I am going to graduate in two years time (just finished my second year).

Damn.

Annoyingly all the sectors I wish to get into are currently experiencing recruitment freezes or are laying people off. I'm not even going to bother with applying for graduate jobs, I'll take my chances locally. Thankfully I've walked into a job which will tide me over 'til September, whereupon I'll have to start claiming JSA.

I do not think that it will be any better then. Far too many graduates chasing after the very few graduate jobs and unless you have a first and it is relevant to the job, then odds are the chances will be mixed for most graduates.

No wonder this is the case, anybody can get a 2 bit degree nowadays.

Students have to pay more for something that is worth less than when it was free.

Exactly, too many graduates, the result is only the top ones get the jobs

Means I'm in the few who have a proper graduate job (I don't class working in A&F or McDonalds as a graduate job) given the current demand.

That said I'm still looking at options for other things such as internships in places, postgraduate education etc

It doesn't surprise me.

Then again, I feel that being a graduate is nothing special, it just means you can complete countless exams and assignments, very little to do with actual working life...

McDonalds pay really good wages, and let's face it - when you're doing IT it doesn't matter who you're doing it for.

I'm not talking about working in IT within either place I mean Sales Assistant/Burger maker/chip server

At a push store manager, but even then on my reduced wage for the trial period I will be earning just under the entry level store manager position. I see no pride in having a technical degree and asking if they want regular or diet coke. I like to think it is those with the less worth while degrees such as colouring in (Geography) or watching TV (Media Studies) that end up in such positions, such is the value of their 'degree'

Really good wages? Starting salary is well under the national average, and it's not inflated if you work in London either
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/8504999.stm

They pay £18.5k

Start sending them to Apple, I hear they are looking for antenne engineers, maybe they've chucked out the chimps that designed the iPhone 4 antenne and would be welcome of just about anyone...

I would apply, but considering how much people go on about how evil MS is they are a much better employer than Apple, considering what they do when they think news has been leaked

True. You pay more for something that's worth less.
That's what happens when you try and shoehorn everyone into going to university.

Why would an IT graduate want to work as a burger flipper?



As you say, the starting wage is £18500 but they are a Times top 100 companies to work for firm, and the Times website says that graduates can expect to be earning £45,000 within three years.



Indeed.



Yes that is the starting salary but as I said - graduates can be earning £45,000 within three years. Oh, and you get £3,000 extra for London and £1,000 extra for the south-east.

Because there is nothing else. In the eighties the same happened for a while. Graduates had to take any job and that was before the big addition of student debt.