Senior year. Now it’s time to improve your GPA to get the most cords at graduation. You continue to build strong, close relationships with professors who can become a job reference, or who can help you land your dream job. You finally figured out a balance of work, school and fun. And you get the constant inquires of what you plan to do after graduation.
As a senior in disbelief that it’s my last year of college, I can’t imagine what I will do after graduation. But I have faith, and some idea of what I plan to do.
I want to begin my career in journalism as soon as I can. And being from New York, I’m sure I will have many opportunities. Following what many professionals have told me, I’m not going to reject a job opportunity because the job might seem too small – you can’t be picky as a college graduate.
There are diverse opinions on how a post-grad should start their career. Some professionals say start in a small, local company because you’ll have more responsibilities. But Chris Licht, executive producer of “CBS This Morning,” says you can learn more from professionals in a larger company. This way, you can observe and help professionals and prepare yourself for a higher position.
Either way, our class has a high chance of getting a job after graduation. According to a new study by CareerBuilder.com and CareerRookie.com, 53 percent of U.S. employers plan to hire recent college graduates in 2013. These employers include 2,000 hiring managers and human resource professionals across industries and company sizes. These industries also include employers that generally demand more high-skill workers.
Starting salaries will be higher than your waitressing job, with 27 percent of employers expecting to offer higher starting salaries than they did in 2012, ranging between $30,000 and $49,999, according to the CareerBuilder.com study.
The top post-grad jobs are in IT, customer service, finance/accounting, sales, business development and health care.
I used to say I would start my career in a small, local newspaper. But something professors and professionals keep telling me is I need to expand my understanding of journalism and become versatile.
Journalism is converging, with print organizations adding multimedia and broadcast organizations including articles for their videos.
I’m glad this university requires communications students to take classes regarding all of media, requiring me to take broadcast and website focused classes.
I am also glad the School of Communications requires students to have a minor outside of the School of Communications to help students specialize in something. That way, students can bring something new to the table at their post-grad job.
Through Quinnipiac connections, I landed an editorial internship for a New Haven magazine my sophomore year and am now interning for Hartford Faith & Values, a website on religion news.
Quinnipiac gives you the tools to prepare you for an internship, and the faculty and staff will guide you to start your career.
I plan to move back home to Brooklyn, N.Y., and look for jobs in the city. People tell me I’m sure to find a job in journalism since I live close to the city, and others tell me it’s their dream to move to New York City.
According to a survey released in March by Apartment Guide, an apartment-listing service, 51 percent of college graduates plan to move into a new apartment after graduation, making 49 percent of college graduates staying home. Meanwhile, 75 percent of college graduates plan to settle in a new location outside of their college town after graduation.
This study also explains 80 percent of college graduates would move to the city where they found a job as opposed to their dream city. With 42 percent of post-grads relocating to the suburbs, though 31 percent would like to move to a big city.
Based on the Apartment Guide survey and CareerBuilder.com, our class will be in good hands once we enter the real world.
