There is a growing concern among college students that there will be difficulty finding employment following graduation.

Travis Railsback, executive director of the UA Career Center, said a large portion of the job search is relative to the applicant.

“While the job market is improving, the environment is still highly competitive, and finding a position can sometimes be challenging,” Railsback said.

There are factors within a student’s control that can make the job search even more difficult – a willingness to relocate opens the door to many more employment possibilities.”

Railsback pointed out that job experience before graduation can make a difference in the job market.

“Students who have failed to gain experience through internship or other student employment opportunities typically have a more difficult time securing employment,” Railsback said. “[An] overwhelming majority of graduates will face more rejections than job offers simply because the market is competitive.”

In the turbulent job market, there are many jobs gaining popularity and providing students with a way into a productive career.

“In-demand career fields fluctuate over time,” Railsback said. “Generally speaking, we’re seeing an increase in recruiting activity across many majors compared to just a few years ago. Some of the current in-demand majors include nursing, operations management, accounting, electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, computer science and MIS.”

Wesley Woodham, a graduate research assistant at Georgia Tech who graduated from the University in spring 2011 with a bachelor of science in chemical engineering, said the transition after graduation was paved before he ever received his diploma.

“I was blessed enough to have an offer to Georgia Tech before I graduated and had known for a while that I wanted to go to graduate school, so there was little trouble during the transition,” Woodham said. “Some schools did turn me down while others accepted me. I wouldn’t call the experience overwhelming; my education at UA had adequately prepared me and opened the right doors, academically speaking.”

Katie Price, also a 2011 UA graduate, is currently employed at Hewlett-Packard in Atlanta, Ga., as an IT Business Consultant III.

Price chose to pursue graduate school, studying enterprise integration while completing her bachelor in management information systems.

“I was invited to join the University Scholars Program, which allowed me to dual enroll as an undergrad and graduate student for one semester, which also allowed me to finish my graduate degree with only one additional semester,” Price said. “I knew that I would gain more from the MIS grad program than what I would by taking a job I wasn’t sure I’d be happy with.”

After graduation, Price said she had little difficulty finding a job amid a seemingly bleak economic landscape.

“The economy still wasn’t doing well,” she said. “However, it didn’t take long for me to find a job – I had one well before actually graduating. The MIS program still maintains 99 percent job placement for graduating classes, so I began interviewing early on with the companies I was most interested in.”

Upon starting at Hewlett-Packard, Price said she was prepared for the position through her education.

“I was nervous on my first day,” she said. “But quickly I realized that I was fully prepared for the things that were being asked of me through my MIS undergrad and graduate degree background.”

Price said her biggest employment goal is satisfaction in the quality and effect of her work.

“My ultimate career goal is to enjoy every position I hold,” Price said. “I want to do that by ensuring I’m providing business value to my team and my company while also staying challenged with new ideas and projects.”