How much is a Georgetown degree worth? In the past year, the question has become more pressing for Georgetown seniors nervous about the power of their diplomas in an unstable economy and increasingly competitive job market.
Reflecting reports of a 25-year high in the unemployment rate in 2009, last year’s graduates have also taken a hit, according to early data collected by the [MBNA Career Education Center](https://careerweb.georgetown.edu/).
Slightly more than half of all surveyed 2009 graduates have been able to find jobs – down 10 percent from last year. Twenty-seven percent went on to graduate school – a 3 percent increase from a year ago.
Georgetown graduates are not alone. In April, [The New York Times](https://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/12/jobs/12career.html?scp=4&sq=employment+22%25&st=nyt) reported that employers were expected to hire 22 percent fewer new graduates than they did the year before.
But Michael Schaub, executive director of the Career Education Center, remains optimistic.
“Overall, our seniors fared very well despite a tough economic climate,” Schaub said. “We even have better numbers than we expected.”
He said the numbers may still improve, since the results are only preliminary – only 49 percent of students have responded to the survey so far – and official data will not be released until next month. Above all, the percentage of students seeking jobs is expected to decrease soon, since graduates are invited to change their responses to the survey as they finalize their post-graduation plans.
Although employment is down, Georgetown graduates continue to rank 22nd in median salary, above Brown University, Columbia University and The George Washington University, according to [PayScale’s](https://www.payscale.com/best-colleges) annual college salary report.
As of Sept. 23, the McDonough School of Business sent the most students into the job market, with 74 percent of surveyed graduates finding full-time jobs. The School of Nursing and Health Studies came second, at 65 percent employment. Meanwhile, the College sent the most students to graduate school, with 36 percent opting to delay entering the work force.
In recent years, the rate of employment for Georgetown graduates has fluctuated. In 2005, the number of graduates with full-time employment was 7 percent lower than in 2008.
In order to address growing anxiety about the job market, however, the Career Education Center has increased its efforts to help students land jobs, Schaub said. Graduates now have access to an online database, [NACElink](https://www.nacelink.com/), which lists hundreds of career opportunities in a long list of fields.
“This is also a good time for seniors to start getting involved in networking,” Schaub said, referring students to the Alumni Association’s database, which lists alumni based on their industry, company and location.
Schaub encouraged seniors to remain flexible about where they work and to start researching companies as early as this month.
“What we’re finding is that students who want to find jobs are finding jobs,” Schaub said.
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