As Unemployment Rises, Local Colleges Help Students Compete in a Tough Economy

As students head back to school, the economy seems to stay on vacation. Students at local colleges like Mercer University say finding a job after college is a major concern.

Later on down the road you’ve got to support a family and whatnot…Having job security just gives you peace of mind,” says Mercer senior Elias Hall.

The career services staff at Mercer say students are going to have to start thinking outside Georgia borders when it comes to finding a job, especially with unemployment at 9.1% around the country.

“I think that there’s some reluctance on people’s part to pursue jobs that might be out of what we’d call their comfort zone. They’d like to stay close to home,” Dr. Steve Brown, director of Career Services at Mercer says.

Dr. Brown also says many students who go to local colleges like Mercer University are going to have to start being more flexible than ever when looking for a job right after college.

“We want them to open up their geographic boundaries–be willing to go where the opportunities are. We want them to think in terms of not necessarily that job being their job for the rest of their life, but for it to be an opportunity for them to gain some skills they can transfer later on in another field,” says Brown.

Dr. Bradshaw says using social networking sites like LinkedIn.com and rileyguide.com can help students narrow their job search and upload resumes so they can be noticed by more employers at once.

Regardless of where students want to end up, Dr. Brown says college seniors need to start the process early on in the school year. Despite the hangups in the economy, freshmen like Hannah Bradshaw are optimistic that college will pay off for her.

“If you’re flexible, even in a bad market you can still get a job. I think if you’re worried about not having a job, if you do that you have better chances,” she says.

And as the financial crisis worsens, students and educators remain hopeful that they can help stimulate a dying economy when they enter the workforce.