Updated on June 6, 2025
It’s a jungle out there, and even with a freshly minted college degree in hand, landing a first job post-graduation can be fraught with uncertainty and against-all-odds competition. Prevailing wisdom suggests it can take up to six months to find a job after graduating from college, or even longer in niche job markets.
“I was told to hope for maybe 10 interviews per 100 applications sent out,” says Indiana University senior Jayden Wyly, CTS. “I’m at 20 or 30 right now and have heard back from only a couple of places.”
Many colleges, recognizing the intense competition for jobs as well as increasing employer expectations, make it a priority to prepare their students for the post-grad world, helping them get started on their career paths by aiding them with internships, career prep courses or mentorship programs. Being able to claim a low student unemployment rate within a year of graduation is a feather in the cap of any higher education institution.
In Wyly’s case, one of his Media Arts & Science professors strongly encouraged him to study for and take the Certified Technology Specialist™ (CTS®) as a way to distinguish himself from other applicants in his job search. The school even offered him credit for doing so.
“I agreed it would be really good on my resume, and I was able to replace one of my classes with studying for the certification, which I did over the winter break, and then took and passed the test after the break.”
During his time at IU’s Luddy School of Informatics, Computing and Engineering, Wyly has participated in music and event production, working as an audio technician within the school itself, interning at a recording studio in Indianapolis, and working part-time as a stagehand and at an AV equipment rental company that services corporate clients in the city. He hopes this experience will help him get a coveted position as a technician in live events, and he’s spreading his net wide to other large U.S. cities such as New York and elsewhere.
““I definitely feel more secure about sending my resume out now I have the CTS certification,” he says. “Pursuing the CTS stretched me to learn about things I hadn’t previously paid as much attention to, particularly the more technical aspects. It was good to learn exactly how project flow works and how to recreate setups to make them more manageable, for example. It also gave me confidence in the work I was already doing.””
Wyly was among just a handful of his IU Media Arts & Science peers who took advantage of the opportunity to study for the CTS, and he recommends others take advantage of pursuing this professional certification while they’re still engaged in their studies.
“Nothing beats actual experience, and some of the material in the study guide wouldn’t make sense if you’re not already out there doing it, but discovering how professionals work and the technical aspects important to doing the job well has been extremely beneficial. I am so much more confident than I was before I passed the CTS.”
Learn more about the CTS certification and preparation resources.
Learn more about becoming part of the AV community with AVIXA membership.