Burek also mentions the importance of learning to work collaboratively as well
as independently, and respecting diversity.

“Most employers today, particularly at the professional level, don’t want to
supervise their staff, they want to lead them, and they rely on their staff for creative
ideas and new and innovative ways of working.”

Some students don’t feel their studies alone provide them with enough
valuable skills.

“There’s a ton of competition out there and today, I don’t think a Bachelor of
Arts really separates you from anyone else,” Leibner said.

Recent concerns about the decreasing value of an undergraduate degree can
add stress to the transition from school.

Tanya Mazur, a McMaster career advisor, has some comforting words on the
worth of a degree.

“The number of university students has increased over the years and... the
novelty is wearing off of it a little bit. But that doesn’t mean that it’s not useful,
and I don’t think students should be weary of that fact. I think it’s just a matter of
adding something to it.”

Co-ops, internships, work, volunteering, and post-undergraduate schooling
provide opportunities for supplementing undergraduate studies.

Leibner is currently considering post-graduate studies.

Similarly, Meg Banks, who received her honours Bachelor of Arts in English
and history in 2007, began to consider supplementing her undergraduate degree
shortly after graduating.

“It’s surprisingly easy at first; you can get drunk more often, you have more
money, you’re less stressed out—it’s great,” she said. “Then you go home for
Christmas and your aunt asks you what you’ve been doing with your year and you
go: ‘Nothing. Absolutely nothing.’ And then you freak out and start applying [to]
grad schools.”

Career services emphasizes that experience gained beyond the academic
curriculum, in the form of volunteering or working, will not only further develop
skills, but will establish a sense of confidence.

Mazur notes that students are starting to realize that combining their studies
with outside experiences truly gives them the whole package.

Hampshire adds there were over 900 positions posted across campus for work-
study opportunities this year.

Although he feels the transition from university to the work force has become
more difficult, Burek says there are ways to make your education count for more.

“J don’t think the credential alone will carry people, but I think if they do their
university education well, they will still be valued by employers.”

He maintains that those students who take a pro-active approach to learning
and develop interpersonally as well as academically will struggle less after
university.

Andrea Unrau, a 2007 honours Bachelor of Science psychology student,
received a job at the McMaster psychology department upon graduation.

“For me the transition has been a bit smoother than others, I know,” she said.

She was, however, concerned about waiting to attend graduate school.

“Sometimes I feel like I’m spinning my wheels by not attending grad school
right away, but I try to remind myself that I have a rewarding and enjoyable job in
my field — and isn’t that the point of getting a degree in the first place?”

Recent trends in the workforce point to the increasing importance of
adaptability for future employees. Hampshire says that on average, people go
through five to seven career changes throughout their lifetime.

The careers themselves are also changing.

“The job that you feel you might be training for five years from now, might be
very, very different once you get there,” Burek said.

Adaptability leads to the often-mentioned term “lifelong learning,” a concept
that Hampshire feels every employer is looking for.

“Your university degree might help kind of get you a look on a résumé, but
it’s all the experiences that are built around that, that I think is going to get you the
actual interview,” she said.

However, she also notes that employers are beginning to adapt their methods to
facilitate students’ transition, with things like mentoring programs.

When considering the benefits of the first post-graduation job, Burek warns
against focusing too much on salary.

“The students who are thinking mostly around future learning benefits will
probably have higher monetary benefits five years down the road than the ones
who are originally thinking in monetary benefits, and who are thinking in the stage
model: now education is over, learning is over, work begins,” she said.

“[In reality], a different type of learning is just starting.”