Is the Class of 2025 Too Optimistic About Job Prospects?
Credit: fstop123 / E+ / Getty Images- A new ZipRecruiter survey details the disconnect between career goals for the class of 2025 and the experiences of recent college graduates.
- Current students expect more job flexibility and higher salaries than what recent history suggests is likely.
- Business and finance students have received the most job offers, but degrees in agriculture and environmental science attract the largest average salaries.
- Male graduates have higher average salaries than their female counterparts.
Despite the looming threat of a recession, college students in the class of 2025 remain optimistic about their employment prospects.
Perhaps too optimistic.
A new survey from the employment website ZipRecruiter compares the expectations of the class of 2025 to the realities of graduates who received their bachelor’s degrees within the past year.
The report, titled “The Graduate Divide: Expectations vs. Reality for the Class of 2025,” details the various disconnects between what this year’s graduates anticipate and what they’re more likely to encounter.
Class of 2025 Eager to Enter Job Market
This year’s new crop of graduates is certainly eager to get started. More than 4 in 5 (82%) expect to begin working within three months of graduating. Yet only 77% of recent graduates achieved that goal, and 5% are still looking for jobs.
Almost half of this year’s class have applied for jobs, and more than two-thirds have already had at least one interview.
While business and finance students have had the most success landing job offers, those disciplines rank eighth on ZipRecruiter’s list of “most useful majors.” The top-ranked major is nursing, followed by culinary arts, agriculture, criminal justice, and education.
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On the flip side, ZipRecruiter notes the most “regretted” majors for current students include general studies, hospitality and culinary arts (so much for “useful”), business, engineering, and finance. And among recent grads, the list features general studies, math and statistics, public health, architecture, and political science.
Evidently, nobody appreciates general studies.
What’s more, students with internships and apprenticeships might be overvaluing those experiences. While 40% of current students who’ve participated in those activities believe they will help them land jobs, only 9.7% of recent grads said they made a difference.
Students Seek Job Flexibility
It might be unfair to tag Gen Z as lazy, though they do desire considerable job flexibility. Some 44% want to work in a remote capacity for more than half of the week, while that’s a reality for only 36% of recent grads.
Consider, though, that a generation ago, working remotely was rather unusual, so having more than a third of newly minted grads reporting they’re in the office less than half the week is quite remarkable.
“Flexibility remains a top priority for new graduates, yet the reality of today’s workplace often requires adaptability,” Amy Garefis, ZipRecruiter’s chief people officer, said in a statement. “While many employers are embracing hybrid work, not all roles can support full-time remote options. The best approach for grads is to communicate their needs while demonstrating value — flexibility is often earned through trust and performance.”
What’s not surprising is the influence of artificial intelligence (AI) on career choices.
Almost half of recent and imminent college graduates believe their field will have fewer jobs because of AI, which aligns with BestColleges’ survey findings suggesting that 37% of students worry about AI’s impact on their career.
Salary Expectations Exceed Reality
Nothing, however, betrays wild-eyed optimism more than what this year’s class expects to earn. The class of 2025 leaves confident they’ll earn $101,500 on average. But here’s the reality check: Among recent grads, the average salary is $68,400.
And it’s not business, finance, or computer science majors making the big bucks, either. It’s graduates with degrees in agriculture, environmental sciences, and natural resources, who make $85,000 on average. That’s a lot of cabbage.
On the low end of the scale are graduates with degrees in fine arts and design, who are making $48,000.
According to ZipRecruiter, if you want a six-figure income, head into fields such as consulting, program management, or nursing.
The survey also revealed that salaries among men ($72,700) outpace those for women ($67,500). Among current students, men are more likely to major in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) and business, while women are more apt to choose healthcare.
And here’s another odd disconnect: Even though current male students and recent grads are more likely to regret their majors than women in both cases, more men (69.2%) than women (60%) said their majors were very useful in finding job opportunities.
For those about to graduate, ZipRecruiter says nursing, special education, electronics engineering, government services, and sales are offering the most entry-level jobs.
Employers, it notes, prize soft skills such as innovation, collaboration, communication, flexibility, and attention to detail.
Above all, ZipRecruiter advises, it’s vital to keep an open mind when venturing into the job market and, despite roadblocks, to remain optimistic.
“Navigating the transition from campus to career can be a challenge for new grads, especially given the unpredictable market this class is stepping into,” Ian Siegel, ZipRecruiter’s co-founder and CEO, said in a statement.
“The grads who come out ahead are those who start their search early, stay open to different paths, and keep at it, even if things don’t go exactly as planned. Remember, your first job isn’t your final destination — it’s just the beginning of your journey.”