Grads now have more directions to go...sort of.
Photo: flickr, creative commons
For the Class of 2010, the job market is looking up. According to the New York Times, 24 percent of graduates who applied for a job this year have one waiting for them. While this percentage may seem low, it’s up from last year’s 20 percent.
According to Patricia Rose, director of career services at the University of Pennsylvania, graduates this year were allowed to be more relaxed than last year’s grads. “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.”
Despite the increase in employment, average starting salaries have fluctuated from last year, reports the Times. The average salary for a recent grad fell 1.7 percent to $47,673, not enough to cover even one year at Northwestern.
This figure works out differently depending on the major of course. Finance majors starting salaries rose 1.6 percent to $50,546, while liberal arts majors fell 8.9 percent to $33,540. So even in times of economic uncertainty, number-crunching will do you better than English Lit.
“Glimmer of hope” for grads [NYTimes]
