New Delhi: A 21-year-old student who recently graduated at the top of his class shared his struggle of seeking a job in Britain just after finishing his studies, citing that the system is broken after applying to 500 companies.

The student, identified as Khaled Sharif, completed his graduation from Kingston University, on the outskirts of London. He spent approximately 100,000 pounds (roughly Rs 1.04 crore) on his digital media technology degree, including tuition fees and living costs, and is still unemployed.

The New York Post reported that the student applied to more than 500 posts but received fewer than 20 interview reverts.

Sharif was born in Egypt and raised in Qatar, and with a dream of achieving big, he moved to London at the age of 18. After not getting any job in his core degree, he expanded his search into sales and other sectors he had no interest in; he didn’t get an opportunity to work, Sharif told SWNS news agency.

Sharif felt stressful and said that the graduate job market is flooded with applicants.

“It does make me really upset. It’s really stressful. I got top-of-my-class, but I can’t find anything. If people got a lower grade, how hard would it be for them?” he said.

Sharif also believed that the international background might be a case that is going against him. According to the New York Post, Sharif’s Qatari schooling history and recruiters are assuming he requires visa sponsorship. However, Sharif had a UK residency through his mother.

Sharif pointed out AI and COVID

Sharif pointed out that the COVID pandemic and artificial intelligence are the reasons why companies are not recruiting graduates. He also said that a supermarket job is easy to secure and wishes to make use of his degree.

“Because of COVID and now AI, companies don’t want to hire. They’re looking to save money,” he said.

Similarly, in the United States, the cost of a degree from a private college can go up to Rs 1.50 crore to Rs 2.16 crore.