Published: February 12, 2009

The struggling economy and eroding job market are forcing many seniors to reevaluate their after-college plans, and more students than ever are looking into attending graduate school, especially for education.

According to the U.S. Department of Labor and Industry, the current unemployment rate is sitting at 7.6 percent.  For seniors, this may mean a wait in finding their “dream jobs.”

Robert Isabella, FCLC ’09, said that although he had always planned to attend law school, in the current economic climate, he feels it is even more important.

“I feel especially strongly about going to law school immediately,” Isabella said.

“At first I was considering working for a year and retaking the LSAT if I didn’t get into any of the law schools that I strongly wanted to attend,” he said. “However, I’ve received an acceptance to a law school that I do strongly want to attend, and with that added to the poor quality of the job market…”

According to Andrew Cronan, executive director of career services and student affairs, his office does not advise students to enter graduate school with the sole purpose of avoiding the job market. “Students need to do what they feel suited for.  We can’t advise someone to attend graduate school just to put off finding a job,” Cronan said.

Cronan said that though many fields are struggling, there is growth among many careers. “We do see growth among fields such as risk management, research and education,” he said. “But again, you will find a job if you have the right fit.”

Interest in graduate school tends to increase during tough economic times, said Chris Rosenbaum, director of development at Knewton, Inc., a company that provides test preparation services to people who are interested in applying to graduate school.

“We have been seeing some tremendous difficulty in the job market, especially here in New York City,” Rosenbaum said.  “As the economy hits a downturn, the upside to staying in the job market (and thus the opportunity to [leave] it to head back to school) decreases.”

Linda Horisk, assistant dean of admissions and enrollment management at Fordham’s Graduate School of Education (GSE), said that her office has indeed seen a spike in enrollment interest.  “Generally… enrollments do tend to increase in times of economic problems.”

James Hennessey, dean of the Graduate School of Education (GSE), said that enrollment has not increased since last year, but “some indicators suggest that an increase will occur over the summer or next fall.” He said, “One indicator is the response we have received to recent and soon-to-be held open houses. Attendance was twice as high in January than it was the previous January. We expect the same or greater increase for our February open houses.”

Hennessey continued, “Inquiries are coming in from people in the financial, technological and public relations fields; the number of inquiries is much higher than in the past.”

Horisk said, “[GSE] is getting more inquiries from not only college seniors but from people who are considering career changes.  These are people who have lost jobs, or fear losing their jobs, in areas such as the financial, marketing and entertainment fields, and are now considering careers in education.”

Horisk said that while education is a safe choice right now, students should look for careers that “fit.”

“Undergraduate seniors should research and explore job trends and make decisions based on what types of work will be the jobs that sustain current crisis and the changes that will be needed for the future. Most important, however, is to make a choice based on what your heart tells you and how you ‘see’ yourself as a worker, one who has a calling and a passion for the work,” she said.

Mark Nelson, FCLC ’09, is a history and psychology major who plans on entering education upon graduation.  Nelson is taking advantage of programs that he said he “likely would have pursued regardless of the economy.” Among them is the Teach For America program, one that Nelson said he feels is safe despite the economy.  “I think other graduating seniors may actually have some good fortune being able to apply to programs like this,” Nelson said.

Joel Rowe, FCLC ’09 and an anthropology major, said, “Service opportunities are one alternative to graduate school and a ‘real job.’ I’m contemplating a few as a backup of the backup. Many allow you to put your loans on hold, but I still feel like it might be a good idea to get started in a graduate program to boost my chances of being in a more favorable position once the recession ends.”

Though some fields are faring better than others in the recession, Cronan said that his office urges all students to pursue a career that they find rewarding.  “We do not encourage students to enter a field just because they believe it is safe from recession,” Cronan said.  “…Students need to understand themselves and understand what jobs their abilities, interests, values and personality are best suited for.”