Top 10 degrees in demand

A new survey indicates a brighter job outlook for new college grads compared with last year.November 14, 2004: 12:00 PM EST

NEW YORK (CNN/Money) - A majority of employers expect the job market for the class of 2005 to be more robust than last year, with more positions to fill and higher starting salaries.
Graduates with a bachelor's in business, engineering and computer-related fields will be in highest demand.

Those are some of the key findings of the Job Outlook 2005 survey, conducted by the National Association of Colleges and Employers, released Friday.
"We're seeing a number of positive indications that the job market for new college graduates is improving," said Marilyn Mackes, NACE's executive director, in a statement. "For example, more than 80 percent of responding employers rated the job market for new college graduates as good, very good, or excellent. In comparison, last year at this time just over 38 percent gave the job market those ratings."
The survey found that seven out of 10 respondents expect to increase starting salary offers by an average of 3.7 percent. Employers also said they would reassess their hiring needs more frequently. The largest group (33.3 percent) said they would do so quarterly. In last year's survey, the largest group (27.4 percent) said they would only do so annually.

When asked which new college grads they were likely to hire, the greatest number of employers said they were interested in hiring grads who majored in accounting, electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, business administration and economics/finance.
Rounding out the top 10 list were students who majored in computer science, computer engineering, marketing or marketing management, chemical engineering, and information sciences and systems.

Of the 254 employers who took NACE's survey, 45.7 percent were service-sector employers, 40.5 percent were manufacturers, and nearly 13.8 percent were government or nonprofit employers. Regionally, 35.8 percent are from the Midwest; 30.7 percent are based in the South; 21.3 percent are in the Northeast; and 12.2 percent hail from the West.
In an earlier NACE survey this fall, nearly 61 percent of employers said they planned to hire more college grads from the class of 2004-05 than they did from the previous year's class. On balance, NACE expects to see an increase in hiring of 13 percent.

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Students and the Proffessor

A professor stood before his Philosophy class and had some items in front of him.
When the class began, wordlessly, he picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls.
He then asked the students if the jar was full.
They agreed that it was.
The professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar.
He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles rolled into the open areas between the golf balls.
He then asked the students again if the jar was full.
They agreed it was.
The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar.
Of course, the sand filled up everything else.
He asked once more if the jar was full.
The students responded with a unanimous "yes."
The professor then produced two cups of coffee from under the table and poured the entire contents into the jar, effectively filling the empty space between the sand.
The students laughed.
"Now," said the professor, as the laughter subsided, "I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life.
"The golf balls are the important things - your God, family, your children, your health, your friends, and your favorite passions - things that if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full.
"The pebbles are the other things that matter like your job, your house, and your car.
"The sand is everything else--the small stuff.
"If you put the sand into the jar first," he continued, "there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls.
"The same goes for life. "If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff, you will never have room for the things that are important to you.
"Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness.
Play with your children.
"Take time to get medical checkups.
"Take your partner out to dinner.
"Play another 18.
"There will always be time to clean the house and fix the disposal.
"Take care of the golf balls first, the things that really matter.
"Set your priorities.
"The rest is just sand."
One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the coffee represented.
The professor smiled. "I'm glad you asked.
"It just goes to show you that no matter how full your life may seem, there's always room for a cup of coffee with a friend."