The majority of Ohio State engineering and business graduates stayed in Ohio after graduation, but some current students said they’d be willing to move away for a job.
Frank Sweterlitsch, a fifth-year in chemical engineering, is set to graduate at Autumn Commencement Dec. 15 and is looking ahead to his job search.
“I am willing to move anywhere, but would prefer not the middle of nowhere,” Sweterlitsch said. “I am just entering the workforce and cannot afford to be picky because I’m not experienced enough to easily find work.”
Forty-nine percent of 2011-12 engineering graduates stayed in Ohio and 48 percent moved outside of Ohio for jobs, according to the annual report from the College of Engineering at OSU. Three percent did not report a location.
The Fisher College of Business reported 40 percent of graduates stayed in Columbus while 60 percent stayed in Ohio, according to the 2012-13 Career Management Annual Report.
Steven Nash, a third-year in pre-business, said he would be ready to move for a job under certain circumstances.
“I’m hoping to be a financial adviser,” Nash said. “I would be willing to move depending on the job, as long as it has good pay.”
Others have selected their majors based on the likelihood of finding a job.
Cameron Toben is from Sioux Falls, S.D., and is a second-year in computer science and engineering. His choice in major was decided based on job availability.
“Computer science was definitely not my first choice but I put a lot of thought into it, considering pay and future growth in the field,” Toben said.
Toben has two years left at OSU, but is still considering possibilities post-graduation back home.
“If Raven (Industries, Inc., a technology company based in Sioux Falls) hires me, then yes, I would love to go back and work in my home city. I want to move back home, but would be willing to move elsewhere if need be,” Toben said.
Brandy Williams, career adviser in the College of Arts and Sciences, said students can use technology and social networks to find jobs and internships.
“Arts and Sciences students can use FutureLink to search for the JobReady internships as well as a large variety of employment and internship postings with Ohio employers,” Williams said.
She also suggested using OSU’s reputation to student’s advantage.
“Many alumni are responsive to outreach from students,” Williams said.
Karthik Tunga is a recent graduate of the computer science and engineering master’s program at OSU. He said while he misses OSU, he was ready to make the move to Seattle where he works at Microsoft.
“I am from Bangalore, India,” Tunga said. “I had already moved from my home in India so moving to another city inside the USA wasn’t very hard.”
Tunga said OSU is why he has his current job, where is he is thriving with a healthy salary.
“OSU is the main reason I am at Microsoft,” Tunga said. “I got an internship offer, which later converted to a full time job from the OSU career fair.”
