Where the jobs are …
When all is said and done with life at Utah State University, where do students go with their prestigious degrees?
Dave Hart, director of Career Services, said 18 percent of students go on to grad school because of the tight job market.
“The recessive economy makes it hard for graduated students to find jobs,” he said.
Career Services helps students increase their chances of finding a job within their major when they graduate.
“Sixty percent of students who serve in internships are hired full time by the company after their internship is over,” Hart said.
Hart also said 90 percent of students work in jobs related to their major.
Don Cooley, head of the computer science department, said job opportunities are not as available this year as they were in 2000 because of the bad economy, but that doesn’t seem to hurt the starting wage.
Computer-related fields seem to be withstanding the economic recession, Cooley said.
“Look at the pervasiveness of computers; cell phones and other digital devices all use some kind of software,” he said. “They say that the 20th century was the age of technology, and the 21st century will be the age of biology. But the age of biology will be powered by computers.”
He said this was strongly illustrated by Bioinformatics, which is the melding of computers, information technology and biology.
“Computer Science is a good field to be in. It’s obviously not for some; but it is still a good career,” Cooley said.
Mary Kolesar, principal lecturer in computer science, said, “With the growth we are seeing in technology, it’s apparent that computer science is going to remain strong. In fact, the demand is outpacing the supply. People with strong mathematical and strong problem-solving skills are really needed.”
–kassrobison@cc.usu.edu