Another class graduated from the U, and the former students have been sent off into the world with their degrees and experiences. Despite a down economy, they have better chances than most in the country to find a job.
On May 8, the U graduated 7,132 students. That same day, the national unemployment rate was 8.9 percent, according to the Department of Labor. This is daunting news to graduates who are wanting to begin their careers.
“It’s a little worrisome,” said Jake Foreman, a graduate in mechanical engineering who is entering the job market.
The director of Career Services, Stan Inman, says that even though the economy is in a recession, graduates going into the job market in Utah have a distinct advantage over anywhere else. Although the national unemployment rate is 8.9 percent, Utah’s own unemployment rate is only 5.4 percent. Inman says Utah’s relatively low unemployment rate is a result of Utah’s diversified and balanced economy, which does not rely on a single industry, such as auto or textile. This buffers the effect the recession has on Utah’s economy and allows more employers to keep hiring.
However, that isn’t to say the recession is not completely hidden here in Utah.
“”The job market is becoming more competitive and employers are becoming more selective,” Inman said. Despite all this, “jobs are still coming into the career center,” he said.
David McCullough delivered the commencement address at the ceremony. The award-winning author, known for John Adams and 1776, received an honorary degree.
“How will history regard you in years to come?” McCullough asked.Brittany Anne Gadbury, a graduate in English and modern dance, also gave a speech to her fellow graduates.
“Bless God for every moment, every trial, every challenged doubt, every brick-heavy textbook, every debate and every heartbreak,” Gadbury said. “Your very state right now is the culminated future of your history.”After the ceremony, the students poured out of the stadium as college graduates. Megan Lindsey was one of the many graduates off to hunt for a job.
“I’ve been looking for a month,” she said.
Others had already started their career. Josh Andra, a graduate in finance, has already started his job through an internship.
“There are always opportunities for those who are willing to work hard,” he said.
Inman suggests that students who are graduating in the coming years start thinking about a career path, gain experience in an area of interest and target possible employers to make company ties8212;and to do this as early as sophomore year.
Internships are a way to accomplish this.
“Sixty percent of students who have an internship in the senior year will advance in that job,” Inman said. In the Career Service’s cap and gown survey, 39 percent were reported to have a job because of an internship.
For those who graduated and are still looking, Inman suggests to come to the Career Services Center. The center will help graduates up to a year after graduation. The center provides interviews and boot camp workshops. Last year, the center had 1,500 interviews for local, regional and national companies.
During the graduation ceremony, McCullough told the graduates they will pull through: “We are a diverse lot, we Americans, and we have a lot of work to do, and thus it has been from the beginning and therein is our great advantage.”
a.rivera@chronicle.utah.edu
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