For the college graduates of 2020, Covid-19 has disrupted dreams and shifted plans. But what about the millions of college students who dropped out this year before earning a diploma? Or others who graduated saddled with debt only to be underemployed in their first job? These students, many of whom are people of color, faced enormous challenges even before the pandemic.
Traditionally, job candidates with a college degree have been expected to launch their careers shortly after earning a diploma. But in his 2016 book There Is Life After College, writer and researcher Jeffrey Selingo found that only one-third of today’s graduates jump into careers or start down a path that will lead to “success” in the working world right after graduation. He refers to this group as “Sprinters.” Others, whom he calls “Wanderers” and “Stragglers,” have less linear paths.
What separates “Sprinters” from others are largely the opportunities to which they had access during...
learn more
