More than 90 percent of College of Agriculture graduates end up with either a job or acceptance into graduate school within three months of graduation, and 98 percent are placed within six months, according to the College of Agriculture career services department.

The market has definitely picked up since Sept. 11, said Mike Gaul, director of career placement for the College of Agriculture. Spring 2004 graduates in particular are having success finding jobs.

Gaul said he attributes most of the College of Agriculture graduates’ success to Iowa State’s very strong reputation, students having strong work ethics and communication skills.

Jessica Grandfield, a May graduate with a bachelor’s degree in agricultural education, was recently employed as a sales associate by Sunny Fresh Foods. She said her success is due in part to the ISU Agricultural Career Services office.

Grandfield said the career office helped her secure a job by some of the services it offers.

“We offer students and alumni basically any service that has to do with careers,” Gaul said.

The career services office can help with cover letters, resumes, interviewing and much more, Gaul said.

Slumping job markets are prevalent in the areas of agriculture equipment, chemical and animal health sales and wildlife and fisheries jobs, Gaul said.

Nick Fehring is one of those graduates feeling the effects of a slow job market. Fehring graduated from Iowa State in May with a degree in animal ecology. He has been looking for a job, but for the summer and part of the fall has taken an internship with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources.

Fehring said the fact that Iowa State only offers one class in aquaculture hurt his chances of getting employed and said he felt many colleges have a better animal ecology program than Iowa State does, even considering the small job market for the major.

Ultimately, a person needs to have a master’s degree to get a full-time paid position in animal ecology, he said.

Despite Fehring’s unemployment, Gaul said, most areas of the agriculture job market are looking up.

“So many companies in the next five to 10 years are going to lose employees to retirement,” he said.

Gaul said this is a great time for students because they have more opportunities in the job market and a smaller number of students choosing to pursue agriculture careers with whom to compete.

“Twenty years ago, during the mid-’80s and farm crisis, the job market was extremely tight; students would be waiting on the steps of Curtiss [Hall] just waiting for the career office to open to sign up for an interview,” Gaul said.

Students now are changing their philosophies, he said, because they don’t feel they have to take a job at a place they don’t want to work just because the career market is very tight.

As for the future, Gaul said he sees good things for agriculture students seeking jobs.

“I really think the market for students in agriculture is just going to get better and better,” he said.