Slowing economy has some graduates concerned about job market

As the Class of 2001 prepares to convene Saturday for commencement ceremonies, they face a variety of emotions, hope, excitement, relief, and fear.\nBut for a number of students, the most tangible emotion is concern about the current state of the economy and how its declining performance will affect them in their search for a career. With the unpredictable stock market, many companies are trimming their work force in response to the global economic downturn, and some students are beginning to feel concerned.\n"I didn't think it was going to be this difficult," said Becky Snyder, a senior French major. "My parents look through the Chicago Tribune everyday. It's a family effort."\nSnyder, who wants to be an interpreter, has been searching for a job for months.\n"Black and Decker wanted me to work in sales first; it would have taken too long," Snyder said. Motorola offered me a great position, but there were no benefits and it was temporary -- lasting only six months."\nSnyder said she has sent 24 resumes to various companies in the past month, but has received only six responses.\n"Many positions demand a master's or doctoral degree, and the process is very political," she said.\nNetworking is also an important aspect of job hunting for graduating seniors.\n"A lot depends on your networks, and often your professors can help establish them," said Bloomington resident Laura Helmke. "If your parents have professional contacts, that's a definite perk." \nHelmke, who graduated from the University of North Carolina, has worked a number of jobs ranging from teaching to program management at the Chicago Public Schools to waiting tables.\n"It's not easy," Helmke said. "Jobs don't just fall into your lap. There is stuff out there, but it's important to be proactive in seeking jobs rather than merely checking the newspaper for openings every week." \nShe said each experience has been valuable in some way, and will be interning this summer with the Environmental Protection Agency in Washington, DC.\nStill, the slowdown in the economy hasn't reached all sectors. The demand for teachers, for example, is growing.\nDavid Kinman, assistant dean of education placement, said the School of Education consistently places more than 80 percent of its graduates.\n"At this point, it's hard to say anyone is having trouble," said Kinman. He added that while the hiring season for teachers hasn't really begun, he could predict with certainty that at the start of the fall, about 76 percent of those graduating from the School of Education will have jobs.\n"By Thanksgiving, that number will grow to a little over 80 percent," Kinman said. "Last year, the number was 80.3 percent, and, of that number, 70 percent stayed in Indiana."\nKinman said the increasing number of retiring teachers and the increasing demand on schools to perform well is responsible for the healthy market.\nOther disciplines are not doing badly either. According to the Web site of the Business Placement Office, www.bpo.indiana.edu, in the 2000-2001 academic school year, about 400 companies visited the Bloomington campus and held nearly 13,000 interviews. For every 11 interviews that took place, business students received one job offer, averaging three offers per student, the site said. Despite the toll on the economy, many graduates are having little difficulty finding a job, although they are not always necessarily landing the career they've always dreamed of.\nIndeed, many sectors of the economy are growing at unprecedented rates. According to The New York Times, the fastest growing industries are computer and data processing services, health care, automotive services, retailers, management and public relations, local and suburban transportation, and security and commodity exchanges and services. The fastest growing occupations are computer engineers, systems analysts, database administrators, medical assistants, paralegals, and personal care aides.\n"We're not in a time where students need to worry," said Kathy Matthies, assistant director of the Arts and Sciences Placement Office. "The job market is still pretty good."\nMatthies said in 1999-2000, 62 percent of those graduating from the College of Arts and Sciences landed in full-time positions. Another 13 percent returned to university life as graduate students in law, medicine, science, business, public administration, or the humanities, while five percent opted for volunteer work or travel.\n"Sometimes students choose an obscure field, such as Judo instruction or photography, and many aren't sure what they want to do," Matthies said. "We have a lot of resources to help people who are undecided. The Career Development Center is always here"