<p>Maybe there’s an another reason why job statistic data is hard to find in general…</p>
<p>[KevinCareyfor</a> Democracy: A Journal of Ideas](<a href=“http://www.democracyjournal.org/that_old_college_lie.html#]KevinCareyfor”>http://www.democracyjournal.org/that_old_college_lie.html#)</p>
<p>Wow, it’s a lengthy article, it seems more relating to the teaching quality and what students learn at my first glance. I need more time to digest it, but I’m not sure job statistic can be applied here, since many colleges already provide detailed job placement information. </p>
<p>For example, within the public colleges in Calif, CAL and CPSLO do a great job of having graduates outcome information accessible to everyone on line - with major/department breakdown, response rate, job title and salary information, employer’s name or graduate school name if heading for further studies. UCLA is a great school, but I have to to say, the career center is lagging here in term of data collecting.</p>
<p>
Not really. The response rate for CalPoly is insanely low. </p>
<p>For example:
Chemistry <a href=“https://www.careers.calpoly.edu/search.php[/url]”>https://www.careers.calpoly.edu/search.php</a>
Economics <a href=“https://www.careers.calpoly.edu/search.php[/url]”>https://www.careers.calpoly.edu/search.php</a>
Biochemistry <a href=“https://www.careers.calpoly.edu/search.php[/url]”>https://www.careers.calpoly.edu/search.php</a></p>
<p>Play around for yourself…
<a href=“https://www.careers.calpoly.edu/search.php[/url]”>https://www.careers.calpoly.edu/search.php</a></p>
<p>The only difference between SLO and UCLA is that SLO decided to publish their patchy statistics while UCLA decided that their statistics weren’t worth publishing. Berkeley does do a good job with their career statistics but the school is definitely the exception and not the standard.</p>
<p>^ Sorry for my wording. When I say “data collecting”, I mean the career center sorting out the data and break down the information and present them in details, not actually “collect” the data from each student. I don’t mean to refer to the response rate. If you read my earlier post in #18, I did say that college have no control of students response or not, that’s something every college has to live with.</p>
<p>“data analysis” is probably a better term in that sentence.</p>
<p>I applause CPSLO’s transparency for posting the job statistic even the response rate is low.</p>
<p>And in no where of my posts I stated CPSLO or even CAL has a better job placement than UCLA. I said “the career center is lagging here in term of data collecting”, (should be “data analysis” or somthing equiv).</p>
<p>I don’t think it counts as transparency if you have areas with 25% response rates. That’s just misleading.</p>
<p>Sure. You can say that. But I won’t blame the career center if students don’t response.</p>
<p>As an earlier poster pointed out, as well as other posters in different threads did when discussing the colleges’ job statistics, the non-respondents tend to be the ones that still looking for employment. So when I look into these data, I just throw the non-respondents into “no employment” category for simplicity and re-calculate all categories. Of course, these statistics are not accurate if response rate is low, but it serves my purpose of getting the worst scenario.</p>
<p>It is the data from those colleges that don’t post response rates when charting job placement are misleading.</p>
<p>I’m actually quite perplexed that we don’t have all that data… I’ll talk to the econ department specialist to see what’s up…</p>
<p>Ross has one of the best employment data analysis I have seen
[Employment</a> Profile - University of Michigan Business School](<a href=“http://www.bus.umich.edu/EmploymentProfile/EmploymentOverview.htm]Employment”>http://www.bus.umich.edu/EmploymentProfile/EmploymentOverview.htm)</p>
<p>Berkeley data is very useful in that many students don’t know what they want to study. Besides interest, it would be nice to see what kind of jobs certain major would likely lead to.</p>
<p>I know several UCLA graduates this year that already got job offers Jan/Feb/Mar. It would be nice to have some data analysis to help future students.</p>
<p>^damn, that U-M data is detailed and informative.</p>
<p>Unfortunately, I could give a **** about Michigan. If only UCLA could have this data compiled… :(</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Well said, BusyMei. I suggest HS seniors to look into those information to better understand the correlation between college majors and future career opportunities.</p>
<p>As far as my personal experience goes, it is really, really hard to generalize or even point out a certain trend at UCLA after graduation.</p>
<p>When the job prospect for UCLA graduate comes into the discussion, the all-too-familiar “Sink or Swim” mentality is the key mantra.</p>
<p>First of all, it is not fair or beneficial to talk about the job prospects for UCLA grads, along with grads from any other school, this year compared to the job prospects last year or before that. We are in some very unique economic climate, and from what I hear, there are many, many people (including those Ivy grads with near perfect GPA) struggling to find a job in today’s economy. I hate to demoralize anyone reading this post, but the job market scene is truly ugly and downright horrendous.</p>
<p>The housing market (new construction, sales, etc) has just turned the corner, which means that the economy will probably rebound in a couple quarters. But before companies start to hire at the same level as the pre-crisis era, it will take at least a couple more strong economic quarters, which all basically means that the job market will finally come around at a healthy level sometime in early 2012.</p>
<p>Going back to the original topic (I tend to digress, BTW), UCLA Career Center is in steep decline for sure. I have been following with UCLA Career Center and it is in complete mess, lacking coherent teamwork, strategic plans, fundings, and future plan, among other things.</p>
<p>Yet, on a positive side, UCLA students, for the most part (I am not really sure about the exact figure, but I once read that over 60% of UCLA grads receive job offers outside UCLA oncampus recruiting), have traditionally relied on outside job market opportunities, which should send a mixed signal to public that 1) UCLA Career Center sucks and 2) The reputation of UCLA grads still compensates for the lack of career center service enough.</p>
<p>As for me, I landed four oncampus interviews with mediocre GPA as a biz econ major back in 2001. With the exception of one company, all three companies were major financial companies and management consulting firms. I failed to snatch any job offer from them, even though I went to final round interview with all three.</p>
<p>Fortunately, I received a job offer through JOBTRAK as a financial analyst for the top specialty consulting firm. The pay was much higher than what I would have received from the oncampus opportunities, for your information. The starting salary was in line with some of the major investment banking jobs, although my end of year bonus was lower than IB. But the hours were a thing of beauty. No weekends, and I can take one day a week to work at home!</p>
<p>So the question is, did I get this great job because of the perceived prestige factor of UCLA or because of the tremendous legwork and preparation (I probably sent my resumes to 50+ companies and personally wrote each coverletter to major companies) I did in prior to job interviews?</p>
<p>It was more of the latter for sure, even though I must admit that I did receive huge benefits of doubt because of my UCLA diploma.</p>
<p>ps. BTW, I will try to write a piece on Biz Econ Job Prospect Preparation sometime soon. I have been lazy for the past couple weeks, and I will make sure to free enough time to write the piece to help fellow bruins.</p>
<p>Now you’ve scared me, BruinLifer, and I just submitted my SIR yesterday!</p>
<p>But yes I know that getting a job/building your career depends on what you do yourself, not on the prestige of your uni or its career center. So thanks for that (:</p>
<p>And we’ll all be awaiting your Biz Econ Job Prospect Preparation thread.</p>
<p>Thanks much everybody!</p>