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11/21/05

SLU GRADS PICK EDUCATION AS TOP JOB CHOICE

CANTON - For the fourth straight year, education is the top career field choice for St. Lawrence University graduates one year after graduation, according to a recent survey conducted of the Class of 2004.

Education was also the top choice in surveys conducted for the past three years; it has been in the top five fields for the past six years. It is also the top choice for those in graduate school.

The follow-up study on the Class of 2004 has been completed by the office of career services and leadership education, with a reporting rate of nearly 69 percent. Of those reporting, over 69 percent are employed and over 24 percent are attending graduate or professional school, for a combined total placement rate of 94 percent.

Of those responding, just over 21 percent reported working in education, making it the top choice. Other fields in the top 10 were, in descending order: banking/finance/investments; sales/marketing; hospitality/tourism; human and social services; government/non-profit; sports/recreation; science and technology; insurance; and health/medicine.

For graduate study, which shows 9.7 percent of those responding pursuing advanced degrees in education, other top choices are humanities and science/technology.

The survey also shows that many graduates - over 39 percent - got their jobs through "networking," seeking a job through personal contacts, internships or St. Lawrence's alumni and parent network. The largest percentage, over 45 percent, obtained jobs through direct application.

Director of Career Services and Leadership Education Carol G. Bate noted that "The survey is an important component of career services and leadership education's efforts to understand the kinds of work and graduate programs recent alumni are interested in pursuing."

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