Survey reports some jobs still available

ARLINGTON, Texas -- The job outlook for the 1,350 University of Texas-Arlington graduates in May is less monumental than in recent years, but jobs are still plentiful in many sectors, according to recent surveys.\nHiring projections for 2002 graduates are down 20 percent from 2001, according to the Job Outlook 2002 update, a report by the National Association of Colleges and Employers. Despite a tighter job market and more selective hiring practices, employers are seeking students from many degree programs.\n"It's not as dismal as it seems," Career Service Coordinator Kimshi Hickman said. "Two out of five employers are maintaining the same level of hiring as last year. Overall, only 30 percent of companies are hiring fewer grads."\nEach year more than one million students in the United States graduate from both private and public colleges, with more than 70,000 coming from Texas. \nAlthough hiring percentages are lower for computer science majors, Ramesh Yerraballi, the computer science and engineering graduate adviser, said the better students will not have a problem finding a job.\n"In the last couple of years, the boom was so high that students were holding multiple job offers," he said. "While it's not a bust, it's certainly more selective."\nHe said it is more difficult in a tight market for international students because of costs and time constraints involved in obtaining visas. Yet, slightly more than one-third of employers who responded to the 2002 Job Outlook Survey plan to recruit international students, mostly from the northeast region of the country. The survey also indicated international students, with high-tech and engineering degrees, have the most opportunities.\nGraduate schools across the country are seeing substantial enrollment increases and UTA is part of the trend that is typical in economic dips, Graduate Admissions Dean Phil Cohen said. The number of new graduate students increased by 78 percent in 2000. In spring 2001, it jumped another 46.3 percent and again by nearly 28 percent in spring 2002.\nIn addition to laid-off workers, the increase in graduate school enrollment comes from a cross section of job fields, Cohen said.\n"Students with bachelor's degrees come to grad school to boost their credentials," he said. "People who already have jobs may see a bad turn in the economy and often think maybe it's time to go back to school to enhance their credentials."\nHickman does not recommend students to attend graduate school in lieu of seeking jobs in a tight market. She does, however, recommend graduate school as an alternative for students already planning to seek a post-graduate degree. \nThe current market also has created more interest in alternative employment avenues, such as teaching and social work, according to the report. It states that a growing number of retirees in teaching, trades and government agencies mean job opportunities should emerge in those fields. \nLarry Watson, assistant social work dean, recently attended a conference of social work programs. He said attendants reported a 25 percent enrollment increase last year from around the country. He attributes the increase to a combination of economic factors and a shift in attitude.\n"After 9/11, people are re-examining what is important and are moving more toward a service-based career," he said.\nOne of the mainstays in any market is civil engineering, said Sia Ardekani, civil and environmental engineering chair. \nHe said when the economy expands, the private sector experiences an increase in building houses, plants and warehouses, which means jobs for civil engineers. Alternately, in a slow economy the government puts dollars into public works programs, which also creates jobs for civil engineers. \n"We are recession proof," Ardekani said. "More so than other sectors, we are doing very well."\nGreg Frazier, MBA programs director, said in spite of layoffs, financial, marketing and accounting companies are still hiring. He suggests students seeking jobs in these fields also to look into regional and local firms, where the growth is. He also said the MBA program has seen an enrollment increase of 5 to 10 percent in the last year.\nLike Frazier, Hickman recommends that graduates seek jobs with medium- and small-sized companies not as visible as the big names with staffs solely dedicated to recruiting college students. \n"Just because they are not as visible, does not mean they are not out there," she said.