Although much media attention has been paid to statistics showing the value of a college degree is on the rise, recent college grads are still struggling with unemployment or inappropriate employment. Reports show that workers with a college education fared better during the economic crisis, this was found to be particularly true of people over thirty and professional women. However, this has not been the case for those with degrees under the age of 25.

Recent college grads are facing underemployment  or “malemployment,” meaning that they are working at jobs that do not require a college degree.  Professor of Economics at Northeastern University Andrew Sum estimates that during the first half of 2010, more than 50 percent of young B.A.-holders were employed at jobs not requiring a college degree.

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If you’re looking to settle down and get married, you might want to get a degree before looking for your soul mate.

A recent study released by the Pew Research Center reported that adults are more likely to get married by the age of 30 if they have a bachelor’s degree than young adults that do not obtained one.

“There’s a double whammy going on for the people who aren’t college-educated,” said Richard Fry, from the research center. “They are facing difficult employment, and they are less likely to enter into marriage and receive the economic benefits marriage provides.”

Two decades ago, it was more probable for people without college degrees to wed, Fry said. Married couples without higher education relied on the benefits of marriage to counterbalance their low-income wages. Read the rest of this entry »

According to a recent report by The Lumina Foundation for Education, only 37.9 percent of Americans have earned a college degree. The foundation recommends that 60 percent of Americans should have their college degree by 2025, in order for the U.S. to stay academically competitive with other countries.

However, this 37.9 percent is a national average. There are several states that have a higher-than-average percent of college graduates. Is your state one of them? Check out the list of the 10 states with the highest percentages of college graduates.

1. Massachusetts: 49.6 percent
2. Connecticut: 46.6 percent
3. New Hampshire: 46 percent
4. Colorado: 45.3 percent
5. North Dakota: 45.2 percent
6. Minnesota: 45 percent
7. New Jersey: 44.6 percent Read the rest of this entry »

For the many college seniors who are graduating soon and want to relocate, Atlanta is the best bet.

According to a report by Apartments.com and CareerRookie.com, Atlanta is the best place for recent college graduates to live. The study determined its results, which are very different from Best-Performing Cities 2009′s results, based on cities with the highest percentage of young adults ages 20-24 years of age, the number of jobs that require less than one year of experience, and the average rent for a one-bedroom apartment.

The average rent in Atlanta is only $724 a month; not too shabby.

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Image vie Chapel Hill/Orange County Visitors Bureau

The job market is still a dismal place for college graduates. True, the unemployment rate has not risen past ten percent yet, but that is partly because many people have given up on their job hunt, causing the labor force to shrink. According to Business Week, the labor force decreased by almost 700,000 people  in December 2010. If it had not, the unemployment rate was expected to be 10.4 percent.

What can college grads do to find a job in this tough market? Part of the equation could be moving to a city that is actually hiring people and creating new jobs. What makes these cities the top cities to find a job in 2010?

There are certain locations that have advantages in terms of lower costs, improved access to talent, certain key industry resources, and other factors that help to drive things,” said Kevin Klowden, co-author of the Best-Performing Cities 2009 report.

So where should you move to up your chances of finding a job? Interestingly enough, four of the top ten are in Texas. But if slipping on your cowboy boots every day doesn’t appeal to you, check out the other six options.

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You just spent the last 13, 17, or 21 years of your life in school. You’ve graduated; you’re finished. Now what?! As much as most people look forward to this change, this rite of passage, it can be a major stressor that leaves many graduates feeling lost, depressed, overwhelmed, or afraid.

Some may not have looked forward to the “real world” and continued in school, at least partially to avoid this phase of life. For some people, school was just what they were expected to do, whether it was an expectation they handed to themselves or was handed to them by others. It is easy to feel lost when you don’t have a game plan or know what the next step is.

Here are five ways a college graduate can transition to the real world:

1. Be Realistic. Sometimes graduates place too much expectation on themselves to immediately achieve. Although some have immediate luck, it can take months to find your first professional job. Have a plan, but make your goals realistic. Read the rest of this entry »

The job market is quite dismal for recent college graduates. How can these students distinguish themselves from all of the other applicants in this very competitive job market? Keep the following tips in mind:

1. Flush out your resume. Use descriptive words in your resume. Instead of saying you interned with a company, describe your duties and how you benefited the company. Describe your volunteer and extracurricular activities in detail; these show that you are willing to go above and beyond the normal expectations.

2. Apply in person. So many people today rely on the Internet to apply for a job. But the same techniques that worked for decades in the past still work today. Apply in person, give a firm handshake, and let them know how interested you are in really working for their company. Read the rest of this entry »

Even more bad news for the college class of 2010: Western employers are planning to handle 36.8 percent fewer college graduates next year than this year. In the Southeast, employers are planning to cut back by 9.9 percent, and by 3.2 percent in the Midwest.

There is a little silver lining to these sad figures: In the Northeast, employers plan on hiring 5.6 percent more college graduates than they did last year. Nationwide, 43 percent of employers are planning on maintaining their 2009 hiring levels.

“Traditionally, employers tend to be conservative about their college hiring when the economy is in flux,” said Marilyn Mackes, executive director of The National Association of Colleges and Employers.

However, the economy is expected to pick back up in the spring, so hopefully employers will be hiring more graduates then. To make themselves more appealing to future employers, students should try to make themselves stand out from the crowd.

Those with these recession-proof majors might fare better than others.

Via The Denver Business Journal