Can't Find A Job After College? Sue!

Many college graduates these days are having a great deal of trouble finding a job in this economy -- just like everyone else. In an interesting, yet ridiculous, twist a young woman has decided to blame her college for her employment troubles. CNN reports that Trina Thompson is suing her college because she did not get a job after graduating. It reports:

Trina Thompson, 27, of the Bronx, graduated from New York's Monroe College in April with a bachelor of business administration degree in information technology.


On July 24, she filed suit against the college in Bronx Supreme Court, alleging that Monroe's "Office of Career Advancement did not help me with a full-time job placement. I am also suing them because of the stress I have been going through."

And this is perhaps my favorite part of the article:

As Thompson sees it, any reasonable employer would pounce on an applicant with her academic credentials, which include a 2.7 grade-point average and a solid attendance record. But Monroe's career-services department has put forth insufficient effort to help her secure employment, she claims.

Oh yes, who wouldn't hire a 2.7 GPA (B- average) from the renowned Monroe College? Especially when those credentials include the attitude of someone who would sue her college. I'm sure I don't need to point out how absurd this entire episode is. But if this girl had a 4.0 from Harvard, her frustration could be more easily understood. She doesn't.

The college has a predictable and obvious response: nobody can guarantee employment at a time like this. I can still remember struggling to find a job when I came out of college. The economy was bad then as well. The economy was not as bad as it is now, but it was still a nasty recession that specifically affected the region where and industry in which I hoped to work. It took me six months to find a job, with a much higher GPA out of a much more highly ranked university. I hated having to move home for six months, but ultimately I was patient and found something.

This story illuminates a larger problem in the generation of instant gratification.
Many young people in their 20s today are having trouble in employment due to short attention spans and the need for immediate recognition and advancement. Unfortunately, that's not how the real world works. Getting a job has never been easy and getting promoted quickly is not guaranteed by coming in each day with a steady pulse.

Finally, I hope that she does not manage to find a lawyer out there who would take a case like this one. Thompson filed herself, saying she could not afford a lawyer. Obviously, she will lose. But not before she (or a lawyer if she finds one) forces Monroe College to waste thousands of dollars in legal fees if a judge decides to hear the case. With any luck, it will not even get that far.

(hat tip: my brother)