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View Full Version : 'Glimmers of Hope' for Grads



LiberalNation
05-26-2010, 01:07 PM
why I may go active, bad job market, even for nurses.

http://finance.yahoo.com/college-education/article/109639/glimmers-of-hope-for-grads

Jenna Alt, a recent graduate of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, N.Y., said, "If you have a job, you're lucky."


This spring's college graduates face better job prospects than the dismal environment encountered by last year's grads. But that doesn't mean the job market is thriving.

Average starting salaries are down, and employers plan to make only 5 percent more job offers to new graduates this spring compared to last spring, when job offers were down 20 percent from 2008 levels, according to a study by the National Association of Colleges and Employers, which tracks recruitment data.


Liam O'Reilly, who just graduated from the University of Maryland with a bachelor's degree in history, said he had applied to 50 employers -- to be a paralegal, a researcher for a policy organization, an administrative assistant -- but he had gotten hardly any interviews. While continuing to search for something he truly wants, he has taken a minimum-wage job selling software that includes an occasional commission.

"Had I realized it would be this bad, I would have applied to grad school," Mr. O'Reilly said.

The study by the National Association of Colleges and Employers found that 24 percent of 2010 college graduates who applied for a job have one waiting after graduation, up from 20 percent last year. But the average salary offered to graduates with a bachelor's degree has slipped 1.7 percent from last year, to $47,673.

Salaries for finance majors rose 1.6 percent, to $50,546, while those for liberal arts majors fell 8.9 percent, to $33,540. For graduates with computer-related degrees, salary offers rose 5.8 percent, to $58,746.


Patricia Rose, director of career services at the University of Pennsylvania, said that students had more choices this year. "Last year, people found employment, but there was a sense of musical chairs, that if there's an empty seat, take it," she said. "This year, there's a little more sense of ease."

Persistence, connections -- and credentials in hot fields like finance and computer science -- are especially helpful, say economists and college officials.

Jenna Alt, newly graduated from the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, N.Y., applied for 20 jobs in construction management in New York beginning last fall, but came up empty-handed. While she was attending a tennis party at her aunt's house, she said, "A friend of my aunt's said, 'You seem like an intelligent young lady. One of my brother's friends owns a construction company in D.C.'"

Thanks to that referral, Ms. Alt will join Clark Construction in the Washington area in September, and she feels grateful. "Only about a third of my friends have jobs lined up after graduation," she said. "If you have a job, you're lucky."..............

DragonStryk72
05-26-2010, 09:12 PM
Woot, RPI! Sorry, grew up in Albany, NY.

Any case, yeah, actually, the military must be loving the current economy, I mean, people are getting desperate and they know the mil pays nice and regular like. You should go active, and not just because of the economy.

Going onto full active will get you something on your resume for later that will put you at the head of the line in a lot of places, and is more likely to put you in position of management you would have to work far longer for otherwise. As well, honestly, the more competent medical people we can get out there in the field, the better, whether he or overseas.

There is also the point that you would get to experience the full army experience, as opposed to the National Guard. Not saying the Guard isn't important, but we've got two wars on across the pond, so any help we can get with that is greatly appreciated.

Actually, my own fiance is getting ready to enlist, she's looking to actually go in somewhere around beginning of October, and she'll either go Supply or Pharmacy. Apparently, she's dreamed of going full active duty Army since she did Army JROTC in high school, but her senior year, once she had just sworn in the Delayed Entry Program, they found a golf ball sized tumor on the right side of her head, and she just couldn't get herself back up to snuff fast enough. Since then, she became a mil wife, had a daughter, and is now an ex-mil wife (husband was a Marine who turned shitbag after 8 years in), and Army has become not only a dream, but also simply a practicality.

LiberalNation
05-26-2010, 09:27 PM
NG deploys a lot on when your deployed or training you are active. I wouldn't downgrade em considering. My unit has deployed twice in the last 6 years to both wars. We go thru the same basic and ait. I'll prolly go active when I commission for four years. For now the guard is good because they let me finish nursing school with a steady paycheck.

SassyLady
05-26-2010, 09:48 PM
Woot, RPI! Sorry, grew up in Albany, NY.

Any case, yeah, actually, the military must be loving the current economy, I mean, people are getting desperate and they know the mil pays nice and regular like. You should go active, and not just because of the economy.

The interesting thing about the economy and the number of people wanting to go enlist is the same as in any other industry. There is a lot of competition and limited slots and in a bad economy the military can afford to be choosy. Especially if Obama is pulling troops out to come home.

At least 25 people were laid off this week at JFHQ due to cutbacks.




Going onto full active will get you something on your resume for later that will put you at the head of the line in a lot of places, and is more likely to put you in position of management you would have to work far longer for otherwise. As well, honestly, the more competent medical people we can get out there in the field, the better, whether he or overseas.

There is also the point that you would get to experience the full army experience, as opposed to the National Guard. Not saying the Guard isn't important, but we've got two wars on across the pond, so any help we can get with that is greatly appreciated.



Hey Dragon .... just curious. What makes you think the National Guard isn't fighting in both of those wars "across the pond"? My husband's old unit has been deployed multiple times to all the hot spots. They lost three soldiers on their first deployment to Irag. Implying that joining the National Guard will not get you deployed to "help....across the pond" is erroneous.

DragonStryk72
05-27-2010, 05:23 AM
The interesting thing about the economy and the number of people wanting to go enlist is the same as in any other industry. There is a lot of competition and limited slots and in a bad economy the military can afford to be choosy. Especially if Obama is pulling troops out to come home.

At least 25 people were laid off this week at JFHQ due to cutbacks.




Hey Dragon .... just curious. What makes you think the National Guard isn't fighting in both of those wars "across the pond"? My husband's old unit has been deployed multiple times to all the hot spots. They lost three soldiers on their first deployment to Irag. Implying that joining the National Guard will not get you deployed to "help....across the pond" is erroneous.

The Guard should be there at all. The reserves, yes, that's what they are there for, to be used as reserves of troops that can be called in when we need them, but the NG is specifically supposed to stay within country to guard our nation, not Iraq and Afghanistan.