[media-credit name=’JEFF SCHORFHEIDE/Herald photo’ align=’alignnone’ width=’648′]
[/media-credit]With caps and gowns in sight, graduates of the University of Wisconsin's senior class will look to find their place in the professional working world.
Graduation rates for the university continue to rise each year as the university retained 83.5 percent of the 2003 freshman class — this year's senior class — after three years.
While final graduation rates will not be tallied until the summer, 50.4 percent of the 2002 freshman class graduated after four years and 25.1 percent of that class graduated after five years.
The retention rate increased from six years ago, when 81.7 percent of students from the 1997 freshman class were retained after three years.
Now, more graduates are looking for jobs, but job markets are opening up to receive these prospective employees.
And UW hopes to aid all students, not just seniors, with the best possible tools to impress employers who are looking to hire.
"It's a pressure they feel about making a decision," said Leslie Kohlberg, interim director of the Letters and Science Career Services. "It's hard to make decisions that are a really good fit."
Kohlberg said over the course of a lifetime, a person may have six to nine careers on average, so choosing a career straight out of college does not have to be a binding commitment if a graduate isn't happy.
The Letters and Science Career Services is just one of many career service centers on campus that provide career advice and help for hopeful students.
As the school year ends, Kohlberg said she has seen an increase in graduating students visiting the building.
"Right now we're seeing students who feel a sense of urgency about graduating," Kohlberg said. "But when students feel motivated about figuring this stuff out, that's when they come in."
When students come into the center, Kohlberg said most want to know more about certain career paths or need help with their résumés and other paperwork.
Similarly, the Business School Career Center works to get students in contact with hiring employers before graduation.
"We're bringing [employers] literally to Grainger Hall," BCC Director Steve Schroeder said. "The opportunities are here for the students who want to take advantage."
Schroeder said the center takes a proactive position for its incoming and current business students and are now requiring students to register with the BCC once enrolled into the school.
And once armed with the tools to impress employers, the potential job market continues to increase, especially, Kohlberg said, for majors in the Letters and Science department.
According to Kohlberg, the National Association of Colleges and Employers said 60 percent of employers are expected to hire more graduates this year — a significant increase of 19.2 percent from 2006.
Because the baby boomer generation is retiring, the market seems to be opening up and is predicted to continue for a few more years, opening up an "extremely positive job market," Kohlberg said.
In the business world, Schroeder reiterated openings in "a very strong labor market," also noting salaries for graduates are higher than last year.
Schroeder did not allude to any indications of a "brain-drain," the notion that UW graduates head out of state for employment, but said the 470 companies that came to the Business School often had Midwestern bases.
"We don't have many companies coming from Florida because there are quality schools down there," Schroeder said, adding the top destinations besides Madison are Chicago, Minneapolis, Milwaukee and New York. "Collegiate recruiting is done on a geographical scale."
As the school year wraps up, Kohlberg encouraged all students to start planning their future, no matter how far along they are in school, especially because career planning services are expensive after graduation but are free to students on campus.
"The truth is that there are some things you have control over and a lot of things you don't," she said. "You shouldn't leave here without knowing … the how to's."
