There was applause, whoops and a sea of smiles at Saturday's and Sunday's graduation ceremonies at the University of the West Indies, Mona.

You wouldn't be penalised if you thought the graduates were a happy bunch about to be picked up by recruiters waiting in black limousines.

However, that was not the case as the graduates face a country where financial growth is below one per cent, youth (14-24 years) unemployment rate in 2008 was 25.9 per cent, this year's murder toll is above 1,300 and the country is crumbling under the ripple effects of a global recession, which add to the litany of problems.

There are no tracer studies from the University of the West Indies to determine how quickly many of its graduates begin working. However, the prospects of degreed students staying here are quite gloomy. Data show that 72.6 per cent of Jamaicans with tertiary education migrate.

The graduating class this year stands at 2,687. However, some of the graduates with whom The Gleaner spoke expressed hope.

Marc Scott, a graduate of the Faculty of Pure and Applied Sciences who majored in computer science and minored in geology, is optimistic about the future.

Bright future

He credits the "hybrid" courses he did at UWI for helping to give him some hope.

"Personally, I would say my future looks very bright. It has more to do not what traditionally the university is known for or what they disseminated as knowledge, but the newer courses that they have such as entrepreneurship courses which were of immense value for me," he said.

Scott, who is already employed, says jobless graduates should exploit untapped markets and opportunities. While migration is not a priority on his agenda, he said he is not taking that option off the table.

"I'm not averse to staying in Jamaica, have no qualms about staying or leaving. I'm not as determined to stay as I was before, but I am not determined to leave. ... I have a vested interest in Jamaica, but I will go away to further those interests," he said.

So-called 'greener pastures' are also not on the mind - for now - of Nakino Linton, a nursing graduate. While happy she has completed her studies, she is not thrilled about the traditional low remuneration in that sector. That fear is grounded in the harangues and street protests backed by the nurses' union for more pay, as well as regular worker attrition to North America and Britain, lured by scouts.

"There is the advantage to it. Nursing is in demand, so I am sure of a job. As it relates to the salary, I am not looking forward to it, and nursing demands a lot of work hours and, at the end of the month, it doesn't add up."

"The only reason I would leave (is because) the salary would be better elsewhere, but that is the last thing on my mind as we speak," the 22-year-old added.

Friends searching

Jade Cross, who just graduated with a degree in English, said that while she has a job, some of her friends are still looking for work.

"To be honest, considering I have a job now, I am fairly satisfied. If I didn't have a job, I would be looking at it in a gloomy way and I would have to migrate.

"I feel there is hope in a way, considering the economic situation (in which it's) now difficult to get into a job. But people are now talking about being entrepreneurial and creating your own opportunities and that is the way to go," she said.

mark.beckford@gleanerjm.com