to be in the same room. Andy

Kessler breaks down service jobs into new categories such as “slopper,”

“sponge,” “slimer,” and “thief” to predict whether these jobs will remain or

disappear. Finally, Paul Krugman challenges the accepted notion that a college degree is the solution to joblessness.

Activities at the end of each chapter in Part III guide students to synthesize points

made in the chapter’s readings and to do research on their own.

TEACHING SUGGESTIONS

Open the chapter by asking students why they are in college. Many will say “to

get a good job” or “to be able to make a living.” Ask these students how having a

college degree will help them achieve these goals. Ask the class to tell about the job-search experiences of friends and family members who’ve recently

graduated. If these recent graduates have had difficulties, what do students think

the reasons are? Tell students that the readings and assignments in this chapter can help them to anticipate and plan for their employment search.

PROSPECTS FOR GRADUATES

A Post-College Flow Chart of Misery and Pain (p. 174)

JENNA BRAGER

SUMMARY

In this cartoon, Brager uses dark humor to show students their options for after

college, including applying to graduate school and seeking professional-level and

lower-level jobs. Most of the choices Brager presents come to a dead end.

TEACHING SUGGESTIONS

How realistic is this cartoon? How exaggerated? Elicit several different opinions.

Of all the options for a graduate, which seems most appealing to students? Also have students explain how this piece functions differently as a visual than it

would as simply a piece of writing. Why might the author choose to present her

ideas in this format? (Sample answer: because readers can grasp the point more quickly.)

Many with New College Degree Find the Job Market Humbling (p. 175)

CATHERINE RAMPELL

SUMMARY

Students who graduated from college in 2010 found employment in far fewer

numbers than those who graduated in 2006 and 2007. Rampell quotes

employment experts and recent graduates about the current jobs economy and the

impact the first five years of work has on one’s long-term earnings.

TEACHING SUGGESTIONS

Have students imagine that they were unable to find work in their chosen field.

Which would they be better off doing—returning to school, or taking a lower-

level job just to pay the bills? Have them explain the drawbacks and benefits of each.

Job Outlook for College Graduates Is Slowly Improving (p. 177)

LACEY JOHNSON

SUMMARY

A survey of employers indicated that more jobs for new graduates would become

available in the 2011–12 academic year. (There are no teaching suggestions for

this selection.)

ANSWERS TO REVIEW QUESTIONS

1. Brager’s “Flow Chart” is an ironic take on the job prospects of those

graduating from college with a humanities degree. The two options upon graduation are to seek employment or to apply for graduate school. The

options are likely to land the humanities major (a) in a job for which s/he is

over-qualified, underpaid, and living at home with parents, or (b) unemployed or rejected from graduate school and (again) living with parents.

2. Ninety percent of 2006 and 2007 graduates found employment following

graduation, but only 56 percent of those graduating in 2010 found employment. (The grim 56 percent figure is misleading in that many recent

graduates are taking jobs for which no degree is needed.) Wages have

dropped for recent graduates fortunate enough to find work: the median starting salary for 2009–10 graduates was $27,000, down $3,000 from those

who landed their first job in 2006–08.

3. The danger of having a low-paying first job is that the salary can forecast a “lower-paying trajectory for years,” according to labor economists.

4. One economist advises those landing a job in a down economy to “nullify an

unlucky graduation date” by changing jobs, which creates the opportunity for resetting one’s salary at a higher level at the new job.

5. Johnson cites data from the Collegiate Employment Research Institute at

Michigan State University, which surveyed 3,300 employers and found that regardless of “economic sector, organizational size, academic major, [and]

location,” jobs will grow a “modest percent this academic year.”

DATA ON THE JOB MARKET

College Majors, Unemployment and Earnings: Not All College Degrees

Are Created Equal (p. 179)

ANTHONY P. CARNEVALE, BAN CHEAH, AND JEFF STROHL

SUMMARY

Today’s workers have no choice but to get a college degree, since entering the workforce with only a high school diploma—or worse, no diploma—would put

them in even more dire straits. However, certain degrees, such as computer

science and education, are more useful than others in landing a job.

TEACHING SUGGESTIONS

Have students read or skim the article to see where their major fits into the

authors’ rankings. Ask them to what extent the job prospects affect their commitment to their field of study. Would they consider changing majors in

order to increase their chances of employment? What other factors influenced

their choice of major?

Employment Projections: 2010–2020 Summary (p. 184)

U.S. BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS

SUMMARY

The report provides demographics on the labor force, lists the industries that will

gain or lose the most jobs, breaks down employment by occupation, and predicts what level of education will be needed in the growth industries. Occupations that

require an apprenticeship or a master’s degree will grow most quickly.