Although many Iowa State students’ academic careers will end Saturday, those who have prepared for life after ISU have plenty of reason to think positively about their future, say career service directors.

“Students that know how to play the game and are strong in academics and internships definitely have options out there for them,” said Michael Gaul, director of Ag Career Services.

Gaul knows that the agricultural field is having some sluggish times, but he said he believes it is still promising.

“November is the peak time for interviews, and this year the College of Ag was up 250 interviews over last year,” Gaul said.

Steve Kravinsky, director of Business and LAS Career Services Projects, feels that the management information systems and computer science majors are finding job offers decreasing since the emphasis on Y2K.

“Employers are hesitant to hire before they find out what is going to happen with their businesses and their systems. They are waiting for the lights to go off,” he said. “Once things are OK, the job market should go back to normal.”

However, Kravinsky projects that it is going to be a good year, if not better than last year.

“According to last year’s statistics, 55 percent of graduates stayed in Iowa, which is a turnaround from the previous six years,” he said. “Overall, I think it reflects very well on Iowa State.”

While MIS is typically high in demand and humanities opportunities are lower, the percentages of those who move into the work field have been high, he said.

“After the ’98-99 year, the College of Business had 93 percent of its students occupied after graduation, and LAS had 89 percent. Most either went straight into the work field or into grad school,” Kravinsky said.

In a study done comparing all colleges at ISU after the ’97-98 year, 70 percent of all agricultural students received job offers in Iowa, Gaul said.

“Starting salaries range between $25,000 and $35,000 for ag students, but we have had a few in the $45,000 range,” he said.

Gaul said the most competitive fields are equipment-related, and the best way to get into these fields is to get an internship with a major company. “Those who are able to get the interviews and can sell themselves are the ones who succeed,” he said.

Kirk Chervenka, graduating senior in electrical engineering, will be working as an imbedded software engineer after leaving ISU.

“I think we have new ideas and creativity. We are more familiar with technology than past generations,” he said about the current crop of students entering the market. “Older generations are afraid of change.”

Chervenka said he found out through his experiences at ISU that working at other places and working in teams are things that employers commonly look for.

“Our generation will teach theirs how to make better products and make them faster,” he said.