What Percentage of Graduates Gains Employment in an IT field Immediately Upon Graduation?

With so much talk about college grads being forced to find employment in a field that is not related to their degree, you might be wondering if pursuing a degree is really a good investment of your time and your money. Recent graduates have a hard time finding job openings in today’s highly competitive world of employment, and employers and recruiters typically do not want to hire recent graduates who lack the skills that their experienced counterparts have. In fact, in 2012 42% of employers stated that it was difficult to find qualified recent graduates, and 11% responded that it was very difficult. Luckily, for college majors pursuing a degree in Information Technology or another computer-related field, job outlook in positive and the demand for recent graduates is very high. Here is some information to help you determine how many recent IT graduates gain employment as soon as they graduate:

The Number of Graduates with an IT Degree is Down

The laws of supply and demand work in a variety of different areas, and employment is a sector where these laws a definitely exhibited. Looking at the job outlook in a specific field is a great way to determine which field is best for you to enter. When the Bureau of Labor Statistics and other agencies predict that there will be growth in a field, this means that more jobs will be created and these positions must be filled. When the BLS predicts growth, there must be at least this much growth in graduates within the field. If there is a gap, the demand for recent graduates is high, and if there is a surplus, open job positions in the field will be scarce.

In the field of IT, spending is up domestically. This increased spending has created more jobs for experienced IT professionals and recent graduates. The Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts that there will be growth of 22% in the field of IT by 2020. This growth is faster than average, but the number of graduates with an IT-related degree has gone down. In fact, a study conducted by CareerBuilder and Economic Modeling Specialists found that fewer technology graduates are being produced by colleges and universities today. The number of graduates is down by 11 percent, and there are 13% more IT jobs as a whole. While these statistics create a cause of concern for companies in the IT industry, this is promising for students who want peace of mind in knowing there will be jobs for them when they graduate.

As a whole, only half of the graduates in the nation get a job in a degree-related field. In the field of IT, these numbers are much higher. While it is much easier for an IT graduate to find a job quickly, whether you will find a job immediately depends on if you are seeking employment early on before you earn your degree. If you apply for internships, graduate the top of your class, and network with employers, you improve your chances of finding an entry-level position as soon as the degree hits your hand. If you wait, you may be like the 1 in 2 recent graduates who are looking for a position 6 months after graduating.