College Grads Entry-Level
NetWork: Maximizing Your Career Resources on the Internet
At the end of every college school year, more than one million students around the country wear their caps and gowns and earn some type of degree. Even though the economy may be lagging at times, most who look for full-time jobs should find them, according to analysis from the Employment Policy Foundation.
Some success of these entry-level college graduates is attributed to matching their majors precisely with the economy's most demanding jobs in the workforce. Data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), between 1995 and 2000, suggests the greatest increase in full-time employment for owners of bachelor degrees 30 years old and younger was in the area of computer and information sciences. As a result of this increased demand, computer and information sciences is the fastest growing major, as reported by Department of Education statistics.
Computer systems analysts and programmers saw the largest increase in total earnings simultaneously- from $37,655 in 1995 to $50,041 in 2000. Besides computer sciences, other college majors also took part in the trend of being chosen based on strong earnings growth; other high-ranking jobs with salary increases for entry-level college graduates were: managers and administrators, miscellaneous management positions, accounting and finance, and mechanics and repairers. This reflects the success of business majors inside the classroom, who experienced the best rates of total growth.
Since 1970, some college majors have had a drop off in the number of degrees awarded, these include: education, social sciences and history, English language and literature, physical sciences, library sciences, philosophy, and religion. The fields of library science, mathematics, and education showed noticeable rates of decline, based on percentage. In the labor market, jobs for entry-level college graduates were reduced in construction, manufacturing and mechanized production, service employees, office support, and clerical occupations. A small number of graduates have been interested in the jobs before, and a decrease in those holding degrees in these jobs says that more attractive and more lucrative employment in other fields exists, underlining the value of a bachelor's degree.
Even though there may seem to be a large number, the over one million entry-level college graduates each year are a small, committed group. According to BLS data, just 45.1% of students who enroll in college finish their degree.
You can become involved with the student chapter of the professional association that best suits your major. These associations have a wide range of information from career sections, which have active job postings, events to network with older colleagues, and mentoring programs to send you on a successful path toward your first job experience.
Communicate with your campus career resource center and share with them how your job search is working out. You might also check out their alumni list for graduates from the last ten years and are employed in your field of interest. Alums can reflect on their early struggle to land a job and are normally excited to offer assistance to a fresh entry-level college graduate from the same school.
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