Students who will be graduating in December from ETSU should be prepared to experience a very tight job market, due to the continued downturn in the economy.
“American businesses are in recession, the price of oil is going up and employers, some right here in the Tri-Cities, are going bankrupt,” said Dan Emmel, director of Career Placement and Internship Services.
Teacher layoffs have been a problem in Tennessee because of the recent state budget crisis. In a couple of years many teachers will be retiring, and therefore, will provide future graduates with a better opportunity of receiving a job.
“The teaching profession hasn’t hit that cycle in a couple of decades now,” Emmel said. “Certain certified areas in education, such as special education, foreign language, math and science, are currently hiring in grades K-12.
There are also some bright spots for those students with degree-specific majors, such as health care. Hospitals are in demand of patient-oriented primary care, especially nurses and physical therapists. Students are likely to find a health care job in this area.
Unfortunately, the best chance upcoming graduates have of finding a job with a good salary or of finding employment at all would be to move away from the Tri-Cities.
“Geographic mobility should be taken into major consideration when searching for a job,” Emmel said.
Manufacturing makes up 34 percent of jobs in Tennessee compared to the national average of 20 percent, so business layoffs, such as Seimens, have definitely affected our region.
“There’s no doubt about it, we’ve felt it fairly hard with job losses,” Emmel said.
Emmel recommends that students come visit the office one year before they plan to graduate.
“The number one problem that students face is waiting too long before coming to see us,” he said.
Students who get advice from the department early in their college careers have the benefit of making contact with potential employers.
Career services help students acquire a set of placement credentials, set up a resume and structure an objective.
“A very good objective to have is to know why you chose your major and know what you want to do with it,” Emmel said.

Author