3rd April 2011, 10:55 AM
Quote:Does the industry expect this of Graduates?
Or do Graduates think that because they have a degree they are already professional archaeologists and do not believe they need any further training? Fast track promotion and unrealistic pay expectations is my experience. Probably a bit of both in reality. Graduate expectations in any field can be inflated. Sometimes that's the fault of their institution or sometimes they've just made that assumption. I've interviewed plenty of them over the years and sometimes they just don't grasp the reality of their situation, because nobody told them and they haven't done the background research. A few unsuccessful job applications/interviews usually puts this to bed. However, I saw this attitude gradually decline as more people went to university. Widening participation carries its own problems, but more recent graduates generally grasped that having a degree on its own no longer marked them out as particularly "special" as they may have been back in the 80s.
As for the industry expecting graduates to be able to work fresh out of uni - I've gained the impression that this is a constant gripe on this board. Perhaps it isn't and the posting participants just aren't representative of the industry?