Graduates hit the road of life
Is there life after graduation?
Many believe graduation is the door to the future or the key to success. As they leave, some Utah State University graduates plan on furthering their education, studying abroad, searching for jobs or internships or doing religious service.
In September 2003, the office of Analysis, Assessment, and Accreditation at Utah State University worked with academic departments in conducting a telephone survey of the employment and education status of recent graduates, answering questions such as: How many students do go on to graduate school, and where do they go? Are recent graduates able to find employment, and are their jobs related to their education? How many students find employment in Utah?
The results show a significant number of students choosing to attend graduate schools rather than immediately searching for a job.
Melissa Thomas, a 2003 graduate of interdisciplinary studies, said she turned in more than 100 résumés during a period of six months before she found her current full-time position in Utah.
Thomas said, “The statistics [of the survey] don’t really surprise me because of the job market being the way it is. It seems easier to continue on with a master’s rather than trying to get a job.”
A standard telephone survey was used, providing specific dialogue and a logical structure for the questions asked and the manner of recording responses.
In the Sample Selection of the survey it explains, “The survey focused on students who received a bachelor’s degree from USU between July 1, 2001, and June 30, 2002. The intent was that, before being surveyed, the students would have had a reasonable amount of time to find employment or to establish themselves in a graduate program. A total of 2,500 students received bachelor’s degrees over this 12-month period.”
Among the findings of the study are the following:
* About 30 percent of graduates are continuing their education as a full- or part-time student and 23 percent are enrolled in graduate degree programs.
* 65 percent of those continuing their education are in master’s programs and about 11 percent are in professional programs such as medicine, dentistry and law. Nearly half of the students in graduate degree programs are enrolled at USU.
* Business is the most popular field of study for those in graduate degree programs.
* About 14 percent of alumni who are not full-time students do not have a full or part-time job, but many of these individuals are not seeking employment.
* The unemployment rate of alumni looking for jobs is estimated at 2.8 percent, which is slightly below the nationwide rate of 3.1 percent for college graduates.
* Of those with full-time jobs, about 18 percent indicated their job is unrelated to their USU degree.
* Nearly two-thirds of those with full-time jobs are working in Utah.
* About 60 percent of those with full-time jobs are working in the private sector. About one-fourth are employed in public or private education.
* Two-thirds of those with jobs provided salary data. Departmental median starting salaries ranged from $19,000 to $53,000.
For many of the questions, the responses vary between colleges and between the units in a college. The breakdowns of college and departmental information are provided in the report.
“I would have thought that the percentage for people working in their degree would have been lower,” Thomas said. “When you are just starting out, at least in my area, you have to start with something that isn’t really related directly in order to gain experience to move into an area more related to your degree.”
Jacoba Larsen, who is graduating in managerial economics, said, “It’s interesting to know the facts [of the survey], to see what fields of study are popular among USU graduates, and to see where I would fit.”
Larsen said, “I think the fact that the rate of unemployment among USU alumni is lower than the nation rate shows that the attitude of determination and dedication continues with them even after they leave our campus.”
-julia@cc.usu.edu