As the spring semester comes to an end, many graduates’ worst nightmare creeps to reality: The fear of having no job.
According to usnews.com, careers to watch in 2012 are accountant, registered nurse, computer system analyst, social worker, dental hygienist, and sales manager and representative.
“The only thing that I would add is science and engineering because with the energy and the environment, and the way that the economy is going, those jobs are going to be more in demand now,” said Delores Dean, director of Florida A&M’s career center.
Dean indicates that it is imperative to become more marketable because more people are going into those fields, but the qualifications are also going to be higher.
“Whatever you can do to make yourself more marketable, you are going to need to do that,” said Dean. “Get more education, a second language, and make sure your computer skills and everything is up to par.”
USnews.com states that most computer systems analysts have at least a bachelor’s degree in a technical field like computer science, mathematics, or even engineering. A graduate degree is preferred for many companies looking to hire in the profession.
A growing number of social workers hold a master’s degree specifically those who do clinical work. The minimum requirement is a bachelor’s degree in social work or a related field like psychology and sociology.
For an accounting job a bachelor’s degree is required. For the best job prospects, a certified public accountant, which has its own educational requirements, should be taken and passed. The Labor Department projects that more than 279,000 accounting positions will become available by 2018.
“As a graduating senior, I’m thrilled to hear that accounting is one of the careers that will have more jobs in this year and beyond,” Aleshia Miller, accounting student from Miami. “I will be taking the CPA exam for a more competitive edge.”
According to the career center, salaries increase 10 to 20 percent more for someone with a master’s degree.
“I don’t think those careers will improve the overall economy because they’re not blue colored jobs,” said Briauna Rogers, a senior theatre student.
“I don’t use the career center because I believe they don’t cater to my specific major as much as an accounting or registered nurse, but I do think they are a great resource.”
The career center places about 60 to 70 percent of the students who utilize the services of the career center with jobs in different areas upon graduation.
“Students do not need to believe the hype about there are no jobs out there. There are jobs out there and our students need to be aggressively pursuing those jobs,” said Dean.
For more information on utilizing the career center as a resource, it is located in the student union adjacent to the student activities office.