| 04/24/2005 |
| Bright year ahead for grads |
| By SCOTT WHIPPLE , The Herald Press |
This year’s college graduates can be hopeful about job opportunities and salaries.
"There are areas--business and engineering, for example--that stand out with average salary increases nearly across the board," reports Camille Luckenbaugh, research director of the Bethlehem, Pa.-based National Association of Colleges and Employers. "Having additional areas such as liberal arts and computer science showing increases indicates positive momentum in the job market and is very encouraging news for this year’s class of college graduates."
This--to a point--squares with Patricia Deloy’s experience at Central Connecticut State University. CCSU’s director of career services, says opportunities in computer science are still sparse. "That area has not recovered as well as others," Deloy says. She believes this is because independent contractors are drawn to this sector and are doing a lot of project work. On the other hand, the Sarbanes-Oxley Act 0f 2002 has generated a need for accountants. (The act establishes new supervisory mechanisms, including public company accounting oversight board for accountants and accounting firms that conduct external audits of public companies.) Other hot areas of employment from the perspective of a bachelor’s degree are healthcare, construction trades and construction management. "The housing market and building, in general, are still pretty strong," Deloy points out. Deloy says she’s also seeing a demand for teachers in math, science and special education. She says she consults with students about their skill strengths, rather than point them toward a specific profession. For example, certain teaching opportunities exist, but not necessarily across the board. Her approach is to advise students who may be considering a profession, such as legal, to determine the extent of the need. "That kind of information is available from the state Department of Labor," she says. "They’re pretty good at projecting long-term needs." Deloy’s overall recommendation to students considering a profession: "Follow your bliss, yet be flexible. Remember, you still have to make a living." At Wesleyan, opportunities for business majors to make a decent living are better than in recent years. Michael Sciola, director of the university’s career resource center in Middletown, reports that the private sector has bounced back, particularly finance management consulting and management training. "This is the best hiring outlook we’ve had in the last five or six years," he says. Though Wesleyan graduates are still attracted to the public sector, including government and teaching, the private sector is attracting more seniors. "We’re witnessing return to this sector," Sciola says. To overcome reluctance on the part of corporate recruiters to visit individual college campuses, Wesleyan participates in a recruiting consortia. The university partners with peer schools-- Williams, Middlebury and Dartmouth-- hosting events in New York and Boston. When the economy tanked the career center alerted alumni and parents with potential to hire graduates to think of Wesleyan as a reliable source of smart, energetic employees. "Now alumni and parents can post job openings right to our Web site," says Sciola."At our end, more students are registering their interests with us. " With the economy on the rebound the career center has streamlined many of its operations. Sciola sends job-seekers weekly e-mails describing current "hot jobs." "Now that the economy is coming back we’ve got a system in place that can leverage it," he says. "We’re even seeing freshmen utilize the career center." Scott Whipple can be reached at swhipple@newbritainherald.com or by calling (860) 225-4601, ext. 224.
|