Post-grad Job Opps & the College Search Process

College Search & Selection
1

<p>Forbes magazine is running an article on the worst cities in the USA for employment prospects. </p>

<p>Worst</a> Cities for Jobs - Yahoo! Real Estate</p>

<p>This is an annual study with Pepperdine University assisting in the collection, analysis and presentation of data on 336 MSAs (Metropolitan Statistical Areas). Given the large role that geography plays in post-graduate placement, this is a factor that should not be overlooked in the college search & selection process. In particular, the industrial cities of the Midwest and major cities in California are the major trouble spots. </p>

<p>Here are a couple of quotes from the article:</p>

<p>"let's deal with the perennial losers, the sad sacks of the American economy. Mostly cities in the nation's industrial heartland, these places have ranked toward the bottom of our list for much of the past five years. Eleven of the bottom 16 regions on our list are in two states, Ohio and Michigan. In fact, the Wolverine State alone accounts for bottom four cities: Jackson, Michigan, Detroit, Saginaw and Flint. …Unfortunately, there's not much in the way of short-term--or perhaps even medium- or long-term--hope for a strong rebound in those places…. </p>

<p>"So what about California? The economic well-being of many metropolitan areas in the Sunshine State has been sinking precipitously since 2006. This year, three California regions--Oakland, Sacramento and San Bernardino-Riverside--have sunk down into the bottom 10 on the large cities list. That's a phenomenon we've never seen before--and never expected to see."</p>

2

<p>Welcome back, Hawkette. </p>

<p>Unfortunately, poor Michigan.</p>

<p>I read the article and agree with its assessment of California…until the state politicians get their heads out of the sand, Texas will continue to eat California’s lunch.</p>

3

<p>…And I had hoped hawkette is capable of making a thread/post unrelated to trashing michigan.</p>

4

<p>Good thing most UM grads are recruited by OOS firms. Otherwise they WOULD be screwed.</p>

5

<p>“most UM grads are recruited by OOS firms”</p>

<p>Most? </p>

<p>This played a role in my graduate school decisions as well. I couldn’t, in good conscience, move my wife to a place where unemployment is in the double digits and major industries are crumbling. I think it is wise of you to consider the same sort of things when picking a college, as I suspect that Barrons might be overstating how many graduates end up leaving the state after graduation.</p>

6

<p>Not really</p>

<p>Michigan-native grads of the University of Michigan are even more likely to leave – 53 percent left in 2008, according to U-M. </p>

<p>[Half</a> of university grads flee Michigan | detnews.com | The Detroit News](<a href=“http://www.detnews.com/article/20090403/METRO/904030378/1409/METRO/Half+of+university+grads+flee+Michigan]Half”>Detroit Local News - Michigan News - Breaking News - detroitnews.com)</p>

7

<p>"Green-and-white Spartan flags fly in the doorway of O’Malley’s West. A neon MSU football helmet perches above the bar. Autographed jerseys of Mateen Cleaves, who led the school to its last NCAA basketball title, and former quarterback Drew Stanton hang on the walls near a big-screen TV that always shows MSU games. </p>

<p>One of the most die-hard Spartan sports bars is west of campus – 225 miles west, in the trendy Lincoln Park neighborhood of Chicago. </p>

<p>There are more recent MSU grads in Chicago than in any other metro area – including any community in Michigan. While the Windy City has always been a destination for Spartan grads, the number going there – and other vibrant urban centers such as Minneapolis and New York – is growing. "</p>

<p>One of the great things about being a Big Ten grad in Chicago. They pretty much run the town and in the Fall you see the school flags flying all over the North Shore. </p>

<p><a href=“Centerstage Chicago : Chicago music, theatre, bars, film, dancing, lodging, hotels, food, restaurants, clubs, listings, events, art galleries, travel and tourism, chicago nightlife, nightclubs, bars, theatre, theaters, chiacgo, live music, festivals, even”>Centerstage Chicago : Chicago music, theatre, bars, film, dancing, lodging, hotels, food, restaurants, clubs, listings, events, art galleries, travel and tourism, chicago nightlife, nightclubs, bars, theatre, theaters, chiacgo, live music, festivals, even;

<p>Detroit, Milwaukee, Cleveland, St Louis–unfortunate casualties of the brain drain.</p>

8

<p>Kb,
I’m not trashing Michigan. The economy is what the economy is. There are plenty of states and cities in the industrial Midwest that are struggling although I agree that Michigan is probably the most dire of the bunch. However, the Midwest is not alone as the article clearly presents California as another area that is experiencing severe difficulties. </p>

<p>Look-this is serious stuff for a student considering where to go to college. Many (IMO, most) students go to college in order to get accredited in some way in order to get a job. Geography can be a major factor in the jobs that are available to graduates of a university. The economic circumstances of a state or a region are definitely worth considering (you don’t think Wall Street’s collapse is not significantly affecting students from places like NYU or Fordham or even Columbia?!?). </p>

<p>The economy card can also be played in the opposite direction as well. Once upon a time California was the golden state. Maybe it will be again as there is great infrastructure there to support a variety of major and still-important industries. But we all know of the difficulties there today and this should certainly give any OOS student pause about shelling out big bucks to matriculate at anything less than the very highest tier colleges in that state. </p>

<p>Unemployment is high and, if you believe Obama and the government, it’s going to get worse before it gets better. Here are the states with the highest and lowest rates of unemployment:</p>

<p>8.5% USA average</p>

<ol>
<li> 12.6% Michigan</li>
<li> 12.1% Oregon</li>
<li><p>11.2% California</p></li>
<li><p>4.2% North Dakota</p></li>
<li><p>4.5% Wyoming</p></li>
<li><p>4.6% Nebraska</p></li>
</ol>

<p>[Regional</a> and State Employment and Unemployment Summary](<a href=“http://www.bls.gov/news.release/laus.nr0.htm]Regional”>http://www.bls.gov/news.release/laus.nr0.htm)</p>

9

<p>come on, lets be real here, everything you post is in one way or another, intended to trash michigan. It’s pretty clear judging by your posting history.</p>

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<p>re: post #8. I remember reading articles a few years ago about young people fleeing North Dakota and Nebraska. We are near the end of family farming and ranching in those states. I guess the reason the unemployment rates are relatively low is because there is nobody left to be unemployed. </p>

<p>As for Wyoming, they give significant tuition breaks to just about every out of state student in an attempt to keep enrollment high enough to maintain a university. I don’t know if many of the OOS students they attract stay around after graduation.</p>

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<p>kb,
With over 200 threads created, I have compared and contrasted many, many aspects of the college search process. Geography is one of them. As for your Michigan charge, I think you are being overly sensitive. There are lots of problems in many states and regions in the USA-Michigan is not alone. </p>

<p>My point is that students should be aware of these circumstances as they build their college lists and make their selections. Being in the right spot at the time of a major economic change-up or down-can have important consequences for college graduates in that state or region. </p>

<p>Frankly, the problem right now is trying to find the geographies where there is real and sustainable growth going on. midmo is right that states like ND, WY, and NE are too sparsely populated to make much of a difference. Perhaps the place to be right now is Washington DC as the government is growing by leaps and bounds and I can’t remember the last time we heard of layoffs in that town.</p>

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<p>Frankly, I’d rather take my chances in Oregon or California before I move to North Dakota or Wyoming. LOL</p>

<p>I came to Columbia (after undergrad) for an education, not because I was planning to stay here. But it’s very true. Had I stopped after my BA, I likely would’ve settled in Atlanta for good (if my fiance hadn’t joined the military). Now that I go to school in NY, likely had I choice I would stay in the Northeast. Where you go to college influences both your prospects (particularly if you are going into a licensing field, like nursing, accounting, teaching, medical, psychology, etc.) but also your preferences.</p>

<p>Personally, I’d move to the suburbs of D.C. I really want to work for the federal government and I adore Washington D.C. I think I like it better than New York, which is my hometown :D</p>

13

<p>More on Chicago/Big Ten connection.</p>

<p>[How</a> Chicago Cornered The Market on Big Ten Bars - WSJ.com](<a href=“http://online.wsj.com/public/article/SB116379659061726617-Cxozo390X4AwcQLJIopcFszW_x4_20071118.html?mod=blogs]How”>http://online.wsj.com/public/article/SB116379659061726617-Cxozo390X4AwcQLJIopcFszW_x4_20071118.html?mod=blogs)</p>

<p>And even in the Big Apple.</p>

<p><a href=“http://www.nytimes.com/2003/11/02/style/big-10-s-end-zone-new-york-bars.html?pagewanted=1[/url]”>http://www.nytimes.com/2003/11/02/style/big-10-s-end-zone-new-york-bars.html?pagewanted=1&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>And LA</p>

<p><a href=“http://www.bigtenclub.com/[/url]”>http://www.bigtenclub.com/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;