Engineering graduate Matthew Waddell will soon call New York City his hometown.
Waddell recently participated in On Campus Recruiting, a program that brings business organizations to campus to hire students for full-time jobs and summer internships. While graduation is still several months away, most students will receive jobs within the next few months.
Waddell recently received a job with Meyer and Associates, a financial investment firm located on Wall Street.
Unlike Waddell, College senior Candace Morris is still waiting to receive a job offer. Until then, Morris continues to utilize resources provided by Career Services.
She recently reformatted her resume by increasing the font-size of her name to make her application stand out.
"I'm not really nervous, I'm just anxious, " Morris said. "I have no idea where I'm going to be next year."
With Thanksgiving approaching, many students are finishing up final round interviews and planning for next year.
A recently released report on labor-recruiting trends by Michigan State University estimating that job opportunities for the class of 2006 will rise between 6 and 14 percent means that the future looks promising for many seniors.
The report also predicted that consulting, research, information management and e-commerce organizations will be top recruiters.
The average starting salary for 2004 graduates of all four undergraduate schools was $40,073. Top employers include the University of Pennsylvania, Goldman Sachs, JP Morgan and Teach for America.
Figures for the class of 2005 have not yet been compiled.
But even those receiving job offers may still need some assistance from career counselors.
When it comes to deciding between numerous offers, students often need some guidance, Career Counselor Sharon Fleshman said.
Counselors help students weigh important criteria and decide what job factors are most important to them.
"In the end it's their decision," Fleshman said. "We want them to make sound decisions so they don't accept offers too easily."
While choosing a job is certainly important, most students do not stay in their first job for more than two to three years, Fleshman explained.
"I think it's natural to see [graduates] move on," she said. "They get a keener sense of what they're looking for" in their careers.
Although Waddell is excited to move to New York this January, he knows he will miss his friends.
While he looks forward to meeting new people, he "will not necessarily have a support group," he said.
Leaving college and joining the workforce is a "totally different lifestyle," 2005 College graduate Rachel Dein said.
Dein, who began working as an actuary after graduating last spring, explained that while she misses college she enjoys living and working in Philadelphia.
"It's not that you stop learning" after college, Dein said. "It's just a different learning experience."
