Tight Labor Market Means More Openings for Latinas.

WHAT are the best entry points for Latinas looking to break into the ranks of business and industry?

Traditionally, college-educated Latinas found openings in teaching, nursing and office management. But with a tight labor market and more Latin as than ever before attending graduate school, their career opportunities are rapidly expanding.

"The type of choices our Latina graduates have has been changing," said Linda Baldwin, director of admissions, at the UCLA Anderson School. "Before they would end up mostly in marketing and strategic finance positions. Now, they are recruited by Deloitte & Touche and Goldman Sachs for positions in management consulting, and they get pursued more and more by start-up companies."

Many Latinas have become so sophisticated in their career planning that these corporate opportunities are viewed as a springboard for more entrepreneurial endeavors.

"For many of them, it's a training period and an opportunity to build up a network and acquire management skills," Baldwin said. "They will need to be convinced that the corporate environment really wants them, and they will be looking for flexibility and promotability if they are going to stay."

Dead-end jabs

That's a far cry from years past, when Latinas looking for management positions would often find them only in the health care administration, banking and social services sectors. Meanwhile, entry-level jobs often came in sales and marketing, human resources and accounting.

As a result, many saw the chances for advancement in the corporate world as extremely limited.

"Working in corporate (sales), I was going nowhere fast," said Martha Diaz Aszkenazy, president of Pueblo Contracting Services Inc. in San Fernando. "It was closed to women in general, and was even worse for Latinas. But instead of trying to fight the system from within, I thought I'd be better off starting my own business."

Her experience is hardly unique. Debra Esparza, owner of small-business consulting firm Esparza & Associates, started her own business after becoming vice president and manager of a small bank.

Esparza believes the corporate environment for Latinas has improved, but adds that the opportunities are still slim.

"It's a whether the glass is half-full or half-empty question," said Esparza. "You don't want to be naive about it, because there still is a glass ceiling for Latinas. Compared to the corporate environment, the opportunities for Latina entrepreneurs are almost limitless."

Esparza and Aszkenazy see a growing number of entry points for Latinas in small service and manufacturing businesses.

"It's pretty diversified and market-driven," Aszkenazy said. "I see a lot of Latina subcontractors in the construction industry -- plumbers and electricians for example -- but I also see many graphic artists, florists and insurance agents."

Welcome to Hollywood

In addition, many Latinas have been making inroads in the entertainment industry, both on the English- and Spanish-language sides.

"The creative fields are a lot more open now to Latinas compared to a few years ago," said Maria Salinas, senior manager of consumer products with Walt Disney Co. "The growth of Spanish-language entertainment of course plays an important role. I have a lot of Latina friends at Univision, and they are doing really well."

One industry that has shown little influx of Latinas is new media. The number of Latinas and other minority women in the Internet industry is virtually zero, according to Bernadette Williams, director of operations with the Women's New Media Alliance.

"There are issues on both sides," said Williams. "On the side of the industry, there has not been a lot of outreach to minority women. On the side of Latinas, there have not been a lot of women stepping up to the plate, and there still is a lot of ignorance about the industry and the job opportunities."

One reason Latinas are not entering new media and other high-tech industries is that there is not enough emphasis on science and mathematics in their education, said Clemencia de Leon, director of career planning and placement at Cal State L.A.

There are indications, however, that changes are underway, and the Internet may start attracting Latinas in larger numbers.

Williams points out that there is now a proliferation of Internet sites dedicated to minorities, which could encourage many Latinas to get involved with the industry and perhaps launch their own startups.