It’s been a full year since the University, and the world for that matter, shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite the pandemic seemingly being on its last legs, some editors still worry for their job prospects after graduation.
“I am not graduating this semester; however I feel like the job industry has drastically suffered since this pandemic has started,” they said. “The amount of people who have gotten laid off since this pandemic has started astounds me.”
Another editor is also worried by the future they are soon to enter. “It’s hard to get excited about graduation when I don’t know what kind of life I’ll have,” they said, “Job security was already bad enough before the pandemic, so I can’t even begin to imagine what it will be like now. All I can try to do is just stay positive and hope for the best.”
Despite all of the pandemic’s hardships, a silver lining exists—we’ve all been forced to go through different forms of personal growth. “I have grown to be more self-sufficient in certain ways,” one editor said. “Since this pandemic has given me more time on my hands, I tend to get my work for school and my internship done in a more timely manner. I also prioritize my moments better due to all of the free time on my hands.”
A different editor feels similarly. “Although remote learning and remote work in general has been forced on me, I do have to admit that it’s made me a more balanced employee. I can’t say I don’t have more skills than I did before the pandemic in that department, so that’s a piece of positivity that I’m holding on to.”
The University has been criticized about raising the tuition during the pandemic. Despite the tuition raise being marketed as one of the lowest in our school’s history, some editors believe it still came across as a crass action. “If there is anything Monmouth could have done differently during the pandemic, it would be to lower tuition by a substantial amount,” one editor said. “It baffles me that tuition is as high as it is despite the economic recession and classes being mostly online (and all online for some).”
Another editor hopes the return to classes in the fall will be more normal. “I am really hoping this fall semester will be a bit more college-like in terms of classes,” they said. “I enjoy the convenience and safety of online classes; however, I do hope that more of my classes will be in person next semester so that I can have more of a routine.”
“I have adjusted to remote learning and feel I would be able to do another semester if I had to,” a different editor said. “However, I am still hoping that we go back to in person in the fall. I am graduating then, and I feel it has made me a more rounded job candidate because I learned to adapt to new situations.”
The pandemic has brought us a lot of lessons in this one year. Some voluntary, but most forced. The editorial team has done their best to work through the pandemic by creating the paper online and still publishing in print.
We’re aware these skills will make us more well-rounded as a result. When it’s all said and done, maybe this pandemic wasn’t the worst thing ever in terms of personal growth. However, we’ve all had to learn to be comfortable with this new normal and sense of self-discovery.
PHOTO COURTESY of Monmouth University