It's a Hard, Hard, Hard, Hard World! / Philip D. Gardner and Stephen Lambert.

Rapid job turnover and high job dissatisfaction among first-time college-educated employees indicate the maladjustment of graduates to the workplace. A three-phase longitudinal study to explore the match between pre-graduation work expectations and workplace realities surveyed college seniors prior to graduation, 6 months after beginning work, and 1 year after that. The study indicated that students found career-specific information sources, such as personal observation and experience, to give more credible job information than did general information sources such as placement centers. The study indicated that students began work with unrealistic expectations in important areas such as skill variety, the importance of job completion, and the amounts of feedback and autonomy they might reasonably expect. Students were unprepared for the intricacies of organizational socialization, the reality of layoffs and firings, and the frequency of workplace discrimination and harassment. The reality of employment seems to be at odds with the comfortable, nurturing atmosphere of academic institutions and with the adolescent self-image of many students. Internships and career-related work experiences should be strongly encouraged. Job market realities should be introduced, and more realistic previews of jobs should be provided. (CC)

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