BY MARK SKERTIC
The Cincinnati Enquirer
When more than a thousand students pushed their way into a job fair Wednesdayafternoon at the University of Cincinnati, there was something unusual about the looks of nervousness typical at such events.
It was prospective employers who had the anxious smiles as they wooed potential hires. The economy is booming, which allows college students to be choosey about where they go once they have diplomas. "If you've got a degree in computer science, you're golden," said Pete Ozarowski of IBM Corp. "There's not enough graduates to fill the jobs."
Next to him, a tiny hologram of Leonardo da Vinci waxed philosophically about the wonders of multimedia technology. The display attracted students who marveled as Leonardo argued with the "Mona Lisa." It was Mr. Ozarowski's job to get students to think about IBM.
Vipin Jan, 23, will leave UC this summer with a master's degree in computer engineering. The native of India said he hasn't had to spend time courting prospective employers.
"I don't even have to send out my resume, they've been calling me at home," he said.
U.S. Department of Labor projections show those who choose computers and database work as a career probably won't have to worry about where their paychecks are coming from. Employment in the computer sciences is expected to grow 118 percent between 1996 and 2006, to 249,000 workers.
Pay is also increasing. Surveys done by the National Association of Colleges and Employers show the beginning salaries paid to those graduating with a bachelor's degree will be an average 4.6 percent higher than what graduates earned last year. A computer science graduate will receive an average starting salary of $40,417, while economics and finance majors will earn, on average, $32,522 in their first job.
"It seems like things are looking up," said Kevin Pelcha, 23, a marketing management major from Anderson Township. "Things are a lot better than we used to read about the first couple years of school."
Throughout the afternoon, students like Mr. Pelcha stopped to drop off their resumes and listen politely to prospective employers. "There are jobs," Mark Scherzinger said, taking a break in front of his AirTouch Cellular booth. "In a growth industry like this one, there's a lot of opportunity."
Even those who chose majors that won't guarantee big bucks right out of school say they're encouraged by what they're seeing in the employment market.
Susan Gillis, 27, will soon graduate with a degree in English. "It's looking acceptable," she said of job prospects that could lead to a career in journalism or the publishing industry. "Not really as great as what's out there for the techies, but it's decent."
