Although some articles these days seem to point to an economy that is out of the recession and trying to get back on track, a few others give the impression that it will not change anytime soon for the non-technical (and some very technical) college graduate.

The top 3 least valued degrees are Architecture, Fine Arts, and Philosophy.

On the opposite side of the spectrum we see the following.

The top 3 most valued degrees are Nursing, Computer Science and Education.

Click here for more on the above.

In December, the Fed Chairman Ben Bernake, said that the target unemployment rate is 6.5% and that the Fed best guess when that will be is mid-2015, but the writer seems to think otherwise and read elsewhere that it won’t get back to 2008 levels until 2018.

Another interesting bit of information is that the jobs that are coming back are not your typical entry level job (for recent grads).  When you see the monthly jobs reports, most of  jobs you see are not filled by your typical college alum (ie., construction, retail, food services, manufacturing).

What also makes it tough for recent grads are that they are not only competing with their peers but also with those who graduated 5 or 10 years before them, and were let go during the past couple of years.  I can see how an employer could decide to choose a person with 3 to 5 years experience rather than someone with none for essentially the same pay.

So what should a recent college grad do?  Isn’t it obvious?  Go to a country where you are in demand.

Even with more and more people learning about teaching opportunities overseas, it is still relatively easy to land your ideal job (location/salary).

Although due to the influx of candidates, some countries have raise the bar, by requiring a teaching certificate (TESOL or TESL), but these are easy to get and don’t cost an arm and a leg (like your university degree).  Also, some companies (if not most) guarantee job placement or you get your money back on the tuition.

Now what?

1.  Decide where you want to go.

2.  Find out what the requirements are to get hired.

3.  Get necessary qualifications, if needed.

4.  Start applying.

5.  Interview with several places (important that you interview them as much as they interview you).

6.  Farewell Party.

Gerry

I see, I suppose that would have to be the case.