Recruiters usually come early in the fall to identify
candidates and make job offers ... but [this year] it's almost as
if someone turned out a light switch. About 70 percent of computer
science students have jobs before graduating. The market is still
strong, but cautious. We still receive the same number of job postings,
but companies do not react as fast.
Sharon Kurtt, Director of IT Career Services
University of Minnesota—Minneapolis, Minn.
The job market is as strong this year as last year,
even with the economic downturn, especially for graduates in business
and science. The highest number of retirees in the next three to
five years will be in education and the market will have a complete
turnaround. Right now, the most openings for teachers are in elementary
education and secondary science.
Patti Fenner-Leino, Director of Counseling and Career Services
Northland College—Ashland, Wis.
We're finding from dealing with our business community
that it's softening somewhat-softer than the past three to four
years. Graduates are still being employed but not with the regularity
of the past. They can't be as selective. We believe it's going to
be a short-term proposition. Demographics are in our favor.
Jim Bennie, Executive Director of Business and
Workforce Development
Michigan Technical Education Center
Bay de Noc Community College—Escanaba, Mich.
Since about 65 percent of our graduates stay in Sioux
Falls, they don't have trouble finding entry-level jobs, since the
economy here is stable. The outlook for graduates is still very
strong, as it was last year. But due to companies downsizing, some
of our alumni are coming back asking for job placement assistance.
This has minimal effect on our current graduates.
Mark Patterson, Director of Career Services
University of Sioux Falls—Sioux Falls, S.D.
All of the 58 graduates who want jobs have them. The
majority of students have three offers, a few had eight. Pharmacy
is wide open right now. The market is about the same as last year.
What's more amazing is the salaries they're receiving. Most students
go into retail for companies like Wal-Mart because there is more
money in retail compared to hospitals, but they are catching up.
Agnes Harrington, Assistant Director of Student Affairs
Pharmacy School, North Dakota State University—Fargo, N.D.
In town, we find that our students find jobs easily
with psychology degrees. There are a lot of social service jobs.
About 90 percent of our graduates seem to find jobs. The market
is about the same as last year, but the pay has gone up for entry-level
positions because of turnover. Doxey Hatch, Assistant Professor,
Psychology Department
Montana State University—Billings, Mont.
