Of graduates and unpaid internships

Is 2010 the perfect storm for graduates? A fall in the number of graduate vacancies and a rise in the number of applicants chasing each job; coupled with ongoing confusion and foot-dragging over the question of paid / unpaid internships.

The Guardian says that graduates face the most intense scramble in a decade to get a job, and that graduates with anything less than a 2:1 risk being passed over.

Of course, there are comments here and there that none of this is new: graduating in the recessions of the 80′s and 90′s was certainly no picnic. On the other hand, there weren’t quite so many graduates competing for opportunities twenty and thirty years ago.

So this blog post is a shout-out to two sites which are providing a platform for discussion, debate and helpful advice for recent grads:

The Guardian career site
Check out the Live Q&A on unpaid internships for some great discussion and advice
@GuardianCareers

Graduate Fog – Tanya de Grunwald’s fabulous crusading site for clear, “tell it as it is” advice, help and support for graduates.
@GraduateFog

Photo credit: CarbonNYC