Jobs Outlook Is Bleak Even for College Graduates

[alp227]

Source: The New York Times

The individual stories are familiar. The chemistry major tending bar. The classics major answering phones. The Italian studies major sweeping aisles at Wal-Mart.

Now evidence is emerging that the damage wrought by the sour economy is more widespread than just a few careers led astray or postponed. Even for college graduates — the people who were most protected from the slings and arrows of recession — the outlook is rather bleak.

Employment rates for new college graduates have fallen sharply in the last two years, as have starting salaries for those who can find work. What’s more, only half of the jobs landed by these new graduates even require a college degree, reviving debates about whether higher education is “worth it” after all.

(...)

Young graduates who majored in education and teaching or engineering were most likely to find a job requiring a college degree, while area studies majors — those who majored in Latin American studies, for example — and humanities majors were least likely to do so. Among all recent education graduates, 71.1 percent were in jobs that required a college degree; of all area studies majors, the share was 44.7 percent.

Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/19/business/economy/19grads.html

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I'm currently studying computer engineering in college.

[rocktivity]

1. Candidate for this year's "You Call This NEWS?" Award

Crime and the military; that's pretty much it.

:eyes:
rocktivity

[ixion]

2. computer engineering is one of the few areas where you can still ply your trade

although the salaries and hourly rates have been severely depressed by out-sourcing and H1-B visas.

[mahina]

5. How does the job market look for civil engineers?

My son is about to start in a program, finally, that he's been trying to get in to for two years.

I'd love any info you have to share, mahalo.

[Hardrada]

3. RN degrees are also sought and employment for nurses of that level

is usually available. I've noticed an uptick in students going to education K-12 and also in specialities like speech therapy. Special Ed always has openings. HS science and Industrial Arts too.

[SOS]

4. $27,000

From the article:

"The median starting salary for students graduating from four-year colleges in 2009 and 2010 was $27,000"

And nearly half found no job at all.

This is a generational disaster courtesy of Wall Street.

[greymattermom]

6. start a nonprofit

My daughter, a college grad and business major, is currently volunteering for Pick Up America (pickupamerica.wordpress.com) walking across the country picking up trash and educating folks about unnecessary waste. She's thrilled, is learning a lot about running a nonprofit and how to live cheaply. For her, the lack of jobs has provided an opportunity to help the environment and spend some time deciding what she really wants to do. This nonprofit was started by a recent college grad. They are learning a different way to live because of the economic disaster.