Steve Henneberry will accept his Creighton University diploma today having already collected something that's the envy of college graduates everywhere.
Henneberry already has a job. And, even more shocking, that job actually matches his degree.
“I was very, very, very lucky,” he says.
Many of Henneberry's classmates donning cap and gown today aren't as fortunate. Persistently high U.S. unemployment and fierce competition for entry-level positions some of it from jobless 2009 grads continue to make graduates' job hunts longer and tougher than the relatively simple searches of the pre-recession past.
But there's also ample light at the end of the graduation tunnel, according to national experts and local college counselors.
The job market for college graduates started to improve this spring after the dark days of last year, according to student and employer data compiled by the National Association of Colleges and Employers.
At Creighton, things never got all that bad to begin with.
Nearly 93 percent of that private university's 2009 graduates reported finding a job or getting into grad school by this April, according to a recent survey.
That's a little lower than usual for the Bluejays, but far better than the national average.
Only 68 percent of last year's U.S. college graduates have found suitable employment or made it into graduate school, national surveys show.
“Is a college degree still worth it? Heck, yes,” says Jim Bretl, director of Creighton's career counseling program. “I'm telling kids to put their heads down, find a job and work hard for a year or two. If they do that, good things are going to happen for them.”
Nearly every aspect of a local college senior's job hunt has changed in the four years since the American economy started to weaken, according to interviews with college leaders and data provided by four Nebraska and Iowa universities.
The percentage of college seniors applying for grad school ticked up when the recession hit, and it continues to climb, says Chris Timm, associate director of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln's Career Services.
The increased number of applicants creates more competition for graduate programs and makes it tougher for an academically average student to get in.
Some students always planned to continue their education. Others are seeking refuge in grad school because, rightly or wrongly, they believe they have little chance to land a decent job.
“Some students are very nervous about their prospects, almost immobilized,” Timm said. “‘Where should I begin? Why do I even start?'”
The college seniors who do wade into the job market are working hard to swim instead of sink.
This fiscal year, the Creighton careers office had 3,715 appointments with students who wanted help finding an internship or job a 50 percent increase in foot traffic compared with five years ago.
Other schools report similarly increased interest in their once largely ignored career centers.
These students got help building their résumés, practiced answering interview questions and listened as career counselors advised them to be realistic about the type of jobs that fit their skills.
“Entry-level jobs are called entry-level for a reason,” Bretl says he routinely tells students.
The number of applicants for a particular job opening can be daunting Henneberry says a friend recently applied for one available position in a federal program. So did 345 other people.
Success both inside and outside the classroom has become virtually a prerequisite for landing a good first job, Bretl says. Counselors have always preached good grades, internships and community service, but now, they say, this well-roundedness is more important than ever.
They also preach adaptability no longer can a student demand to live and work, say, in the southern suburbs of Minneapolis or pinpoint a specific company while excluding all others, counselors say.
“Initially, maybe they only thought about the corporate world, but we're making them aware of the nonprofits out there, or government employment,” Timm said. “It's about being flexible and being realistic.”
The reality for the college graduates of 2010: It's tougher, but not impossible, to find decent work.
At Drake University in Des Moines, nearly 88 percent of last year's graduates have found employment or gotten into grad school, though some of those grads are working in jobs unrelated to their majors.
At Creighton, the percentage is 93 percent a high proportion, but lower than the 98 percent of the university's 2005 graduates who reported securing employment or grad school in the months following graduation.
UNL surveys graduates differently, basically asking whether they are satisfied with their situation. Nearly 93 percent of last year's UNL graduates reported job satisfaction.
What those numbers don't explain are the trials, tribulations and triumphs of the job search.
Henneberry took an unpaid job as an intern and worked a 3 a.m.-to-noon shift at a local TV station. He says he wasn't shy about shouting out story ideas at staff meetings, figuring that being overeager was ultimately better than “sitting and checking my Facebook.”
He parlayed the graveyard shift into an offer as a weekend sports anchor, a job that might not pay much but that matches Henneberry's passion for sports and journalism.
“I basically told them, I'm willing to do anything,” he said this week. “Maybe once we just thought we were going to walk out the door with a degree and right into a job. We don't think like that anymore.
“That sense of entitlement is gone.”
Contact the writer:
444-1064, matthew.hansen@owh.com
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