MANILA, April 13, 2011?A Catholic bishop has advised new graduates to keep on learning and face the realities of life outside the school campus, including unemployment.
Imus Bishop Antonio Luis Tagle told around 1,200 new graduates of Far Eastern University (FEU) that the real world is different from the classroom and that the process of learning new things should never end.
“You are not a student if you know everything…Kaya hindi niyo dapat sabihin na alam na namin ‘yan,†Tagle said.
He was addressing the nursing, computer science and mass communication graduates during a baccalaureate Mass at the university grandstand.
Tagle’s message came just a few days after Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz advised new graduates not to be picky but to be open to learn from their first jobs despite a salary probably smaller than expected.
She said that fresh graduates should “acquire a job experience that could lead them to better paying jobs in the future.â€
At present, DOLE estimates that about 18.8% of young Filipinos between 15-24 years old are unemployed.
Despite the harshness of this reality, Tagle encouraged young people to “follow Jesus†by choosing not to resort to dishonesty just to improve their job-hunting prospects.
He cited instances where graduates are tempted to distort the truth and fabricate details on their resumes in the hope of landing a better job.
In an interview, fresh graduate Angelica Osorio talked about being optimistic in the face of gloomy prospects for the 2011 graduates.
“We must face the consequence that the real world has offered. Huwag sumuko at harapin ang buhay,†she said.
Twenty year-old Kathleen Sison, a mass communication graduate, said that life is indeed tough and greater responsibility should be exercised in job-hunting.
“You become a better person when you get a decent job even if the salary is not much,†she said. (Jandel Posion)
