Rising unemployment rates are complicating job searches for some AU students despite beliefs that college degrees are a buffer against the faltering economy.
Andrew Semple, a senior in the College of Arts and Sciences who is a bio-chemistry major, said he is not worried about finding a job after graduation. However, he said he does worry for his friends' futures.
"I'm looking for a job right now, and I'm not having too much trouble finding a job," Semple said. "But I know that some of my friends that have generic business degrees or business management degrees have a lot more problems finding a job."
The difficult job search that AU students may face contradicts a recent Associated Press report that people with college degrees are faring better in the current economic crisis than other groups of people.
Approximately 3.7 percent of college graduates are unemployed, compared with the national unemployment rate of 7.2 percent, according to the AP.
Jeremy Kaufman, a senior in CAS, said he thought the reason for the statistical difference might be that most cuts are in sectors - such as the automotive industry - in which college degrees are not always a job requirement.
Russell Riechers, a freshman in the School of International Service, said he is feeling the sting of these cuts. Riechers has been unsuccessful in his current search for a cooking job, as most of the restaurants he has explored are not hiring.
"Everyone is hanging on to their jobs," he said. "Restaurants have typically high turnovers, but everyone who has a job is hanging on to their job because of the economy."
College graduates may be avoiding the brunt of the recession since many have more stable jobs and can easily move down the career ladder. Many employers also continue to recruit college students, the AP reported.
The number of employers enlisting AU students has dropped off at pace with the national pattern, according to Katherine Stahl, the executive director of the AU Career Center.
"Creativity and resilience are needed in this climate," she said.
Tenacious, flexible and prepared students who are determined to find work should use the economic instability to develop skills whether or not they are working their dream job. Seniors especially should be working with the Career Center to finalize resumes and develop multiple game plans, Stahl said.
"Don't stick your head in the sand," she said. "This recession isn't going anywhere. Start now to set yourself up to succeed."
Success will be a difficult goal. Though college graduates make up a small portion of the unemployed, their percentage is nearing their current national record - 3.9 percent unemployment, which they set in Jan. 1983, according to the AP.
Riechers said he is hopeful that the economy will improve in the next few years.
"Graduation is four years from now," he said. "Hopefully the economy will have picked up by then."
You can reach this staff writer at landerson@theeagleonline.com.
