Job Prospects for ‘24, ‘25 Grads and beyond?

Parents Forum
1449

I wonder how many of those plans will be derailed when students are made aware of the new student loan limits. Even for “professional” grad degrees.

A DPT (Doctorate of Physical Therapy) runs around $115k for tuition alone (all three years combined), not counting living expenses for 3 years. New loan limits students to borrowing $100k total across undergrad and graduate levels for non-professional grad degrees, and $20,500 per year during grad school.

A JD costs well in excess of $100k per year. Grad school loans for professional degrees are capped at $50k/yr.

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1450

I assume many will go to a law school they could afford but that’s wishful thinking on my part.

1451

By this I mean that those who are persistent, creative, proactive and who flat out hustle will ultimately find success in life vs those who sit and play woe is me while not thinking outside the box.

In the long term, luck is created in most cases.

I feel for kids today. But I also feel for employers who had to pacify kids in order to keep them.

As you note, there are jobs. Many who find them will have worked hard to identify them vs sitting home and complaining.

Too many want to sprint vs participate in the marathon.

I’ll read journalist backgrounds on cnn, Forbes or otherwise. As a failed, wanna be journalist, I’m interested in where they went to school.

You’d be amazed at how many do second duty, working in restaurants or other hospitality, as freelance writers, and more.

They pursue the dream but the dream is tough - but they hustle, are doing what it takes to carry them. That’s what I’m talking about.

The output seems glorious as I read or here it but their reality is hustle and grit.

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1452

Those with graduate degrees (May, 2025) in fields that are currently described as “hot” and “growing” are finding that the job market is not as “hot” as it was.

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1453

And I am saying that luck is not made.

Grit and hustle are helpful, but they are neither necessary nor sufficient.

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1454

I understand that the database you are looking at doesn’t have data yet for 2025 grads. But I feel that the job market has changed a lot since the data you presented. For example @momofboiler1 reported changes that her D is seeing for 2026 grads.

2024 grads were job hunting more than a year ago… many had their jobs already lined up two years ago, for jobs that recruit in the fall. This seems like a long time ago now.

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1455

:100: the 2024 data is too old. i’m eagerly waiting for 2025 #s. Anecdata tells me that there are fewer roles and the hiring bar is much much higher. Most employers are hiring mainly from their intern class and return offer rates are down as well.

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1456

And internships have also become harder and harder to get over time…

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1457

I don’t know if there’s data on this but on an overall basis, I’d find this hard to believe - because most who hire full time don’t even have interns. Or a similar amount to the amount of folks they’ll hire full-time.

1458

Anecdotal reports tend to be less reliable than larger sample sizes. It’s difficult to extrapolate national trends from looking at results for your kid or the small handful of kids you know. Furthermore there has been more time since graduation for 2024 than 2025 grads, so 2024 grads are more likely to have found a path, which can bias perception. I’m not saying you are wrong, but I’ve seen similar posts many times in previous years on this forum, and each time when the actual stats appeared months later, they did not reflect the perception of parents who personally knew kids that were struggling. There were often statistically significant changes from previous years, but smaller changes than many (most?) expected.

I expect this thread will still be active in a few months, when colleges start publishing outcomes x months after graduation types stats for 2025 grads. We can revisit this topic then.

1459

IMO, many of the higher paying entry level jobs do have internships.

1460

Kids today - just different. It’s a joke but not untrue. That includes my own.

1461

Know of at least a couple of 2024 kids who started at AWS in June 2025 and were let go in the massive layoff a couple of weeks ago.

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1462

Survivorship bias is a hell of a drug.

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1463

For kids interested in internships, I know they are hiring for next summer. It’s very professional. You learn. No matter of major, it fills the resume.

There are others. Don’t knock me for trying to help kids like many have. The alternative is accepting one can’t get a job and I call bs to that.

Btw I’d argue shotgunning apps is more important than ever. I’ve mentored several kids and it works. It may not be efficient but it works. To me it’s give you your best odds today, especially when you don’t know what is and isn’t a real listing. It wasn’t easy b4. I was easier. It yields results but yes kids have to be able to handle rejection. It’s a must. But remind them that every no is one step closer to a yes.

https://www.sewell.com/careers/internship/

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1464

Bravo to St. Olaf - who has their 2025 job board up.

You can put in the major.

They note this is only kids who had a job by graduation and it does not have a still seeking.

But put in your major…maybe you’ll see an organization worth investigating - if you are still looking - either for a jo or internship.

You have to set the major and year - as it resets when I link it.

But for example, they show 21 bio majors with full time jobs, 16 CS majors with full time jobs, 12 econ majors, 7 Poli Sci grads, and 11 Sociology/Anthro grads.

I don’t know much about the jobs other than the school says they are full time (they also show part time) and they had the jobs by graduation. They are not yet showing a still seeking.

It’s good to see where people have been hired. Maybe they are worth looking at for an internship or even employment…or finding similar organizations in other places. There are so many companies/job types people have no clue about…no clue - that includes me - so through research, something might shake free.

First Destination Dashboard – Piper Center for Vocation and Career

I’ll also tell you who hires each and every year - and they are still in growth mode- I’m connected to folks there. Toyota. They are showing:

Business Internship Summer Ops - new hires likely start in the call center full time b4 heading to departments like marketing, distribution, incentives, etc.

I will tell you, within the industry, they are the gold standard so I imagine they are flooded with apps - but if you don’t try…Most, if not all the OEMs, hire interns…sometimes minority only, sometimes anyone…

STEM Co-op & Internship Opportunities in Plano, Texas, 75024 | College & Trainee Programs at Toyota’

2026 Summer Toyota Financial Services (TFS) Internship in Plano, Texas, 75024 | College & Trainee Programs at Toyota’

2026 HR Summer Internship Program in Costa Mesa, California, 92626 | College & Trainee Programs at Toyota’

Business Co-op & Internship Opportunities in Plano, Texas, 75024 | College & Trainee Programs at Toyota’

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1465

Purdue’s college of science has reported some data from the class of ‘25 for CS and DS:
Placement - Department of Computer Science - Purdue University.

I expect the career dashboard will be updated soon.

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1466

Well, I appreciate all of this info on possible paths and potential job opportunities, whether it’s relevant or not to our situation I don’t know.

Here’s what I do know - my older child will graduate in May with a double major in MechE and CivE. He’s given up the majority of his wants - he no longer is looking for jobs in any particular location or in the industry that he desires. There are two things he hasn’t given up on yet and those are (1) a place where he can do Mechanical Engineering work and where they will help him gain skills and experience to potentially get the dream jobs later - the ones that require experience that no college grad has and (2) not working in the defense industry, which he has a moral objection to. I won’t lie, I’m struggling a little with number 2 - he’s not anti-military people, his best friend will graduate from the Naval Academy this year, his other BFF is graduating from the Corps of Cadets at Virginia Tech, his dad is retired navy. But he feels passionately about not working on weapons of warfare. The defense industry, however, is where a lot of the jobs are. So in one regard, I want him to just apply to raytheon and be done with it. But on the other hand, I’ve raised my kid to have beliefs and to stand up for what’s important to him and what he believes in and I would never want him to be a different guy. How can I tell him now that something that he holds so important to himself doesn’t matter that he should just take a job because a job is a job?

And the answer is, I can’t do that. So if that means hanging in my house and doing some kind of low skill job to keep some $$ in his pocket while he continues to look for something that uses his skill set, then I’m going to consider myself lucky that I can support that.

But that’s not where we are yet, he’s still got half a year until graduation. What I can tell you, relevant perhaps to this discussion of “but you can work at the gas station or TJ Maxx” is that yes, he can. But until that’s his only choice, until he’s out of school with no offer in hand, he’s going to keep shooting his shot for a job he wants, not a job he has to settle for. And that time spent hustling and stressing and prepping for the interviews and updating the cover letters and researching the people he’s talking with and brainstorming different ways to present his information - that’s mentally exhausting. It’s frustrating and dispiriting and disheartening. We haven’t even gotten to the point where he graduates without a job - and hopefully we won’t - but the searching for a job, the 80+ resumes he’s put out there, the informational interviews, the first and second round that ultimately don’t go anywhere - they are exhausting. My kid is busting his butt on his senior year research project and on job applications and on trying to get through some of the most complex classes he’s taken. He wants to be able to enjoy this last gasp of student life, and the job search - and stress and anxiety around it - is making that very very hard to do.

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1467

If it makes anyone feel better, all 3 of my sons graduated without a job (despite 2 trying hard to get one). All landed on their feet and were employed within a few months of graduating.

In case anyone hasn’t considered it, one son is doing environmental consulting and his firm is hiring. I think engineering majors are sought after in this field.

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1468

Warm, positive thoughts and hopes for a positive outcome for your son. You and he are exactly right that pursuing his dream, even though it takes such arduous persistence, is the right first way to go. The constant badgering and arguing and debating about low pay customer service store or sales jobs is not helpful, especially for you and your son at this time and I’m sorry that has been happening. Despite all the unfortunate negative experience your son has had so far is disheartening, but it only takes one positive outcome for things to counteract that. And it is early yet. Hopefully his school will have a job fair and/or that his career service office at school can be helpful in some capacity. Best of luck and hugs to you and your son. For what it’s worth, my Mech E son would not consider defense industry jobs (in any capacity) either. They were there and we even had connections to some, but he did not choose to pursue that. I shared his at times bumpy career history here , Job Prospects for ‘24, ‘25 Grads and beyond? - #1389 by jym626 , but it has been a positive experience all around. Best of luck again to you and your son.

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