To be employed, or not to be employed: that is the question. Whether ’tis nobler in the mind to suffer the slings and arrows of grad school…
Director of Career Planning Michael Dalton said many students are forced to make this decision due to the poor job market.
“I think it is no mystery that this has been a difficult year for seniors who are seeking employment,” said Dalton. “This has been the toughest year since I can remember.”
In the past couple of years, finding jobs for students right out of college has been an arduous task. Career planning has done everything from contacting alumni to bringing recruiting firms to campus in order to help students find work.
“After going on a ton of interviews that career planning set up for me, I got a job as a public accountant,” said Lauren Bekech ’03. “It seems right now that the only people getting jobs are accounting majors.”
Career planning is using every connection they have in order to help seniors achieve jobs.
“We try to use the alumni network for students and try to contact and lobby for them,” said Dalton. “Students should be assertive and not just settle for one answer.”
According to the Post-Graduation Report, 57. 2 percent of the class of 2002 found a full time job in 2002. This number has significantly dropped over the past few years. In 2001, 70.1 percent found full-time employment and in 2000, 76.3 found a job.
While the employment numbers have fallen since 2002, the number of students attending graduate school has risen. In 2002, 19 percent went to Graduate School. In 2001, 14 percent and in 2000, 16.1 percent went for additional education.
Dalton says that this year he expects around 20 percent of the senior class to go to Graduate School.
“Based on initial data, the Class of 2003 post-graduate activity will be more similar to 2002 than 2001,” said Dalton.
Fairfield Alumni have taken many different paths to seeking future employment, but graduate school seems to be rising in popularity among seniors.
“I am currently enrolled in Graduate School at Seton Hall,” said Former Fairfield Student Joe Fennell ’02. “There was not much out there, so that’s why I went to Graduate school.”
Some students have had to adjust their plans because of the poor employment market.
“The job market has been very tough,” said Michael Mercado ’03. “I had to pick up a minor just to broaden my scope.”
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