As the financial crisis peaked in 2009, James Alder graduated from his bachelors degree in architecture into the worst job market in decades. For months, he worked on a farm and for free for a provincial architect to gain experience. “Eventually I got a job?.?.?.?it took six months, but I was one of the lucky ones,” he says.

Now a lecturer at Cardiff university’s school of architecture, he sees parallels as his students prepare to graduate next month into a job market frozen by the coronavirus pandemic. “They are in a bit of a sticky situation,” he says. “There’s no chance they are going to get work anytime soon”.

Graduate vacancies are down 66 per cent this year compared with last, according to estimates from Graduate Coach, a coaching firm. I graduated in the same cohort as Mr Alder. The reality of the job market facing this year’s leavers is likely to be even harsher than the one we faced, but there are lessons to be shared.