The Ugly Duckling -A study on what former students at School of Business, Economics and Law at Gothenburg University are doing today

Abstract

After getting comfortable at Handelshögskolan during their studies, students are faced with the graduation day, having to step into the labour arket. Magazines talk about a “challenging labour market” and too many university graduates in weden. These reports are increasing insecurity and self-doubt among students. In this paper we examine what has happened to former Handelshögskolan’s students who graduated in 1986, 1991, 1996 and 2001 and what are they doing today, hoping that they are going to give us a hunch of how our future careers could look like. In rder to do that, we conducted a quantitative survey among 66 graduates and took a closer look at three individuals and their careers who might serve as examples for future graduates. We investigated Handelshögskolan’s culture and the socialisation process students come across during their studies. This is a study written by students for students, in order to provide them with some possible alternatives for their future careers. Our study shows that 66% of graduates from Handelshögskolan get a job before graduation and 84% of them have a job within three months after graduation. They can be found in all kinds of industries and for ambitious graduates there are no limits for how far they can go.