Job outlook positive for graduates

By COURTNEY ROQUE

Bree Marcotte was plagued in the spring of 2003 with the same looming uncertainty that faces many college graduates preparing to enter the working world.

The smoothness of a graduate’s transition from college to career varies depending on each one’s chosen path. Certain careers consistently have high hiring rates and others a generous average starting salary. For those who choose careers with more unpredictable outlooks, finding a well-paying job in their intended field of study can be a complicated and drawn-out process.

Soon after beginning the job hunt, Marcotte, 23, discovered finding her first job wasn’t going to be as easy as she first anticipated.

“I began to realize how few jobs related to my major were listed on job Web sites and in the newspaper,” said Marcotte, a former equine science major. “I moved here from San Diego thinking I would have more job opportunities, not less.”

After an extensive search for a job involving horses proved unsuccessful, she decided to move back to her hometown, where she took an administrative assistant position in which she earned just more than $8 an hour.

But knowing secretarial work wasn’t for her, Marcotte moved back to Fresno after a year and found a job working in a veterinary office.

“I never envisioned myself working with small animals in an office setting,” Marcotte said. “I thought I would be training horses on a huge ranch. But I am definitely happy with where I ended up.”

Although it took some searching, Marcotte did eventually find a salary-paying job after finishing college.

And recent studies show that the odds will be even more favorable for 2004-05 graduates who will soon be in search of employment.

According to a recent survey by the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE), employers are expected to hire 13.1 percent more new college graduates in 2004-05 than they hired in 2003-04.

In addition, college graduates in the class of 2004 reaped the benefits of a better economy than 2003 graduates. Starting salary offers in many disciplines rose in 2004 over the previous year’s levels, according to the Fall 2004 issue of Salary Survey, a report published by the NACE.

“This is a good indication that the job market for new college graduates is back on track,” said Marilyn Mackes, NACE executive director. She said the final report for the class of 2004 shows continued upward movement in the job market for new college graduates because a number of disciplines are posting salary increases and many others are improving over the past few years’ salary decreases.

For example, the starting salaries of several business disciplines increased. Business administration graduates received a 6.2 percent increase, raising the average starting salary to $38,254. Management information systems graduates’ salaries rose to $41,579, up 2.5 percent from last year. Although accounting graduates didn’t do quite as well as other business disciplines, they still saw a 1 percent increase and now average $41,058.

Starting salaries for computer science graduates went up 4.1 percent, bringing their average to $49,036. Information sciences and systems graduates were offered an average salary of $42,375, a significant increase of 10.7 percent over the average salary for 2003.

Most liberal arts disciplines saw increases as well. Salaries for English majors rose 8.1 percent, and political science graduates saw an increase of 3.6 percent over last year. Psychology majors’ salaries rose 2 percent to an average of $28,230. History majors’ starting salaries declined, however, falling 4.8 percent to $30,344.

Another recent NACE survey found 80 percent of responding employers rated the job market for new college graduates as good, very good or excellent, a sizeable improvement over the 38 percent of employers who gave the job market those ratings last year.

But in spite of the seemingly positive news, Mackes advises new college graduates to recognize the job market is still competitive.

“Students who will be graduating in 2004-05 need to start now to find employers and opportunities, and should avail themselves of the resources and expert advice they will find in their campus career center,” Mackes said.

Career Services at Fresno State is a resource available to local students and alumni in search of jobs. It offers several services to graduates and soon-to-be graduates who are searching for employment, including workshops, résumé critiquing, employer information, career fairs, and on-site and online access to job postings.

In addition to taking advantage of Career Services, students may be able to learn from Marcotte’s example. She advises graduates to be open to all possibilities when it comes to their career options.

“I never would have guessed that I would end up here, but I did, and I can honestly say that I love my job.”