GOOD TIME FOR GRADS; JOB GROWTH FUELS DEMAND FOR SKILLS.Byline: Melissa Schmitt and Eric Leach Daily News Staff Writers Even before CSUN CSUN California State University Northridge senior Laurence Maller graduates later this month, he has landed a job - and is fending off other offers. The 29-year-old civil engineering major found his job with a San Fernando Valley San Fernando Valley Valley, southern California, U.S. Northwest of central Los Angeles, the valley is bounded by the San Gabriel, Santa Susana, and Santa Monica mountains and the Simi Hills. construction company in less than a month. The company was so eager for his services that he began working between classes. Since then, two out-of-state construction firms - companies he never even sent a resume to - have attempted to lure him away. ``I was pretty lucky,'' Maller said of his job hunt. Luck may have less to do with Maller's good fortune than the booming economy, which is snatching up the college grads of '98 even as the ink is drying on their diplomas. The class of '98 is graduating into one of the best job markets in decades, with recruiters lining up and employers paying well, say college officials and economic observers. ``Our graduates seem to be having no trouble at all getting fairly good and high-paying positions,'' said William Hosek, dean of the college of business administration and economics at California State University, Northridge CSUN offers a variety of programs leading to bachelor's degrees in 61 fields and master's degrees in 42 fields. The university has over 150,000 alumni. It's also home to a summer musical theater/theater program known as TADW (TeenAge Drama Workshop) that leads teenagers through an . Hosek attributed the booming job market, a marked change over the past four years, to the growing economy, which is placing a premium on graduates with skills in information systems and computer-oriented management information systems. ``The starting salaries seem to have moved up fairly nicely in the last year, pretty much all across the business disciplines: marketing, finance, accounting,'' Hosek said. Monica Pecot, director of career services at Woodbury University The creator of this article, or someone who has substantially contributed to it, may have a conflict of interest regarding its subject matter. It may require cleanup to comply with Wikipedia's content policies, particularly neutral point of view. in Burbank, has worked in career services for six years and said this was the best year she had ever seen for college graduates. ``Recruiters are scrambling for good people,'' Pecot said. She has noticed high demand for grads trained in business areas and computerized graphic design related to the entertainment industry. Some design grads are getting starting salaries of $40,000. ``Business for design firms and graphics firms is growing in this area,'' she said. An annual Michigan State University Michigan State University, at East Lansing; land-grant and state supported; coeducational; chartered 1855. It opened in 1857 as Michigan Agricultural College, the first state agricultural college. survey showed a whopping 27.5 percent increase in job openings. Last year, the number of job openings rose about 6 percent, according to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. the Michigan survey. This year's increase represents the biggest in the survey's 27-year history. ``This a great job market,'' said said Jack Kyser, chief economist The Chief Economist is a single position job class having primary responsibility for the development, coordination, and production of economic and financial analysis. It is distinguished from the other economist positions by the broader scope of responsibility encompassing the of the Economic Development Corporation of Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. . Industries requiring workers with technical skills are complaining they can't find qualified job candidates, he said. ``Anyone coming out of college with a technical degree - they're going to find lush pickings,'' Kyser said. Although the Los Angeles area unemployment rate remains higher than the national average at 6 percent, Kyser said that does not mean it's that hard to find a job here. ``The situation in Southern California Southern California, also colloquially known as SoCal, is the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. Centered on the cities of Los Angeles and San Diego, Southern California is home to nearly 24 million people and is the nation's second most populated region, is so good that we have an upturn of migration into the area. This has contributed to a slight upturn in unemployment figures, but it doesn't convey what's going on What's Going On is a record by American soul singer Marvin Gaye. Released on May 21, 1971 (see 1971 in music), What's Going On reflected the beginning of a new trend in soul music. in the job market,'' he said. State employment officials estimate that as many as 60,000 new jobs were created in Los Angeles County between January and March. ``Everything that you hear is that it is just a very strong job market, period,'' Kyser said. ``We're hearing a very strong demand for people with technical skills, particularly in computer programming and software development. Everything is rolling along from retail to construction to tourism.'' Darnell Murphy, a psychology major at Northridge, said employers still seem to prefer candidates with experience. Murphy, 26, specialized in autism autism (ô`tĭzəm), developmental disability resulting from a neurological disorder that affects the normal functioning of the brain. It is characterized by the abnormal development of communication skills, social skills, and reasoning. and has been working in the field for four years. For that reason, he believes he should be able to find a job. But others without the experience, he said, aren't in such a favorable position Noun 1. favorable position - the quality of being at a competitive advantage favourable position, superiority advantage, vantage - the quality of having a superior or more favorable position; "the experience gave him the advantage over me" . ``You have to settle until you can find a job in your actual career field where you can apply what you've learned.'' CAPTION(S): Photo, Chart PHOTO CSUN engineering major Laurence Maller has had several job offers thrown his way as graduation nears, and he's already started work. Gus Ruelas/Daily News Chart: COLLEGE GRAD JOBS Source: AP Research |
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