A 21-year-old graduate who spent nearly £100,000 (approximately Rs 1 crore) on his education in the UK said the job market was “broken” after he applied for 500 jobs but failed to get a single one.Khaled Sharif, who graduated top of his class in digital media technology from Kingston University near London in 2025, has received fewer than 20 interview calls so far and remains unemployed despite his academic excellence. new york post the report said.“I was at the top of my class, but I found nothing,” said Sharif, who described the experience as “very stressful.”Born in Egypt and raised in Qatar, Sharif moved to the UK at 18, where he had hoped studying would open up global career opportunities.Instead, he said he was forced to expand his search beyond his field and into sales and other positions that didn’t interest him.
Job market ‘flooded’ with fewer vacancies
He believes the graduate job market is oversaturated. “The system is swamped with job applicants,” he said, adding that companies are also hiring less due to cost pressures, post-pandemic uncertainty and the increasing use of artificial intelligence tools.According to him, although he could easily work in a supermarket, he wanted to work in the field he studied.Despite getting the interview, Sharif said the results were disappointing. “They said I passed the first round, but after the second round, I was rejected,” he said.At one point, he closed multiple rounds of funding at a multinational technology company, only to be told that the graduate program itself had been cancelled.Visa confusion adds to woesSharif also believes his international background may work against him. Although he has UK residency through his mother and does not require work sponsorship, he said recruiters might assume otherwise because of his education in Qatar.“They probably thought I needed sponsorship and didn’t read the full application,” he said.
The road to freelancing and entrepreneurship after difficulty finding a job
With no full-time job opportunities available, Sharif continued to work as a freelance photographer and videographer—a skill he developed in college.Reflecting on his education, he acknowledged that much of his practical knowledge came from real-world experience rather than classroom study. “To be honest, I didn’t learn much in college. Most of it is YouTube and volunteering,” he said.He now regrets not choosing filmmaking sooner, but says he did not pursue filmmaking out of concern for limited employment prospects.“I wish I could go into filmmaking, but I think there would be fewer opportunities,” he said.
Launch clothing brand
Sharif has now founded his own clothing brand, Zoqué, which means “my style” in Arabic, combining his interests in fashion and photography.The experience was demoralizing, he said, but not discouraging enough to give up completely. “More opportunities have to be created,” he said, adding that many other graduates faced similar struggles in the UK job market.
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