College Student Job Market Strong for UW-Milwaukee Graduates

Most college students who look for a job when they graduate relating to their field nationally don’t get one, but UW-Milwaukee students are dramatically exceeding that trend.

Seventy-five percent of December 2015 UW-Milwaukee graduates are employed full-time (and 78 percent of those have a job related to their field), while 5.6 percent are unemployed, according to a data snapshot from The Career Planning and Resource Center at UW-Milwaukee. The data was released to Media Milwaukee by UWM’s open records custodian.

The average salary of December 2015 graduates is $48,000.

One study found the national employment number for students who work in a job closely related to their field was only  27 percent in one study. However, national statistics highlight the importance of having  a college degree. “All of the increase in employment over the past two decades has been among workers who have taken at least some college classes or who have associate or bachelor’s degrees—and mostly among workers with bachelor’s degrees,” The Bureau of Labor Statistics says, adding that the number college-educated workers has risen almost every year.

The numbers surprised students in an investigative reporting class at UW-Milwaukee. A majority of students thought that the number of UW-Milwaukee graduates finding a job related to their field was much lower (even 20 percent) but were shocked this is not the case.

The strong numbers show how interconnected UW-Milwaukee is to the regional economy, as 75 percent of those graduates live in Wisconsin. Eighty-five percent live in the Metro Milwaukee area, according to the released data.

Keio Horton, 22, a journalism major at UW-Milwaukee, was surprised by the results. “I never would’ve thought that,” Horton said. “I’m happy, but it still makes me nervous if I can’t find a job when I graduate.”

So why are UW-Milwaukee students succeeding at finding a job when they graduate, while other students from other universities across the country are struggling?

Well, the 15th annual Career Fair at UW-Milwaukee provided students insight on what to expect when they graduate college.

Many of these students showcased their skills and talents to employers to promote themselves in what many students think is a shriveling job market.

The Career Fair at UW-Milwaukee had over 100 employers and 600 students dressed for success in attendance in the Union Ballroom.

Kamara Jackson, the recruiting coordinator and the event organizer for the Career Fair, thinks it’s fundamental that being prepared is going to help students with finding a job.

“What students don’t know is that it takes three to six months to find a job position… It’s important that students know the importance of job shadowing programs, internships opportunities and using that to leverage for full-time employment,” Jackson said. “I feel as is if that’s not a message that is communicated enough.”

UW-Milwaukee senior Tyler Schaller is majoring in economics. Schaller applied to many employers and is ready to start a job as soon as possible.

“I think a lot millennials don’t start thinking about their professional life as early on as they should,” Schaller said. “I think a lot of people go into college without having a job yet and some people in college don’t even receive a job, so when they come out of college what do they have to put on their resume?”

Schaller believes that a person’s work ethic is the most important aspect employers look for. “I see a lot of millennials who are some of the most motivated and hardworking people I’ve seen,” Schaller said. “I do believe that there are also a lot of lazier people who try to get by in the least amount of work possible and it shows.”

Social media is important when it comes to the workforce, but Schaller believes it can be a distraction. “Millennials are all over social media and you have to be able to survive in the real world without that kind of stuff,” Schaller said. “Go do it in your free time. When you’re at work you’re doing work.”

Here are some interesting facts, according to the data released by UWM:

• Out of the 2014-2015 graduates, 70 percent are employed full-time and nine percent are unemployed.

• Of those employed, 78 percent have a job related to their degree.

• Eighty- two percent of the 2014-2015 graduates live in Wisconsin and 56 percent live in Milwaukee County.

• When these graduates were asked to rank agreement with the statement, “My experience at UWM prepared me for the next step in my career path.” Fifty-eight percent agreed or strongly agreed and 12.25 percent disagreed or strongly disagreed.

• Forty-six percent of 2014-2015 graduates were making more than $45,000 annually.

Charles Organ, a sophomore pursuing a double major in marketing, has applied for

Harley Davidson, Rockwell and Direct Supply at the Career Fair.

Organ believes the workforce is changing because of the amount of millennials pursuing a career. “We are a moving generation kind of one thing to the next,” Organ said. “We want fast progress and we want to see results.”

How do other generations view the work ethic of millennials? Organ believes other generations see us as opportunists. “They see us as thinkers,” Organ said. “They see us as people who can change some things up.”