Graduates Reset Ambitions in Pursuit of First Jobs

AdvertisementSKIP ADVERTISEMENTYou have a preview view of this article while we are checking your access. When we have confirmed access, the full article content will load.Supported bySKIP ADVERTISEMENTGraduates Reset Ambitions in Pursuit of First JobsYoung people aiming to build careers are entering fields they had not considered to find their footing.Listen · 7:44 min Share full article185A dismal job market has turned the spring commencement season into a bruising ordeal for many, including Sadie Parker, who will graduate in June from the University of California, Santa Barbara.Credit...Adam Amengual for The New York TimesBy Sydney EmberApril 28, 2026, 5:03 a.m. ET window.registerInteractive && window.registerInteractive("100000010805361"); !function(){var e="gps_module_impressions",s="gps_suppress_module",t=new URLSearchParams(window.location.search),o="1"===t.get("gps_debug")?function(e,s){console.log("[gps]",e,void 0!==s?s:"")}:function(){};if(o("version",16),(document.documentElement.lang||"").toLowerCase().startsWith("es")&&(document.body.classList.add("gps-lang-es"),o("language: spanish")),"1"===t.get("gps_reset"))try{localStorage.removeItem(e),localStorage.removeItem(s),o("localStorage reset")}catch(e){}if(document.querySelector(".NYTApp"))o("hidden: NYTApp context");else{var a=!1;try{a=!!localStorage.getItem(s)}catch(e){}if(a)o("hidden: suppressed via "+s);else{var r=0;try{r=parseInt(localStorage.getItem(e),10)||0}catch(e){}o("impressions so far",r);try{r+=1,localStorage.setItem(e,String(r)),o("impression recorded",r)}catch(e){}document.body.classList.add("gps-show"),o("module shown")}}}().gps-module{display:none;background-color:var(--tpl-color-background-secondary,#f8f8f8);font-family:nyt-cheltenham,georgia,serif;text-align:center;padding:1rem 16px 16px 16px;max-width:600px;margin:1.25rem 20px;text-wrap:balance}.gps-show .gps-module{display:block}@media (min-width:640px){.gps-module{margin:1.25rem auto;box-sizing:border-box}}.gps-link{text-decoration:none;color:inherit;display:block}.gps-body{display:block;margin:0;font-family:nyt-franklin,helvetica,arial,sans-serif;font-size:.9375rem;line-height:1.4;font-weight:500;color:var(--tpl-color-content-primary,#121212)}.gps-cta{display:inline-block;margin-top:6px;font-family:nyt-franklin,helvetica,arial,sans-serif;font-size:.8125rem;font-weight:700;line-height:130%;border:1px solid var(--tpl-color-stroke-tertiary,#dfdfdf);background-color:var(--tpl-color-background-primary,#fff);color:var(--tpl-color-content-primary,#121212);padding:.375rem 1.125rem;border-radius:2rem}.gps-caret-sep{display:inline-block;width:.25rem}.gps-link:hover .gps-cta{border:1px solid var(--tpl-color-stroke-tertiary,#dfdfdf);background:var(--tpl-color-background-tertiary,#ebebeb)}.NYTApp .gps-module{display:none}.gps-es{display:none}.gps-lang-es .gps-module .gps-es{display:inline}.gps-lang-es .gps-module .gps-en{display:none}See more of our coverage in your search results.Encuentra más de nuestra cobertura en los resultados de búsqueda. Add The New York Times on GoogleAgrega The New York Times en Google !function(){if(document.body.classList.contains("gps-show")){var e="1"===new URLSearchParams(window.location.search).get("gps_debug")?function(e,t){console.log("[gps]",e,void 0!==t?t:"")}:function(){},t=document.getElementById("gpsModule"),s=document.getElementById("gpsLink");document.body.classList.contains("gps-lang-es")&&t.setAttribute("aria-label","Añade a The New York Times a tus fuentes preferidas en…

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