Louisiana State University - Gumbo Yearbook (Baton Rouge, LA)

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Jambalava Jamboree 167

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Graduation: It ' s a Time for Joy? This May, 2.079 students gradu- ated from LSU. Thirty-two states and 28 foreign countries were rep- resented in the graduation. Men comprised 57 per cent of the graduating class and 43 per cent, women. About 24 per cent of the graduating class were married. Of the 2.079 students receiving degrees, only about one-half of the students began their college careers at this University. Bachelor ' s degrees were awarded to 1466 students. The mode age for undergraduate students was 22, although three graduates were only 20. and John Hooper received h is Bachelor ' s at the age of 69. Master ' s degrees were awarded to 256 students and 29 students received doctorate degrees. Professional law degrees were awarded to 168 students; profes- sional social welfare degrees were awarded to 90 students: and 47 stu- dents received degrees in veterinary medicine. Thirteen students received specialist degrees in educa- tion: eight master ' s of education degrees were awarded, and two stu- dents received doctorate degrees in musical arts. Job Outlook Hazy How will these graduates fare in the highly competitive employment hunt? 1. Graduates prepared to line up outside the Assembl) Center for the commencement exer- cises. (Schrodt) 2. Most graduates first enrolled at LSL during the 74-75 school year, although one undergraduate had enrolled as early as 1948. (Schrodt) 3. Master of Ceremonies Chancellor Paul Murrill divided his speech into three topics: You and LSL. You and the World, and You and Yourself. (Tnifant) 4. Miriam Coe, age 75. was the oldest graduate at LSL. finishing in Decem- ber. Ms. Coe was a fine am major and planned to seek a graduate degree. (Schultz) College placement directors reported that on-campus recruiting was up for the second year in a row. It must be taken into consideration, however, that the 1975-76 school year was the worst year in campus recruiting history. But. according to the 1978 Grad- uate Magazine, published annually by the 13-30 Corporation, there is an oversupply of college graduates this year, and there will be for many years to come. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, about one out of every four graduates will take jobs for which they are technically over- qualified. The 1978 Graduate reported that the greatest employment opportuni- ties existed for engineering, com- puter science, and business majors. In fact, engineering offers last year accounted for 55 per cent of the total offers made to bachelor-level graduates. Starting salaries for petroleum engineers this year aver- age over $1500 a month. Experts in banking, credit, and insurance will also enjoy prosper- ous job searches. Demand for accountants are strong, but the sup- ply has increased too, reported the Graduate. This is exemplified at LSU with the Accounting Depart- ment holding an enrollment of over 700. second only to general studies. According to the Graduate, accounting majors will find jobs, but not without looking. Computer science majors will have no trouble finding jobs, according to the magazine. The number of unfilled computer spe- cialists jobs this year is around 15.000. the Graduate reported. Health-related majors, including occupational and physical thera- pists, medical technologists, physi- cians ' assistants, and. of course, doctors and nurses, continue to be in short supply. Surprisingly enough, the Gradu- ate reported that art majors may be finding more opportunities this year, particularly if they are willing to form their own art galleries or theater companies. Because energy has become such a major issue, national energy research required more financial and technical workers. According to the National Edu- cation Association, public school openings will exist for only half the expected teaching graduates for the next eight years. Law school graduates will have trouble finding positions with firms. They will fare better working with the government. Students with degrees in foreign languages will find jobs scarce, but the mastery of a foreign language plus another skill will give a compe- titive edge over all job seekers, the magazine reported. Counseling, social work, therapy, personnel administration, and rec- reation have become overcrowded fields. Journalism suffers from the same over-popularity. The LSU School of Journalism holds the largest enrollment in the College of Arts and Sciences. According to the Graduate, there will be 20,000 jour- nalism graduates competing for the approximately 5,600 media job openings. Advertising agencies are hiring, but newspapers, radio, and television have few openings and usually refuse to hire new, inexperi- enced graduates. Is post-graduate work the key that opens the door to employ- ment? Not according to the Gradu- ate Magazine. According to the magazine, graduates who pursue advanced studies in hopes of win- ning over the competition will be disappointed. According to the magazine, the glut of Ph.D. ' s in 1985 is expected to be threefold: 580,000 Ph.D. ' s hungering for only 187.000 positions. Graduation 169