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Published: May 3, 2008
About 4,900 students will graduate from the University of South Florida this weekend, and most will enter a job market where the economic outlook is grim.
While all isn't bleak - employers cut fewer jobs last month - graduates will compete not only with each other for entry-level jobs, but with seasoned professionals looking for other work.
It didn't look that bad when they started school four years ago. Khaldun Manden, 25, majored in criminology at USF when job prospects with the state looked bright.
Now, a weakening economy has snuffed those prospects, and state budget cuts have eliminated many vacant positions.
"My parents told me, 'You chose the wrong time to graduate,'" Manden said as he prepared to walk in USF's commencement exercise Friday.
The United States lost jobs for the fourth consecutive month, but figures released Friday by the Labor Department show that employers cut fewer jobs in April - 20,000 compared with 81,000 in March.
Drema Howard, USF's career center director, said she's seen some new employers recruiting students on campus, but she's also seen other employers cancel their visits, mostly because they have downsized.
"I think the market is certainly going to be more competitive than students have seen in the last two or three years," Howard said. "We are seeing fewer job listings come through, but I still think there are opportunities."
Some are seeking opportunities in an advanced education. Shawnesha Renard, 23, graduated Friday with a degree in sociology. She sought out jobs this year in social services and public health, but found herself in aggressive competition seeking those that were available.
She decided to return to school and work toward a master's degree in public health to stand out. "A bachelor's is the new high school diploma," Renard said.
Not all the news is bad. Companies surveyed by the National Association of Colleges and Employers said that starting salaries for this year's graduates are on the rise, and they are increasing hiring.
But they have adjusted their hiring projections. In the fall, employers said they expected to hire 16 percent more new grads, according to the association's survey. They later revised that down to 8 percent.
Katy Rich, a 23-year-old communications graduate at USF, knew the market would be tough, so she started her job search last year. "It wasn't easy," Rich said. "But you have to start looking ahead of time." She received three offers, including one as a project manager for a company that makes key pads for use in live-audience television shows.
Jessica Quinn, 22, also found work where many others haven't looked - as a freelance sign language interpreter in Fort Lauderdale. "Interpreters are like doctors," Quinn said. "You're always going to need them."
Howard, the career center director, said that other professions are recruiting more frequently. Engineering is strong, along with information technology jobs, she said. The federal government also has made several recruiting trips to the USF campus.
But even some honors students have yet to hear responses to their applications. "It is very competitive," said Cris Chandler, 22, a sociology graduate with a 3.67 grade-point average who has searched for jobs that vary from social work to the nonprofit sector. He has come up dry.
Reporter Adam Emerson can be reached at (813) 259-8285 or aemerson@tampatrib.com.
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