The 10 Industries Attracting Our Top Young Talent
Listening to experts, employers, and students, the current economic
climate offers current graduates little in the way of job
opportunities. With an overall unemployment rate of
8.1% at the time of this writing,
a kernel of truth certainly sits at the center of this grim statement,
but not every industry is necessarily closed to up-and-coming workers.
Most have obviously taken a hit, but still consistently court and
appeal to the younger set, rendering them safer (though not necessarily
guaranteed) bets for graduates. In no particular order, the following
industries have recently proven themselves something special for
America’s promising new employees.
- Finance:
Yes, despite the muddy-at-best economy, positions in investment
banking, hedge funds, and consulting still make the young’uns drool.
David Brooks with The New York Times explored this phenomenon
in May 2012, citing informal talks with Stanford students and recent
graduates as an indicator of the appeal. Not only is the money right,
they also consider these highly competitive Wall Street (or wannabe
Wall Street) positions exactly what NGOs and other poverty-fighting
initiatives need … eventually, anyway.
- Accounting:
Money talks, and the accounting industry proves that recent
graduates are no mimes (thanks for the figurative language, Electric
Six!). Like the closely related finance sector, the industry appeals to
relevant majors thanks to a comparatively generous average starting
salary — $50,402, according to CNN — and the fact that taxes are pretty
much the only certainty in life beyond death and heartbreak doesn’t
hurt matters, either. However, employers do seek out applicants with
experience, so make sure to work hard at finding an effective
internship before graduation.
- Tech:
Of course! A Universum study polling undergraduates from across
varying majors revealed Google and Apple as the top two companies with
which they hope to score some sweet entry-level jobs, though business
and tech students found them especially tantalizing. Their more
youth-oriented marketing campaigns (not to mention the former’s legendarily laid-back, accessible, and fun office culture laden with perks)
likely solidified their status amongst up-and-coming workers. Both
startups and well-established tech corporations would do well to seduce
the latest crop of graduates, as they came of age alongside the
innovations being tinkered with today.
- Entertainment:
If you can’t have your 15 minutes of fame, you can at least
surround yourself with those stapling your allotment to theirs. It’s
easy to assume a culture inundated with celebrity obsessions holds sway
over graduates’ professional desires, but reality adroitly trumps
cynicism in this instance. Disney, one of the most sought-after
employers among the recent graduate crowd (BusinessWeek named it
a top company to launch a career back in 2006, and its popularity
hasn’t waned much), and similar studios offer up opportunities to get
creative and contribute to projects millions will adore. Many find the
challenges of a constantly shifting project or assignment far more
stimulating than some career paths.
- Social Media:
Facebook, specifically, as if there was any doubt in anyone’s mind.
The Universum study ranked it as its 12th most appealing company for
emerging employees, and its median age of 26 (not to mention generous job satisfaction rate) fully underscores this raging popularity. In fact, Technorati notes that the freedom to tool around on social media stands as a higher priority than raises among youthful workers. Why not eliminate the headache altogether and just try and score a competitive position serving the sites themselves?
- Engineering:
Despite an overall decline in available positions, the various
engineering fields still serve seductive career options to America’s
promising young grads. Tomorrow’s innovators respond well to job
opportunities that harness their skills for the greater good of
humanity (and science), and the National Academy of Engineering urges
its members to highlight this potential for selling the major. Although
the average starting wage for bachelor’s degree holders sitting at
around $56,367 probably helps push matters toward the E in STEM just a little bit.
- Pharmaceuticals:
No, not the more popular brand of pharmaceuticals one finds on
campus! With a degree in chemical engineering, medicine, biology, and
other related fields, up-and-comers might want to pursue a career path
developing drugs to keep the populace as safe and healthy as possible.
According to BusinessWeek, they may very well hit the jackpot
in Maryland, which boasts a median salary of $55,100 (6% higher than
the average in the rest of America) and an exceptionally young cache of
workers — about 48% of the industry there is composed of individuals in
their 20s.
- Intelligence and Law Enforcement:
Universum saw the FBI and CIA rank as 13 and 26 on its list of
ideal workplaces recent college grads hope to pursue, respectively. In
fact, the former sailed in at number 11 on BusinessWeek’s Top
50 Employers for College Grads list. The kids flock to both
organizations, as well as the Department of the Treasury and Department
of State, out of a sense of patriotic duty and steady pay. Oh, and the
whole wanting to be a super cool agent or spy, which really isn’t
nearly as fun as TV and movies make it seem, by the way.
- Healthcare:
Many of the fast-growing, more available jobs Forbes touts
as perfect for recent graduates involve healthcare outside a doctor or
nurse role. Positions synthesizing technological prowess, like health
information technology, clinical trials designer, geriatric health
care, and even health and safety inspection are especially desirable,
and offer living wages and opportunities to make the world a better
place. Patients aren’t going to stop existing, meaning a demand will
always exist for medical professionals, especially considering how more
people now live longer.
- Social Work:
Forty-three percent of the social work industry, which encompasses
everything from case work to nannying, is made up of professionals in
their 20s. Like the healthcare industry, there will never not be a time
when kids, teens, and adults need social workers at home or school, so
there’s not nearly as much of a risk involved. BusinessWeek
cites the District of Columbia as hosting the nation’s most active job
market when it comes to social work opportunities for recent graduates,
with a young workforce of 45%.
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