I Graduated! Now What?

As members of the SSCC Career Services Center watched so many of you walk across the sacred stage last week and receive your hard earned diplomas, we thought many of you must be asking yourselves the same question….”Where do I go from here?”

Many SSCC students transfer to a 4-year institution to continue their education. The following are a few links we have found to the top 3 schools Shelton State students transfer to. These links will provide you with outlines of common career areas and employers to help you connect majors with careers.

University of Alabama
University of West Alabama
Auburn University


Most of SSCC’s technical students are ready to hit the pavement to start their careers.
Although the majority of you will want to stay near your home community or the West Alabama area, several of you may be considering locating to a different area or region.

The following is an excerpt from an article recently published at cnn.com and provides information about top cities for new graduates.

“This job market is one of the most challenging new grads have ever faced, with fewer jobs available and competition from more job seekers who are likely to have more experience," says Nathan Lippe, career adviser for CareerRookie.com.
"New grads will need to go the extra mile -- both literally and figuratively -- when it comes to their job searches."
"Many new grads are feeling the pressure of deciding where to live after college," said Tammy Kotula, public relations and promotions manager, Apartments.com.
"Finding an affordable apartment and a good job may determine where to live, but it's also important to look at cities offering the culture and lifestyle these young adults enjoy."
For new grads who plan to expand their job searches beyond their college towns or hometowns, Apartments.com and CareerRookie.com just released the third annual "Top 10 Best Cities for Recent College Graduates" based on the ranking of top U.S. cities with the highest concentration of young adults (age 20 to 24) from the U.S. Census Bureau (2006), inventory of jobs requiring less than one year of experience from CareerRookie.com (March, 2010) and the average cost of rent for a one bedroom apartment from Apartments.com (2010).
According to Apartments.com and CBcampus.com, the top 10 cities for new grads are:
1.Atlanta, Georgia
Average rent:* $723
Popular entry-level categories: sales, marketing, customer service
2. Phoenix, Arizona
Average rent: $669
Popular entry-level categories: sales, customer service, training
3. Denver, Colorado
Average rent: $779
Popular entry-level categories: sales, customer service, health care
4. Dallas, Texas
Average rent: $740
Popular entry-level categories: sales, customer service, health care
5. Boston, Massachusetts
Average rent: $1275
Popular entry-level categories: sales, marketing, training
6. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Average rent: $938
Popular entry-level categories: sales, marketing, health care
7. New York
Average rent: $1,366
Popular entry-level categories: sales, customer service, marketing
8. Cincinnati, Ohio
Average rent: $613
Popular entry-level categories: sales, customer service, management
9. Baltimore, Maryland
Average rent: $1,041
Popular entry-level categories: sales, customer service, management
10. Los Angeles, California
Average rent: $1319
Popular entry-level categories: sales, training, health care

Looking beyond your hometown
If you are considering expanding your job search to other cities, Lippe offers these tips:
• Be flexible and open-minded about locations and jobs you might not have considered previously. Even if you don't end up in your dream job, you can earn valuable transferable skills that you can take with you to your next job.
• Contact an alumnus from your college who lives in that city and join your alumni chapter if there is one.
• Get an insider's perspective by familiarizing yourself with the local media and other resources. Read up on the city's business and community news.
• Develop a list of companies within the area and learn about their businesses and company cultures.
• Register with a national recruitment agency; interview with a recruiter in your local office and have that person put the word out to other offices in your target cities.
• Consider spending a few days in your desired city to learn more, network and set up informational interviews. In your applications and cover letters, tell hiring managers the dates you'll be in the city and available to interview.
Despite a troubled job market, Ripple says she wouldn't have majored in studies that might have brought her more job prospects.
"I genuinely enjoy and have a passion for International Business and Marketing and I would have majored in it no matter what. Had I known the economy would have been like this perhaps I would have made plans to immediately get my MBA afterward or had plans in place to move right away."
*Average rent of one bedroom apartment
**Using search term "entry level" in that city
© CareerBuilder.com 2010. All rights reserved. The information contained in this article may not be published, broadcast or otherwise distributed without the prior written authority.


The full article can be found at:
http://www.cnn.com/2010/LIVING/worklife/05/12/cb.best.cities.new.grads/?hpt=Sbin