Finding a job in the age of COVID-19
How are students fairing in an employment market disrupted by shutdowns?
Since the beginning of the COVID-19 breakout organizations and businesses have followed government mandates to switch to online work if possible. However, this doesn’t always work with all jobs, especially the ones many students have. Here are two students’ experiences of this new job market.
Dolores Nzang is a computer science major who was working in Johnny Rockets restaurant in Georgetown, but stopped before the spring break to focus on school. The shutdown has hit her hard financially.
Dolores Nzang, a computer science major, has been having difficulty finding a new job. Courtesy photo.
“I was planning on working again after I figured out my school schedule. I am taking five classes and it’s a really tough semester. Also, considering that I am an international student, staying at home without working will not help in any way,” Nzang said.
But Nzang said that it’s been almost impossible to find a job.
“I talked to some friends to help me find a job, but deep down I knew it was not going to work. No one is going to hire you during these times. And if you have a job right now, just try to keep it, because in the long run people are going to need to go back to work again. You can only imagine the consequences if they are told no,” Nzang stated.
Engineering major student Hossam Mohamed, however, has another experience. He is working more than ever before.
“It’s really easy to get a job now if you have a car. You can work for a delivery service or something. You can also find a job to do from home, like a translator if you speak another language. You can also do graphic design from home, write articles, edit videos, or create websites,” Mohamed stated.
“I have my own car. I used to work by night but now since things are getting tough, I work almost 12 hours a day. This is a crisis and we all should adapt to it,” Mohamed said.
He added that students just need to be patient to find the best job for them, one that makes use of what they have learned in school.
“ They should take a deep dive to figure that the job they are applying for is not a scam, and then learn how to do the job from home,” Mohamed said.
