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By Lee Hyo-sik
Staff reporter
Many university students light heartedly go to see fortune-tellers to get a hint of when they are going to meet their soul mate and other "carefree" matters.
But Kim Yu-sun, a senior at Korea University, and her friends are taking a more serious approach toward fortune-telling as they are about to graduate in six months and have to find a job amid record high youth unemployment.
"Some students may want to go to see a fortune-teller for fun. But my friends and I are more serious about it because we are concerned about our future," Kim said. "I go to talk with fortune-tellers with my friends in a group. We want to find out what the future holds for us, particularly employment prospects."
Like her, a growing number of university students these days are looking to get a clue on their job outlook and other important matters in their lives in the wake of the worsening labor market and other unfavorable conditions.
Albamon, an online job information provider, surveyed 878 university students across the country early this month and found 68 percent of respondents consulted a fortune-teller at least once this year, up from 52 percent a year ago.
In particular, male students have become more interested in fortune-telling, with 60 percent of them seeking to know what may happen in the future, up sharply from 35 percent.
Among female students, the rate rose to 73 percent from the previous 59 percent.
About 81 percent of respondents said they had felt the urge to go to see a fortune-teller at least once this year.
When asked about when they check their fortune the most, 32 percent said they consulted a fortune-teller when they felt their future was uncertain, followed by employment prospects (19 percent) and relationship problems (18 percent).
Additionally, 11 percent said they wanted to see a fortune-teller when they had an unusual dream.
"Fortune-telling has become the norm for university students, including many male students, as more are increasingly concerned about their future amid the intensifying job competition, surging housing prices and other unfavorable developments over the years. They want to get a hint of what may happen in the future so they can better prepare themselves," an Albamon executive said.
The survey also found 12 percent of respondents consulted a fortune-teller on a regular basis this year, up from 6 percent the previous year. When asked about whether the fortune-telling helped them resolve problems, 49 percent said they felt more relieved afterwards, while 13 percent said a fortune-teller helped them find a solution.
But nearly 20 percent said the fortune-telling did not assist them with the problem or made them feel worse about themselves.
대학생들 점집으로 눈 놀려
많은 대학생들이 애인을 만나려 하거나 “속 편한” 일을 찾으려 할 때 뭔가 위안이 되는 말을 얻어 듣기 위해 가벼운 마음으로 점쟁이들에게 찾아간다.
그러나 고려대학교 4학년 김유선양과 친구들은 졸업하려면 6개월밖에 남지 않은 데다 기록적인 청년 실업 상황하에서 직장을 잡아야 하기 때문에 점에 대해 더욱 심각하게 접근을 하고 있다.
김양은 “일부 학생들은 재미로 점쟁이에 찾아가고 싶어하기도 하지만 나와 내 친구들은 장래문제가 걱정돼 점에 대해 더욱 심각하다”며 “친구들과 단체로 얘기를 들으려 점술가들한테 갑니다. 우리의 미래가 어떻게 될지, 특히 고용전망이 어떻게 될지를 알고 싶습니다”라고 말했다.
악화일로의 노동 시장 및 그 밖의 불리한 상황 이후 요즈음 김양처럼 생애에서 자신들의 직업 전망과 그 밖의 중요한 문제들에 관해 실마리를 찾으려는 대학생들 수가 점점 늘어나고 있다. |
