Seventy-four percent of college students and recent graduates would relocate
in order to find employment, according to a survey by the Wall Street Journal's
CollegeJournal.com and Peterson's. For a Limited Time receive a
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Get Your Report Now!Survey respondents included 719 college students and recent graduates.
Respondents said the Northeast has the most promising job outlook, while they
said the Midwest has the worst. However, the September unemployment rates in
the Northeast and Midwest were virtually identical (5.7 percent versus 5.9 percent),
pointing to a misconception among respondents that the Northeast is the clear
choice for employment opportunity, according to the creators of the survey.
"College students and recent graduates are faced with a difficult occupational
outlook," says Mary Gatsch, president of Peterson's. "Job seekers
may want to consider relocating if there are jobs they qualify for in other
parts of the country. The Internet is a great place to start when looking for
employment outside your current geographic area."
The survey also found that 21 percent of respondents have changed careers in
the past two years, in order to find employment.
"Recent college graduates have been among those hit the hardest by the
poor employment market," says Tony Lee, editor in chief of CollegeJournal.com.
"Waiting it out by going to graduate school, taking a part-time job or
relocating are options that college graduates should consider."