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Lisa Kastor is director of career services at The College of Wooster. She earned a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree from Cleveland State University. Before joining the Wooster staff in 1996, Kastor had 13 years of experience in the field, including nine years as assistant director of career services at Oberlin College. Prior to that, she was a counselor for the Lakewood Adult Education Program for three years. She also served as director of the Career Counseling Center at Lake Erie College in Painesville and was a member of the administrative support staff in the Natural Science and Health Department at Cuyahoga Community College’s Western Campus. Kastor has been active in the National and Midwest Associations of Colleges and Employers and the Career Services Division of the Great Lakes Colleges Association. She also has been involved with the Selective Liberal Arts Consortium and the Liberal Arts Network. |
Lisa Kastor offers some insight as to what might lie ahead for the more than 380 of Wooster's most recent graduates (Class of 2002). Kastor, director of career services at Wooster, helps students plan for their future and monitors their progress after graduation through a report called "Life After Graduation." This report tracks previous classes, and a recent profile of the Class of 2000 may provide a frame of reference for this year’s senior class. What percentage of Wooster graduates typically choose to attend graduate schools and what percentage enter the workforce? In the Class of 2000, 26 percent of the students went to graduate school, and 54 percent entered the workforce in full-time positions. The percentage of graduate school students usually varies between 20 and 25 percent each year, depending on the economy. When the economy takes a downturn, graduates are more likely to go back to school with the hope of returning to the job market in a few years. The class of 2000’s 26 percent reflects the economic concerns that began to surface that year. Another 17 percent of Wooster graduates were employed and/or attended school on a part-time basis. What graduate degree programs do Wooster students enter most often? If you group together the natural sciences, the physical sciences, and health sciences, they represent the biggest chunk of students who go on to graduate programs. I think that it has a lot to do with the way we groom the sciences. They make up about seven percent each and together they dominate at 21 percent of all students doing graduate study. Law and humanities are tied for second at 15 percent, followed by education in third at seven percent. What are the most popular career choices of recent graduates? There are typically three or four popular career choices for Wooster students. Education is always the highest. This does not mean that 28 percent of graduates become teachers; this number includes jobs in higher education, administration, job training, and college admissions. The next highest category is non-profit at 11 percent. The banking/finance/insurance category is tied for third with journalism and communications at seven percent. The high percentages of students in education and human services is reflected in the interests of the student body. Many students do volunteer work on campus and decide they want to pursue careers in non-profit work. There are also a lot of students who have at least one parent who is a teacher, so parents also influence career decisions. There is a myth that career services only serves those students interested in business. The survey results show a much more comprehensive list of occupations. How often do Wooster graduates find a career in their chosen field of study? This is a difficult question to answer because many majors don’t transfer into jobs. Most philosophy students do not become philosophers and most religious studies majors do not necessarily work in a religiously affiliated institution. Philosophy and religious studies majors do find jobs in their interests; however, their interests do not always reflect their academic major. A liberal arts education is very hard to categorize. For instance, the science majors tend to stay true to their specialized interests when entering the workforce, but education, the second highest category, is only offered as a minor at Wooster. Even science majors take jobs as technical writers so they are working in a related field. The truth is, students have interests outside of their major, and some choose between more than one or two career paths. Asking what skills liberal arts students gain in college might be a better question. Ninety percent of the skills employers are looking for, like communication, problem-solving, the ability to learn quickly, and writing, are integral components of a liberal arts education. What is the range of the starting salaries for the working members of the class of 2000 when they enter the workforce? That depends on the economy and the graduates’ career choices, so it is best to look at their field. The largest number of students work in education and non-profit and earn between $20,000 and $25,000. We also have a minority of students who make considerably more and less than this. Students entering computer and technical jobs can earn from $40,000 to $45,000. What is interesting about the class of 2000 is that they showed a growing number of high-salary positions. Do liberal arts educated graduates have advantages over students from career-oriented programs when it comes to finding a job? Clearly they do. At Wooster, the experience of completing and defending an Independent Study is only one example that illustrates the ability to work independently on long projects, communicate ideas in a presentation, and write to academic standards. Students need to learn how to market their skills, though. The toughest part of being an advisor is getting students to change their humble attitudes about their experience. They don’t do enough justice to themselves by not expressing what their exact experiences are. There is a fine line between bragging and telling about experiences that make them unique. |
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