As graduation approaches, students pursuing immediate job opportunities may encounter the harsh impact of the economic slump. While employers continue to hire college graduates at constant levels as in 2002, experts warn of long, strenuous job searches while encouraging higher education and the pursuit of growing industries.
Attributed to a decline in consumer confidence after Sept. 11, corporate scandals and the war on Iraq, the economy has reached a slowdown which in turn, often warrants an arduous job search for college graduates in many fields, according to job specialists.
\New graduates may expect to devote a longer period of time to a successful job search. Obtaining a good, solid, professional position might be a six month or more process,"" said Greg Iaccarina, career advisor for the UW-Madison Letters & Science and Human Ecology Career Services.
In order to ensure immediate career opportunities, advisors and experts encourage students to pursue education in fields not directly affected by the cyclical economy.
""Students need to research and pursue the sectors of the economy that have not been dramatically impacted by the recession,"" said John Archambault, director of cooperative education for UW-Madison Engineering Career Services.
Careers in the allied health fields continue to thrive as graduates in the life and physical sciences have seen more immediate job opportunities in biotechnology firms, research laboratories and pharmaceutical companies, Iaccarina said. Due to a worldwide shortage of nurses, opportunities are endless for nursing students.
""The global shortage of professional nurses ensures that our graduates will be able to practice wherever they choose. Most of our nursing graduates move straight into professional practice and wait three to five years before returning to graduate school. We are getting more inquiries from students completing degrees in other fields who want to know how to get into nursing,"" said Katharyn May, dean of the UW-Madison School of Nursing.
Many students have already chosen their respective career paths in the health fields to ensure immediate job opportunities.
""I feel confident that [nursing] will promise a job after graduation. I have been told that nurses can practically pick where they would like to work because of the shortage at this time,"" said Amy Zimmerman, a UW-Madison junior.
According to the National Association of Colleges and Employers, accounting and engineering firms have extended more job offers, while hiring in education fields continues to grow.
""Those who go to graduate school now with their eyes on a teaching position in a few years will do well,"" May said.
While the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics once reported occupations in the field of computer software engineering as the fastest growing occupation for 2000-'01, Marc Dee, director of university relations for AfterCollege, a service to connect college students to employers, says there is now an excess supply of workers in the technical engineering field leading to its downfall the last few years. According to Archambault, the electrical engineering field has been hit significantly by the slowdown of the computer sector as well.
In light of this, UW-Madison sophomore Clifton Ritchie recently changed his major from computer science to English in order to ensure more opportunities after graduation.
""After the dot-coms went belly up, I don't think computer science is as appealing as it used to be,"" Ritchie said.
NACE projects manufacturers will make the steepest cuts as they will hire 8.4 percent fewer college graduates this year than they hired between 2001 and 2002. Among other departments with a decrease in college graduate hiring include those in the government/nonprofit sectors, utilities companies, engineering/surveying firms and chemical manufacturers.
As a result of limited job opportunities in those departments with a decrease in graduate hiring, growing numbers of students are applying for graduate school upon graduation.
""During challenging economic times, students may postpone a job search by applying for graduate school,"" Iaccarina said.
In the engineering department alone, the number of students planning on completing advanced degrees has jumped from 8 percent to 18 percent just this year, Archambault said.
""We anticipate that some students will elect to delay graduation by a semester in order to hope for a better job market in the fall. Some students have also taken the opportunity to focus on their studies and put off the job search until after graduation,"" Archambault said.
Experts advise that students remain patient and flexible in their job search while maintaining high self-confidence despite rejection.
""A top technique graduates should practice is to join professional associations and alumni chapters in their field of interest, in order to network with potential employers and discover job leads,"" Iaccarina said.
Meanwhile, students are encouraged to acquire the necessary skills that will increase chances of attaining immediate employment after graduation.
""Employers report to us that they prefer graduates who have researched their organizations, have excellent oral and written communication skills and can work in teams of diverse individuals. If new graduates have specific examples of these skills that they can communicate on an interview, chances are greater that they will be offered a job,"" Iaccarina said.
However, experts predict the future will bring more job openings while firms look to fresh, young graduates to fill positions.
""A lot of firms, although cutting back, still have college recruit initiatives,"" Dee said.
