<p>Okay, so we all know that Smith is an incredible college....But what are recent grads doing? How hard (or easy) has it been for recent grads to find jobs in the fields they studied? Do they find they are well-prepared for job-hunting, for the job market? Are larger percentages going to grad school or Peace Corp.?</p>
<p>We all know that Smithies come out well-rounded thinkers but does their education give them the real tools to get "real" jobs too?</p>
<p>This was exactly the same thing that I was wondering…specifically, what job opportunities are there in finance upon graduation?</p>
<p>I’ll give my two cents. As a current Smithie, I obviously don’t know all the nuance of finding a job after graduation but here’s my take.
<p>Repeating from elsewhere, D applied for one job during the Fall of her senior year, a research assistant position in her field with a DC think tank. Got it. Was originally pointed at organization by the advisor of the Smith Picker Program for Washington, DC. All of D’s friends who headed to grad school, either directly or after a year or two of work, got into decent or better programs.</p>
<p>Counseling & mentoring were phenomenal, both while in school and afterward. Will let you know about those PhD apps next month but I’m a happy Dad. (Appropriately, I’ve not been involved except on one margin this time around.) </p>
<p>Won’t say it’s not a rough economy. I am of the opinion that it helps if you have some demonstrated quant skills paired with demonstrated writing skills.</p>
<p>Repeating some from our PM conversation here, but for general consumption: I really think that good career services are one of the things that sets Smith apart from some of its peer colleges. The CDO is so supportive, and it is a lifetime resource, which means that no matter how long its been since you graduated from Smith, the CDO will still help you with your career, including resume counseling and giving you access to the networking resources. I know they help women who are changing careers in mid-life as well as young women starting out. </p>
<p>Smith really encourages students to do internships to prepare for the work force. Tacos56 – if you’re interested in finance, most of the large investment banks recruit at Smith for their internship program, which I understand is the key to getting a place there in the future. Since the recession, there are fewer internships in those banks than there used to be, so it helps to go to a school that’s known for offering recruiters good talent. For other students there are opportunities like the Picker Semester in Washington program (which I participated in and led to my job with the government post-graduation), and the Praxis internship funding which is gives every student $2000 guaranteed to put towards an unpaid internship for one summer. For students that need to work to make Smith possible, Praxis is the only way they can make sure they have the opportunity to intern, so it’s really great resource. </p>
<p>The CDO does the normal things, like reading resumes and cover letters, but also so many things out of the norm. They host a bunch of workshops and mock interviews to help students practice networking etiquette, interview skills, and give them ideas for the job hunt. They bring alums to campus for networking sessions, sometimes in conjunction with the Alumnae Association. For example, they might invite a large group of alumnae lawyers to campus for a tea, and then any student whose interested in a career in law can come to the tea and ask questions/make contacts/find out more about different fields. They’ll do similar things with say, women in media or other fields (it varies depending on availability of alums). </p>
<p>I graduated at the height of the recession, so it was a scary time for a lot of us. The CDO was a reassuring cheerleader that made sure we got launched in the right direction. Several of my friends did decide to go to Peace Corps or Teach for America, but more because that interested them than because they couldn’t find anything else. A lot of us are planning to go to grad school now, but only a few went to grad school right away (mostly just the ones that knew they wanted law or medical school for sure). As for the rest of us, we’re all working. Some of us in our field of choice, others not necessarily in what they envisioned, but in good professional jobs that pay the bills while we plot the next step. So far, so good, and not bad considering the economic climate when we left school.</p>
<p>My daughter went directly from Smith into a PhD program, but she was the only one of her friends to do this. IIRC, one got a job in publishing, and another in a law firm (to see if she wanted to go to law school). I know that at least two others graduated without jobs, although I don’t know what they are doing now.</p>