Are Graduates Finding Jobs?

<p>I have had no luck yet; I’ve just started really looking in the past month or so (I’m looking for entry level healthcare jobs…the grad program I want to do requires prior experience, and most of those types of jobs will want you to start almost immediately). I’ve applied to around 15 jobs, with one round of interviews for one job and one other interview coming up. </p>

<p>Hopefully I will get something soon; it’s a little unnerving being less than a month away from graduation and not knowing where I’ll be living or what exactly I’ll be doing.</p>

<p>You know it’s tough when Career Services at your graduating S.'s school sends an e-mail to parents headlined something like “XYZ University grads are getting jobs”, and when you click the link to the article, the two featured students have gotten unpaid internships in DC. Don’t know about your child, but mine needs to have a somewhat better income/outgo ratio for me to consider him employed.</p>

<p>I was at a community college this morning waiting to pick up my daughter and overheard two students talking. One talked about the full-time summer job that he had lined up (I don’t think that students are big into finding internships at this place). The other student was apparently already working full-time. This community college is in a low-income city where many kids need to work, at least part time, to attend college. Fortunately they don’t have to pay much to attend.</p>

<p>Graduating senior doesn’t have a job, but will come home, hope to find a sustenance job for the summer and look for something more full time. Few of his friends have jobs, and the ones that do seem to be accounting majors. Another group is going straight to grad school, but he has said he needs a break from school, and to be honest I don’t think he’s clear on exactly what kind of grad school will be right for him. So, I’d rather have him make that decision thoughtfully and carefully rather than jumping into something because he can’t find a job.I entered the job market during the late 70’s/early 80’s recession and I know that this too shall pass. Eldest graduated 2 years ago and has been working. Chose now to get out of the workforce and go back to school. Fortuitous timing to be sure. He is currently unemployed, starting 4 years of professional/grad school (joint degree) in August and has just lined up a research assistant job for the summer.</p>

<p>I just saw three emails go by: one is looking for a grad or summer intern, one is an established large defense contractor looking for a grad and the last is looking for grads and summer interns. They’re looking for CS/CE majors. The non-defense companies are both startups so it’s ground-floor type stuff.</p>

<p>It sounds like it is still hard to find CS/CE grads out there.</p>

<p>My son is graduating next weekend from UF with a double major in economics and English. After going on MANY interviews (set up through working with the Career Center at UF), he has landed a good job in banking. HOORAY!!</p>

<p>Many of the interviews he went on, he was told that they had very few openings, and he was competing with people with MBA’s, so he didn’t have a chance! Others, said they were just fishing basically.</p>

<p>He had several offers that were commission based, but he held out and has gotten a salaried position with full benefits at a bank. His base salary is not something to leap for joy about, but there are opportunities for bonuses - AND the major thing is full insurance, since he has to go off ours!!</p>

<p>He feels extremely fortunate, he has many friends who are still looking, or are planning on going to grad school and wait til things start looking up.</p>

<p>I wanted to add, that my son has been a manager at a club in downtown Gainesville. He was one of the original employees and did much of the hiring and firing, set up of policies, set up the inventory control, etc. At his interviews, THIS is what the prospective employers have wanted to talk about - not his major, not his grades, just his experiences at the bar! </p>

<p>And here I was *****ing at times about the hours and time he spent there!! It ended up probably being what got him the job!</p>

<p>LOL That’s a great story ag54. Congrats to your son.</p>

<p>Another senior with a military job lined up. He’s going from reserves to active duty Coast Guard. DS2, a psychology major at NEU, and 1 roommate, a chemistry major, feel fortunate to have found co-ops for next semester. Other 2 roommates, both business majors, are still looking and the semester officially ends tomorrow.</p>

<p>Both my sons have had job offers when the graduated; however, they majored in accounting.</p>

<p>My daughter also has a standing job offer as a result of two coops that she had with the same company;however, she also had a vocationally oriented major: digital design.</p>

<p>S is graduating in May with a degree in Electrical and Computer Engineering. He and many of his engineering friends have accepted excellent job offers, others going to grad school. His nonengineering friends are, as others noted, finding it difficult to even get interviews. USAJobs.gov is the site to look for U.S. government jobs, but a job offer is often months coming after the vacancy closes.</p>

<p>D went to a career center event 10 days ago where one of the community speakers in her field told the group there basically are no jobs in arts currently. I graduated without a job in 1978 and I guess she’ll be doing the same thing this year. Many friends headed to law school, Teach for America, or grad studies. Very few in traditional jobs.</p>

<p>Is there any kind of firm or agency one can hire to help the job-seeker who is not too organized about the process? Kind of on the order of those companies which specialized in offering college application process guidance, advice, skills etc for high schoolers?
I’m thinking for the time when the student has left the cocoon of the college environment, and still hasn’t found a job.</p>

<p>If the kid is not too far removed from college. I highly suggest the Career Center at the college. My son went kicking and screaming this winter, thinking it would be a wasted of time, but, it was through their connections and help that he landed his job.</p>

<p>Younger D graduates in three weeks. She will be working at the same job she had last summer (on campus preschool program) and then will be returning there this fall for her grad degree. She is an education major and must find an aide job for the school year as part of her program (Special Ed). She got a call yesterday from a really good school system, telling her that her packet had been received and they are very interested in her for an aide position. MA schools are out this week, so they hoped to get a good feel for their needs in the next week or two, after meeting with department heads, and wanted her to know they would be calling her an interview. Baby steps, but it looks good.</p>

<p>I agree with ag54 that the Career Center at your sons/daughters’ college is the best place to be for finding career/employment opportunities. The trick is to start early in the academic year to look for jobs and internships. Oct/Nov. is the time to start to visit your Career Center on a regular basis to see what is available. Waiting till after the new year might be too late.</p>

<p>I’m graduating in 21 days (not that I’m counting or anything…). I have one summer job, and I’m waiting to hear back from another to see which one I’ll do. After that, who knows. I’m going into a strange field with very little guidance for how to break in, so I have to play it by ear. Hopefully, things will eventually starting going well!</p>

<p>yeah - i know the career center is the best option early on, but since that time is past, are there other (hire-able) options out there? whats a parent to do?</p>

<p>I have good news…My junior daughter’s boyfriend landed a job ( business major) good location, good pay, in his preferred carrer path.Her best friend has also landed a job - not first choice location but in her field and good pay. ( advertising) Both grads of the University of South Carolina.
My daughter also received a wonderful internship for the summer that we are hoping will open doors for her next year when she graduates.</p>

<p>Summer internships are extremely helpful for getting job offers later. My friend graduated from Rutgers in econ and has an offer from a marketing research company. She did a summer internship with that company which was very competitive; they have chosen her over many Ivy students they interviewed for that internship position.</p>

<p>How about students who major in Graphic Design, do they get jobs?
I am not graduating next year, but planning to major in Graphic Design.</p>