Destination Post-Graduation
By Tiffany Lee, Staff Writer

It seems like the campus hot spot of fall semester for seniors is 719 Broadway, more commonly known as OCS, the Office of Career Services. Starting right when school starts in September, students, dressed sharply in suits, enter and exit the building on a daily basis. Not only are seniors juggling classes and a job or internship, we have the prospect of recruitment and finding a job post-graduation looming over us. It’s not just one interview either; it’s second and final rounds following. Add to that, the competition you find yourself dealing with when you’re up against your friends and classmates for the same position. Whether you’re a senior graduating in December or later in May, the level of stress is like none other. Senior year of college is nothing like that of high school’s. But once you get that coveted offer, it’s smooth sailing of senior year from there on out.

Since September 11th, the U.S. and most of the world economy have been in a recession. For the past three years many of the previously most active hiring industries have dealt with significant lay offs, hiring freezes, and other cost saving and consolidation efforts. Overall, hiring has been reduced, but with the help of OCS, NYU graduates have been finding their way into the competitive job market. Through the use of Careernet, Interviewnet, and other workshops and programs, 92% of NYU’s Class of 2003 were employed or enrolled in a graduate or professional school program. In addition to OCS, personal contacts can benefit as a source of employment, which indicates how important networking can be in getting you that personal referral. When compared to graduates from other schools around the nation, NYU graduates have fared better in post-graduation placement. Knowing that fact makes us (and our parents) feel a little better about having paid $120,000 in tuition.

Of course we would love to have our "dream jobs" out on the table right now, but since the current conditions of the economy aren’t the greatest, it’s important to position ourselves for future employment opportunities as well. We might not get the job straight out of college, but we can strive to prepare for it in the future. Right now, it’s important to work at a place where you can develop skills and make contacts, or perhaps attend graduate school to further your education beforehand. Fortunately, we’ve been able to use Careernet in years prior to senior year to gain work experience through part-time jobs and internships, while earning money, which we all realize as “starving college students.” A large majority of career development experts believe that after graduation, students who have gained career-related experience during college have an advantage over less experienced graduates when the time comes to compete for employment. NYU students have realized this from the get-go. About 80% of NYU students held part-time jobs and internships related to their eventual career goal during the 2002-2003 academic year.

From a survey that OCS conducted of 2003’s graduates, the majority of us will find ourselves working in financial services, followed by education, law, marketing, food service/hospitality, publishing, and nursing, making an average salary of about $43,500. This figure is above the national average of new graduates, based on the Fall 2003 salary survey of the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE). The average starting salaries varied between NYU’s several schools, from approximately $30,000 to $50,000, with Stern graduates earning $47,000, Steinhardt School of Education $42,700, College of Arts and Science $36,100, Gallatin $35,000, and Ehrenkranz School of Social Work $28,500. Those salaries should increase as we move up the ladder, but it’s not a bad start to paying back those student loans and starting our own lives.

After four years of classes, projects, midterms, and final exams, and all the preparation and interviews, your reward will come; you’ll receive that phone call you’ve been waiting for, at a time of day you’d least expect. When you hear those seven magic words: “We’d like to make you an offer,” all will be well in the world. (Well, at least for the moment.)