A 21-year-old graduate, who spent nearly £100,000 (about Rs 1 crore) on his education in the UK, says the job market is “broken” after applying to 500 jobs without getting a single offer.Khaled Sharif, who graduated at the top of his class in digital media technology from Kingston University near London in 2025, has received fewer than 20 phone calls so far for an interview and remains unemployed despite his academic performance. New York Post I mentioned.“I got ranked first in my class, but I can’t find anything,” Sharif said, describing the experience as “really stressful.”Sherif, who was born in Egypt and grew up in Qatar before moving to the United Kingdom at the age of 18, hoped that studying in Britain would open global job opportunities.Instead, he says he had to expand his research outside his field to include sales and other roles he wasn’t interested in.
“Flooded” job market, fewer job opportunities
He believes the job market for graduates is oversaturated. “The system is full of applicants,” he said, adding that companies are also hiring fewer due to cost pressures, post-pandemic uncertainty, and the increasing use of artificial intelligence tools.According to him, although he can easily get a job in a supermarket, he wants to work in the field in which he studied.Despite conducting interviews, Sharif says the results were disappointing. “They say I pass the first round, but after the second, I get rejected,” he said.
In one case, he made several tours at a multinational technology company, only to later be told that the same graduate program had been cancelled.Visa confusion adds to the strugglesSharif also believes his international background may work against him. Although he has UK residency through his mother and does not require work sponsorship, he says recruiters may assume otherwise because of his educational history in Qatar.“Maybe they think I need care and don’t read the entire application,” he said.
Self-employment, the way to start after the struggle of searching for work
With full-time work opportunities not available, Sharif continued to work as a freelance videographer and photographer – skills he developed during his university studies.Reflecting on his education, he admitted that much of his practical knowledge came from real-world experience rather than from classroom learning. “Honestly, I didn’t learn much at university.
“It was mostly YouTube and volunteer work,” he said.He now regrets not choosing filmmaking earlier, but says he avoided it due to fears of limited job opportunities.“I hope to pursue filmmaking, but I thought there would be fewer opportunities,” he said.
Launches a clothing brand
Sherif has now started his own clothing brand, Zoqué, which means “my style” in Arabic, which combines his interests in fashion and photography.He says the experience was frustrating but not discouraging enough to give up completely. “More opportunities need to be created,” he said, adding that many other graduates face similar struggles in the UK job market.
