Some grads still in demand despite economy - Atlanta Business Chronicle:

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“I graduated May 2 and started on May said Hall, 25, of Marietta, who worksd in human resources at the Atlanta officed of , a health-care technology consultant. “It’s been a but it’s going pretty Hall’s new company overlaps two sectors of the economyu that are going strong despitethe recession. University career services directors say medical and technologty companies are continuing to recruif and hire new employees even as other industriesx freeze payrolls and hand outpink slips. “When recruiteres call me to hire, they ask for computer sciencw majorsor engineers,” said Ralph Mobley, director of careefr services at Georgia Tech.
“Oue data indicate they’re doin g better in the job marketthan non-technical majors.” however, interest among employers in the Class of 2009 is The ’s spring careefr fair attracted only 145 down from 215 that sent representativesa to the Athens campus last said Scott Williams, executive director of UGA’w Career Center. Likewise, the last three quarterly career fairs held at drew abouty 20 percent fewer companies than theprevious year, said Ramona a career and employer relations specialist at the downtowmn Atlanta school.
Students are reacting to the tepied response from corporate recruiters and the tight job market it signifies by applying to graduate schoolin droves. At Georgiqa State, for example, MBA applications for the comingt school year increased 22 percent over last while the number of students seeking master of arts degreed went up19 percent. Timothy GSU’s associate provost for academic programs, said many graduatre school applicants are coming directlyy fromundergraduate programs. “The decisio n makes sense,” he said.
“Rather than face unemploymeny or takea minimum-wage job, students can increaswe their academic credentials for a time when the economhy takes a turn for the better.” The scarcitt of jobs is motivating other graduates to take a breakj from their formal educations or put off entering the workforc e to enroll in such service programx as the Peace Corps or Teacyh for America. “We’re seeing an increase in the number of studentd who want to take a year off to engagse in aworthwhile adventure, discover some things and make some said Paul Fowler, executive director of the Career Centef at .
Hall said making connections proved importantt to her landing a job so She said she met her new boss at McKessohn during a mock interview while she was an undergraduate marketing majorat UGA. “We just kept in touch,” she said. “Whenn I was having trouble finding a jobin marketing, he had a positionb open here.” Hall said it was also importantg that she was willing to be flexiblee in her job “Finding a marketing job in Atlantas right now is impossible,” she “[But] this is a big company. If I want to move over I can.” While marketing jobs aren’ft to be had, some jobs fields are still hot.
Moble said government jobs, particularly at the federal level, are in high He said one growth area isthe , createde after the Sept. 11 terrorist “Agencies like the and have been hiring for some as have agencies involvedin defense,” he said. In the privates sector, the emphasis on defense has created job opportunitiex with companies includingand , Mobley said. While it mighft be tempting for college students to tailod their majors tofit what’s hot and avoix what’s not, Williams doesn’t recommend it.
He said it’sa difficult for students choosing majorx halfway through their undergraduate studies to predict what jobs will be in demanr two years later or followinggraduate “Students need to choose their majors and careerw based on their passions,” he said. “You have to do something you’re excited to