Region's grads looking for work, feeling hopeless

Emily Dingman had a feeling this is where she would end up, after collecting her bachelor’s in psychology at the University of Idaho Coeur d’Alene.

Waiting tables.

“With psychology it’s hard to get a job without a master’s, and I kind of knew that going in,” the Rathdrum resident said, adding that she had intended to shoot for a master’s but couldn’t afford it.

With just a bachelor’s, the only work Dingman can get in her field pays less than her waitressing job, she said.

Add to that the smirking economy, hindering the 36-year-old’s chances of landing a better paying job.

“I’ve been applying to get any sort of job that has benefits — insurance companies, administrative positions,” said Dingman, who has gotten one interview but nothing else. “I think I probably applied to 20 different positions in six months.”

It’s a common tale across the nation now, especially for younger students emerging from college. According to a recent AP analysis of government data, 53.6 percent of those under 25 years of age with bachelor’s degrees were unemployed or underemployed, waiting tables and peddling retail instead of collecting higher paychecks in their respective fields.

That’s the highest percentage in the last 11 years.

While job placement numbers for graduates are better in North Idaho, there are still some struggling to succeed after they’re handed their degrees, said Gail Laferriere, assistant director of career services at North Idaho College in Coeur d’Alene.

It’s not just the recession to blame, she said.

It’s also a lack of planning.

From Laferriere’s interactions with students at NIC, “the majority” don’t plan for what will happen when they graduate, she said.

“They feel it’s an overwhelming decision, so they put it off,” Laferriere said.

When graduates haven’t considered how and what they can achieve with their education, she said, floundering employment ensues. Like those who major in areas that don’t have an obvious job market, she said.

“Too many people go to school and say, ‘I’m going to get a degree and that’s going to get me a job,’” Laferriere said. “But if you haven’t done your homework of exactly what you want, what are they hoping to do with that?”

She noted that the two-year professional technical education programs at NIC have a 91 percent job placement, because they’re tailored to place students into jobs upon graduation.

Although a bachelor’s might be higher level of degree, not all majors have such a set career track, she said, or a high employment projection.

“Keep in mind that changes,” Laferriere said of job outlooks. “All of a sudden, a field has a huge positive employment outlook, and then that’s flooded because all the students go into it.”

There is increasing competition in fields where the job market is bright, Laferriere added, so a bachelor’s degree doesn’t go as far in securing a career.

“Education requirements are going up,” she said, pointing to higher standards for nursing and physical therapy. “That partly is the reflection of the global economy.”

Most NIC students transfer to other institutions to obtain bachelor’s degrees, Laferriere said, primarily at University of Idaho and Lewis Clark State College.

According to a U of I poll, about 44 percent of 2011 graduating students said they were headed to full-time employment in their major fields; 11 percent had employment in a different field; 25 percent were going to graduate school. Five percent planned on continuing professional education; 9 percent were undecided; 5 percent were headed to other activities and 1 percent didn’t respond.

“I think that’s not an unreasonable figure,” said Jane Baillargeon, UI’s assistant director of institutional research and assessment, of the percent of grads not working in their major fields. “We have a lot of students who come here to the university already knowing they’re going to go back and run the family farm, or do some ranching or go into military service.”

Those whose majors have a more structured career path tend to land jobs faster, like with accounting or engineering, said Jessica Berwick, manager for employer relations at the U of I career center.

“Those who go into fine arts or liberal arts studies, those students almost always have more options, in that they’re not tied to jumping into working at an accounting firm,” Berwick said. “But it’s up to them to take advantage of creating those opportunities.”

Like Laferriere, Berwick has also observed many students not preparing for future employment.

“We get some frantic graduates calling mid-June who have never visited our (career center) office, or have thought about investing time while they’re a student to take on opportunities like an internship,” she said.

U of I Coeur d’Alene spokespeople weren’t available, but staff stated that the Moscow location also speaks for the Coeur d’Alene school.

According to an LCSC Coeur d’Alene poll, of 90 graduates in 2011:

• 45 were employed in fields related to their training;

• 19 employed in an unrelated field;

• 15 pursuing additional/graduate education;

• and 11 were unemployed.

The business division boasted solid job placement, with 26 of 36 graduates employed, three in graduate school and seven unemployed.

“The employment of LCSC Coeur d’Alene graduates noticeably exceeds the national average,” stated Cyndie Hammond, executive director of LCSC Coeur d’Alene, which she attributed to “the quality of our graduates and the relevance of our academic programs to labor market needs.”

But matching qualifications to those labor market needs is an ongoing challenge.

Nara Decker’s eyes widened and she nodded vigorously when asked if she’s worried about not finding a job when she obtains her teaching degree.

“It’s just a really competitive job market — there are so many people going into that field,” the 22-year-old Coeur d’Alene woman said, noting that a bachelor’s alone doesn’t propel someone as far anymore in her field. “Everyone is getting educated, which is awesome, but it makes it more competitive.”

Nara is trying to protect herself with careful planning. She is dually enrolled at NIC and U of I to obtain her bachelor’s. She plans on earning her master’s immediately after.

“You have to stand out,” Nara said of procuring a job. “Don’t give up.”

Her sister Sarah, 18, entered the nursing program at NIC with the same sights on a career.

“It’s been tough, but it’s a good challenge,” Sarah said of the program.

Arthur Putnam, 20, said he isn’t surprised graduates armed with bachelor’s degrees are scraping to get by, which he believes is related to outsourcing.

Currently attending NIC and planning to transfer to a four-year institution, Putnam said he hopes a bachelor’s in computer science will bring him job security.

“I think a college degree is still beneficial and betters your odds,” Putnam said. “It’s just not a guaranteed job like back in the day.”

Laferriere tells students to research job outlooks for specific fields and locations before graduating.

Be sure of what education will best suit certain goals, she added.

“The advice from parents or peer who say college is a must, it’s probably still good advice,” she said. “But understand what employers are looking for. Decide what you are, who you are, and get as specific as you can with what you’d like to do.”