If you expect to score a college degree in the next couple of years, or you did so recently, take the quiz below to see if you’re likely to land on your feet in the job market. You may be surprised at the answer.

1. Is your major in demand in the job market?

___ Yes (10 points) ___No (5 points) ___Don’t know (1 point)

If your major is computer science, accounting, engineering or nursing, you’re in good shape, unless you drool a lot in interviews. There’s plenty of market demand for the skills you’re acquiring in school. But if your major is communications, psychology, English, anthropology or art history, the path to a job is more uncertain. In reality, your major doesn’t matter to most employers. What counts is your ability to articulate the skills you’ve acquired in school. The worst place to be is oblivious to what you’ve been learning.

2. How much work experience or how many internships do you have that are relevant to the jobs you’ll be looking for?

___Extensive experience and/or internships (10 points)

___Some relevant experience (5 points)

___Virtually none, or unsure (1 point)

Employers care most about the experience you’ve already gained through internships and part time jobs. If you haven’t invested time getting experience relevant to jobs you want to pursue, or demonstrating capabilities like teamwork, report writing, data analysis, working with Excel spreadsheets, etc., then potential employers won’t take you seriously. And there’s a good chance you’ll have to invest in a post-grad internship.

3. How well connected are your parents in fields you might be interested in pursuing? My parents:

___Are successful professionals, lots of contacts in different professions (10 points)

___Have some friends in different professions who might provide advice (5 points)

___Have no relevant connections that can help in my job search (1 point)

You’re probably sick of hearing it, but networking is the primary way people get jobs.

Whether it is your sister’s former roommate who forwards your resume to her boss, or your father’s old friend who knows of an opening in his company, these kinds of personal connections are essential for getting your resume noticed and out of that mind-numbing pile of online applicants. Of course, you don’t need to rely on your parents for networking, but it’s an easy place to start.

4. Is living at home after graduation for 3-12 months a viable option?

___Yes, my parents will let me stay with them until I find work. (10 points)

___Maybe. I can probably camp out temporarily with my family. (5 points)

___No. Moving home is not an option after graduation. (1 point)

In a sense, there are two kinds of people getting a college degree today. Those who know they can move home and start their job search from the living room couch after graduation. And those who know they must be supporting themselves almost immediately after graduation so they can live elsewhere. You may hate the idea of moving back with your parents, but if it is an option, it reduces the pressure to find a job. Those who can’t go home – for whatever reason – have much more at risk in their job search.

After answering the questions above, add up the points for your answers. What’s your score?

26-40 points – You’ll be okay. You may sail into a job because your skills are in demand, you have lots of relevant experience and/or an excellent network. Or, if you can live at home, you may struggle for six months until you get focused on what you want to do, build some experience and expand your network. Either way, it’s not the end of the world.

17-25 points – You’ve got options. But your success in landing a job depends on the steps you take in the next few months. If moving home is not an option, at least you’ve got a marketable major, like computer science or accounting, or lots of experience and a good network to build on. But you must get started.

4-16 points – High risk. Get help now! Even if moving home is an option, you’ve got a lot of work to do translating the skills you picked up from your courses, getting more experience through post-grad internships or volunteering and building out your job search network. This is going to take time, and every week you delay will only extend your underemployment after graduation.

Seek help from your school’s Career Center or from professors who you admire. Don’t bother apologizing for your late start. They’ve heard it all! Make an appointment today. Taking constructive action on your job search is the key to making that college degree pay off!