Before COVID-19, Students were Optimistic about Job Opportunities

By Carla Grace, Farah Hosni, and Yumna Ibrahim

AUC students believe that they have a relatively high chance of finding a job in their preferred fields after graduation, according to a campus survey conducted in February.

Of the 147 students surveyed*, 17.6 percent believed they had an excellent chance of getting employed, 48.2 percent believed they had a good chance, 30.6 percent stated they had a 50-50 chance, and only 3.4 percent felt that they had had a poor chance of finding a job.

In the survey, conducted a month before the Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic caused major economic disruption in Egypt and led AUC to suspend classroom instruction in favor of online learning, students cited several factors for their optimism.

More than a quarter of the survey respondents, or 26.8 percent, mentioned benefitting from AUC’s exceptionally multifaceted social experience. Its diverse community gives them the opportunity to be exposed to people from various cultures and backgrounds, they noted. Students said that AUC’s positive social environment enabled them to easily build new relationships and thus form connections that might be useful in their future careers.

In addition, students cited AUC’s extracurricular programs as having provided opportunities to further expand their connections, shape their personalities, and work on their social skills.

“AUC provides me with the kind of exposure that I need as a student,” said Zeina Eissa, 22, of Sheikh Zayed, a Integrated Marketing Communications (IMC) sophomore. “I’m exposed to many clubs, through which I can get positions that will enable me to get easily recruited in any of the agencies I’m targeting to work for after graduation. Also, it allows me to socialize and deal with different types of students, which is important in earning any job in all fields.”

Sami Shaheen, 19, of Dokki, a political science sophomore, agrees. “Not only does AUC give me the intellectual capability for future jobs, but also the campus and the extracurricular activities that AUC supplies us with give me the experience of being cooperative and creative in fields outside the academic field.”

Nearly a fifth of the respondents, or 19.7 percent, said that AUC‘s prestigious reputation, which sets its graduates apart from those of other universities, was a reason for confidence in the job market. Students said that its undergraduate program is commonly known for being highly efficient, and its students are perceived as very skillful and well-rounded.

“Being an AUCian means that you have many connections,” said Amina Olama, 20, of Sixth of October, a sophomore IMC and political science major. “AUC graduates have a good reputation and are more likely to be employed.”

Yet, AUC students had mixed opinions on how well AUC has prepared them for their future careers. Fifty-seven students (38.7 percent) felt that AUC has provided “very good preparation”; 67 students (45.5%) “adequate preparation”; and 20 students (13.6 percent) “poor preparation.” Three students were undecided on the question.

Even those who believed that AUC had provided adequate preparation for their future careers had suggestions for improvements. Students said that the undergraduate program should offer more concentration courses; that AUC should truly put emphasis on specializations within each major, allowing students to delve deeper into their fields of interest and have an accurate assessment of their chosen fields.

Likewise, in order to focus on their chosen specializations, students said, AUC should lower the number of courses required for the core curriculum and general electives and give them the chance to further explore their majors.

“I haven’t declared political science yet, and I have been in AUC for around two years now,” said Riad Shaarawy, 21, of Fifth Settlement, a graphic design sophomore. “I feel like I would have benefited more if I had taken related courses to my major from the beginning.” Gana Haitham, 21, of El Rehab, a chemistry junior added: “We are all prisoners of the core curriculum.”

Students who thought AUC has given them very good preparation for employment mentioned that the undergraduate program follows a very efficient educational system, in which they get to explore various fields and develop an overview on them. Furthermore, they said that AUC is keen on ensuring that its students become highly experienced and professional individuals. With the type of courses and activities they are exposed to, they added, students are constantly challenged to work on themselves and develop their skills, hence becoming better suited for employment in their preferred fields.

“Based on my experience so far, I noticed that AUC helps us learn how to work under pressure, to be punctual, aim to exceed the expectations, and push ourselves beyond our limits, which I believe are the most important characteristics I should possess to earn any job position,” said Zeina Rostom, 20 of New Cairo, an undeclared freshman.

“I used to be enrolled in City University of London studying economics,” said Jana Karrar, 20, of First Settlement, a IMC sophomore. “However, when I came back to study in AUC I realized, from taking different courses, that marketing and creativity is my expertise. Therefore, I decided to change my major thanks to the variety of course options I was exposed to.”

Most AUC students revealed that AUC could improve their job prospects significantly by introducing more practicality to the educational means it offers. Many mentioned that the majority of the coursework is theoretical, and while this equates to a big portion of higher education, they are still in need of acquiring more practical experience. Through learning how to physically implement their knowledge in a real work environment, students believed, hands-on skills are going to ease their job experience once they graduate.

Twenty-six students (17.6 percent) suggested that AUC should offer more internships, job-shadowing, and workshop opportunities. Also, 19 students (12.9%) mentioned that AUC should present them with their possible job prospects through planning more events, such as career days, where they get to meet people with expertise in their fields of interest, or through putting more emphasis on the Career Center and what it offers to students.

“I feel like the university lacks practical work,” said Omar Aly, 18, of New Cairo, an undeclared freshman. “It doesn’t really put you in a position, where you’re forced to make a business decision in real life.” Hagar Ibrahim, 19, of Fifth Settlement, a freshman political science said: “We do not get exposed to any community other than the AUC community. We are not prepared to see the world outside.” Sarah El-Gogary, 18, of New Cairo, a business freshman agreed. “AUC should push all students to work and get involved in one or two internships per year,” she said.

In the survey, 39 of the respondents said they would seek jobs in the marketing and advertising fields; 28 in business; 20 in science and engineering; 15 in design fields; nine in political science and economics, with the remainder in various other areas. One student aims to become an ambassador, another a model, and another a fitness instructor.

What do AUC students plan to do if they cannot fund a job in their preferred field?

More than 12 percent of respondents stated that they would look for a job closely related to their field of interest; and 10.8 percent stated that they would pursue postgraduate studies. Fifteen percent of the respondents said they would be joining their family business or starting a business of their own.

* The survey was conducted as part of a class assignment in Professor Scott MacLeod’s Mass Media Writing course.