Be prepared and be flexible to succeed in a tight job market

Black Collegian, Oct 1994 by Kugler, Eileen

The future belongs to science and technology. Those without some scientific and technical background will find themselves lacking essential skills for almost any career. But what about those seeking careers specifically related to science and technology?

"The job market is tight, but not impossible," says Dr. Anthony Johnson, a physicist with AT&T's Bell Laboratories. "It may take longer to find a position, and it may not be in the exact specialty field sought, but graduates are finding positions."

SOME UPBEAT INDICATORS

The Commission on Professionals in Science and Technology (CPST) reports that the tight job market does show signs of easing. In fact, the U.S. Department of Labor predicts a faster than average growth over the next 10 years in several science-related occupations, including engineering; architecture and surveying; computers; mathematical and operations research occupations; and life, physical and social science.

The job market today already looks different from what it did a few years ago. A greater number of scientists are going into the service sector, and fewer are going into manufacturing, where downsizing is a fact of life. Government and nonprofit organizations employed fewer of this year's new college graduates than in previous years.

Scientists with strong math backgrounds are faring well in today's market. Mathematics majors saw average salary offers up nearly seven percent to over $28,000. Few enter the field as mathematicians, but instead use their skills in a wide variety of career paths, ranging from actuary to systems engineer to computer programmer, according to the Department of Labor. A strong science and math combination opens many career doors.

Average starting salaries in the biological sciences are up two percent this last year to just over $22,200, the CPC study revealed. The hottest job market in the biological field, by all accounts, is biotechnology. Cell biologist Dr. James Hogan notes that there are opportunities for graduates, even those without advanced degrees, to be involved with high-powered research.

There is also the more traditional career path for biological scientists who go into the medical professions. Concern that minorities are poorly represented in the medical field and the higher echelons of science was voiced in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute (Jan. 19, 1994). The number of minority students enrolled in medical schools is up, but there is a strong support to increase this number even more. The job market in physics is "disheartening," although some areas of specialization offer promise, according to a recent survey by the American Institute of Physics (AIP). New graduates are competing not only with each other, but also with experienced researchers who have lost their positions because of downsizing. Those who study optics or lasers have the best job opportunities, according to the study.

Starting salaries for bachelor's degree recipients in the physics area are about $24,000, according to the American Institute of Physics. However, most physicists and astronomers have advanced degrees. The AIP reports a median salary of $65,000 in 1992 for its members with PhDs.

Graduating chemists saw a slight decline in their average salaries, down to nearly $28,000. Most of the hiring that does take place is in smaller biotechnology, pharmaceutical, analytical, and environmental services firms rather than large chemical companies, according to the Commission on Professionals in Science and Technology (CPST).

BETTERING YOUR POSITION

So what's an undergraduate to do to improve the chances of succeeding in the job market? There are two keys that may open the golden door: be prepared and be flexible.

Being prepared starts with competence in basic science and mathematics. "My advice to undergraduates is to take as much math and science as possible," urges Laura-Lee Davidson of the Quality Education for Minorities (QEM) Network.

This doesn't necessarily mean a focus on specialized science courses. Dr. A. Lawrence Peirson of Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution says they urge applicants to their undergraduate summer internships and traineeships to take basic science classes. "We don't care if they have ever seen an ocean; we'll teach them oceanography," says Peirson, associate dean. "But we do care if they have studied general physics, chemistry, and math."

Similarly, basic math courses are considered extremely valuable. "Math gives you a way of approaching problem solving. It gives you valuable analytical skills," states Dr. Valerie Thomas. Thomas uses her training in math and physics every day as assistant chief of the Space Science Data Operations Office of NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center. "With a strong math background, you can deal with problems in a quantitative fashion. You can make use of numbers to ensure the quality of the work you're doing. And you can make sure that what you are doing works, and that it works consistently."

TECHNICAL COMPETENCE--PLUS

While strength in basic math and science provides a solid foundation, graduates need what Dr. Shirley Malcom of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) terms "technical competence plus." "First you need core understanding, and then you need additional skills that make employers take a second and third look," states Malcom, who directs the AAAS Education and Humane Resources program.