Career Center helps grads enter tough market

With graduation just around the corner, many seniors are finding themselves against the wall as they search for careers in an unsteady job market.

Regardless of major or desired profession, graduating seniors nationwide are feeling the strain of economic turbulence as they tirelessly seek out jobs.

“Practically every industry was impacted in some way by this economic recession,” Mark Peltz, assistant dean and Career Center director, said. “Over the past 18 months, health care and education have been hit particularly hard. Shock waves also made their way through the financial services industry.”

Ross Schultz (‘10), an economics and management double major, agrees.

“The job market is definitely not so hot right now,” Schultz said. “With the number of people, in general, looking for work, and the limited application pools for those hiring, competition becomes very heavy.”

The current competitive and turbulent job market has led Schultz to consider graduate school in order to help him gain the employment edge in his areas of study.

With career areas such as public health and education hurting, which are usually strong job markets, some seniors are compelled to pursue other careers.

“The Federal Government has maintained itself for the most part, and some departments have grown—U.S. Census workers, as an example,” Peltz said. “We have also heard from some employers that the demand for graduates in information technology and other technical fields is rebounding more quickly than others.”

This is promising news to graduating political science majors like Mark Knowles (‘10).

“I always saw politics as recession-proof, which is why I am going to pursue a career in governmental institutions such as the CIA or FBI and areas such as Homeland Security,” Knowles said.

Biology major Reese Worthington intends to continue his schooling in order to further his education and give himself the added edge he needs in his area of study.

“My ‘job search’ consists of selecting the best graduate program that gives me the best offer to attend school there,” Worthington (‘10) said. “But finding a graduate school, like finding a job, still has its challenges. You have to be willing to do a lot of moving around in order to find the graduate program just right for you or to position yourself in a place of future employment.”

Abe Campos (‘10), a biology major planning to attend medical school, sees more job security once he finishes his schooling.

“Yes, I know the health field has been affected with the economy, but the unfortunate truth is people still get sick, which is why the medical field will always be secure in that way,” Campos said.

Aspiring public health worker and graduating biology and religion double-major Laura Grangaard (‘10) views the medical field as faring better than others, but still highly competitive.

“I know right now there is a projected increase in public health workers, but who knows how well this projection will hold up,” Grangaard said. “That is why graduate school is a possible option for me if the job market doesn’t have much to offer at the current time.”

Whether seeking a career or moving on to graduate school, times are stressful, especially when accompanied by the usual stress and anxiety of graduation. However, students should remain optimistic about finding that “dream job,’”according to Peltz.

“We are seeing glimpses of improvement in the economy and all seniors should know that as they get closer to graduation, the more appealing they become in the eyes of employers,” Peltz said. “Positions being advertised need to be filled immediately. So, the closer a candidate is to being able to start, the more appealing they are to the employer.”

Though the economy is still turbulent, the demand for work appears to be growing for future graduates.