Post-Grad and Struggling? Here’s Four Reasons Why That’s Normal
Experts suggest a traditional career can be replaced by a more value-driven and flexible journey.
As the class of 2026 crossed the stage at graduation this summer, the shadow of economic gloom hung over the celebrations.
Recent data from The Honest Talk Podcast shows 57 per cent of young women feel pessimistic towards their economic prospects. This negativity stems from an inconsistent and unstable job market, as well as an obsolete narrative of the “straight line” of success.
The “Straight Line” of success is a mythical concept where success is a constant, upward, linear path. In reality, success includes detours and constant adjustments.
According to The Honest Talk, the traditional path to career success has been replaced by a more flexible, newer economy which rewards both self-reflection and resilience over rigorous 10-year plans.
For new graduates, this can mean their undergraduate degree may not be as valued in the workforce as they were previously taught.
New Wave Magazine spoke to four experts who explained why degrees don’t hold the same value as they did previously, and the contributing factors.
Current economic landscape
Rhiannon Rosalind, CEO of Conscious Economics, says today’s graduates are facing an era of economic uncertainty that is far more heightened and amplified than the 2008 recession.
“Many of this current generation right now still have that same narrative, go to school, get a good degree and you’ll get a good job,” she says, "But the reality is that the value proposition is not the same, that 'great job' that you’re looking for is completely shifting and changing.”
Canada’s economic growth, stated by in recent years a Fraser Institute report, 2020 to 2024 experienced a significant drop in Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per person. It was the worst five-year decline since the Great Depression in 1929.
Rosalind also emphasized that graduates have to focus on internal growth. “You have to do the hard work of really looking at how you’re living and ask yourself, 'What are the small steps that I can take?'”
Young women are treated differently
Emma Asiedu-Akrofi, CEO of Fora: Network for Change, notices that the current job market is quite demoralizing for those who have done everything they are “supposed” to do.
Fora highlights the cost of gendered unemployment rates and that national progress towards young women’s integration into the workforce has stalled for the past few decades.
The findings also included that young women aged 24 to 34 earn less annually than young men with similar degrees and find themselves working multiple gigs just to make ends meet.
Comparison is the thief of joy, but anxiety plays a part
Ellie Mental Health describes the pressure of landing a permanent career right after university as the main source of anxiety.
Sociologist, Joanna Pepin, says post-grad anxiety is aggravated by traditional social contracting. She explains that rising uncertainties and global inequality end up increasing the worriedness for the future.
Pepin highlights a “front-stage versus back-stage” conflict, where graduates end up comparing their personal “back stage” to what happens with other people, which is intensified at a high level by social media platforms.
This ends up creating a false sense of falling behind, while in reality, this transition to adulthood has become even more diverse than in past generations.
An example from Asiedu-Akrofi leaves a note reminding that just simply focusing upon intentional steps. The 57 per cent of women who feel negative about themselves may find out that their “zigzag” path is not a reminder of failure, yet instead a necessary evolution.
The broken rung
Dr. Sarah Saska, CEO of Feminuity, attributes the fact that most post-grad anxiety can be attributed to the “broken rung”, wherein the corporate ladder is not even built for women – and as such makes it more difficult to climb.
She notes that social media adds “fuel to the fire” when experiencing “para-social proximity,” a process where exceptional success stories feel like the required life path.
Saska advises that graduates must move towards work, where they "interpret, connect and decide."
Also known as active reading or critical comprehension, her advice in simpler terms is to find the meaning, make it relevant and form judgments.
The goal for the class of 2026 is to understand no two paths end up looking the same. Whether a graduate enters the traditional workforce, pursues a higher education or travels for self-exploration, each choice is a reasonable response to a shifting world.
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