Outlook good for Long Island college graduates entering job market

Long Island Business News, Apr 8, 2005 by Michele Pepe

Shenna McKenzie's parents always told her that if she was going to be an Indian, she might as well be a chief.

The teenager, who will graduate from The College at Old Westbury with a bachelor's degree in media and communications this spring, has taken their advice to heart. A diamond stud in her chin, her hair pulled back into a ponytail, McKenzie sees herself as a leader - a senior-level magazine editor - five years from now. She even knows exactly where she wants to be: on the 21st floor of a building in the SoHo district of Manhattan.

Zuleyha Kayi is equally as confident about her career path. Although she'll graduate from Old Westbury with a degree in comparative humanities this May, she's done a lot of online research about becoming a doctor. She's heartened to discover that many a physician earned a liberal arts degree as an undergrad, only to unearth their penchant for medicine in later years.

Kayi admits that a doctor's earning power holds a lot of appeal for her as she makes her way off campus and out into the real world. But even more than that, the teen says she wants to make her mark by helping people.

My dad was sick a lot. He has a heart condition, high blood pressure, Type II diabetes, Kayi said. I saw doctors get him through. I want to do that for people, especially in third-world countries.

The prognosis

The outlook for this spring's local college grads is generally a good one, according to career counselors.

The lull of a few years ago has been replaced with a little buzz, if not an outright roar, of activity.

At Adelphi University, where Estee Lauder has long been an on- campus-recruitment regular, the cosmetics company just returned after a two-year hiatus, said Pat Mitchell, director of the school's Center for Career Development.

Some hot fields? Nursing is always very big - we have to run a separate job fair for those positions, Mitchell said. The education space was overpopulated for awhile - especially in [primary education] - but now it's opening up. In secondary education, English, speech pathology and phys ed are much better this year than they were in the recent past.

What have you done for me lately?

Now more than ever, local employers are looking for people with experience, even if you've just earned your degree and started pounding the pavement.

Graduating from a good school isn't enough, said Marleene Bhan, career counselor at Old Westbury. Employers want to see a portfolio with numbers, reports, facts - anything that offers concrete proof of your credentials and potential for success.

That's probably why internships have gained increasing popularity among college students on Long Island and elsewhere.

So many employers are using internships these days as a pipeline to talent, said Philip Meade, internship coordinator at Adelphi's Center for Career Development. The experience is great for the students. It gives them a taste of the job hunt process and a feel for the outside world.

Mitchell stresses to students that looking for a job is a process, not an event. We encourage them all to build their resumes over the years, she said. Join clubs, volunteer, do a variety of jobs and internships related to your field, not just a summer job folding shirts at The Gap.

Show me the money

Many graduating seniors seem to have a good idea of how much money they'd like to make starting out, even if they don't rank salary as their No. 1 criterion for accepting a job.

Sean McGrath, a senior at Adelphi who will graduate with a history degree this spring and go on to pursue his master's in secondary education, expects to start with a salary of about $45,000 once he gets hired as a teacher.

Kristin Ulin, a business major, expects about the same. Her ideal job? A management position at a Long Island-based marketing or advertising firm.

The field is very competitive, Ulin said. But I feel very well prepared for the work world. I'm hoping to advance in whatever job I get and make a salary that allows me to stay on Long Island and buy a home of my own.

Location, location, location

For some graduating seniors, staying on the Island and working close to home top the agenda. For others, distant places beckon.

I'd really like to stay here and not have to commute that far, said Ulin, who ranks a short travel time to work above flextime, opportunity for advancement, benefits and even salary.

But Old Westbury's Kayi said she'll go wherever life takes her.

And Rebecca Zander-Bogart, who plans to graduate with her M.B.A. from Stony Brook University this spring, thinks the chances of her staying on the Island are slim at best.

Corporate culture is really the most important thing to me, she said. I'm looking for a very progressive, forward-thinking company where I'm allowed to be my self, and I don't see a lot of companies like that here on Long Island.

Zander-Bogart, 38, already works in her desired field - sales - as an at-home representative for Knoll Inc., a Pennsylvania-based office-furniture company.

One of our customers is Stony Brook, so I found myself on the campus a lot, she said. I love the academic environment, and I've seen a lot of bad management styles, so I figured I'd go back to school to learn how to manage well, and to re-ignite my passion for selling.