95% of 2008 Survey Respondents are Employed
We’ve all heard national media reports of the dire situation college grads are facing: no jobs, no place to live, no hope. Well, a recent survey shows that the news isn’t so negative, at least not for recent KSC grads. In September and October 2013, our Office of Institutional Research surveyed alumni who received bachelor’s degrees in 2008. Out of a class of 999, KSC had valid email addresses for, and permission to contact, 373 of these (37% of the class). We received responses from 156, or 42% of these recent alums, a very high response rate for this type of survey. KSC was pleased—and proud—to learn that five years after graduation, 98% of the respondents are either employed or engaged in further education. Here are the highlights from the survey:
95% of the respondents reported that they are employed; 2.5% indicated that they are not employed by choice (for example, to care for family members or enroll in graduate study), and the remaining 2.5% reported that they are unemployed and seeking work.
Among those who are employed, 76% report that their current position is closely related or somewhat related to their studies at KSC, and 75% of these indicated that KSC had prepared them well or very well for this employment.
The median annual salary range for those who are currently employed is $40,000–$44,999.
Forty-four percent of the respondents reported that they had enrolled in one or more programs of further education at some point after graduating from Keene State College, most pursuing master’s degrees.
Among those who have engaged in further education, 82% reported that their programs were closely related or somewhat related to their studies at KSC, and 74% of those judged that KSC had prepared them well or very well for this next step in their education.
When asked what else they are doing, besides work and further education, that is meaningful to them five years after graduation, respondents most often mentioned marriage/family/home ownership, community service, professional accomplishments, and travel.
Eighty-one percent of respondents reported that their KSC education had prepared them well or very well for the transitions in their lives in the five years since graduation.
You can read the complete survey here.
Several of the respondents explained why they valued their KSC experience. Here are three:
“The best professional experiences I had at KSC that translated into future career opportunities and connections were my two internships during my senior year. Having actual work experiences, in addition to classroom experience, in related fields while still in college helped boost my experiences for my resume and lead to great professional references. “The ability to effectively and efficiently communicate is a skill that was taught and practiced at KSC. It’s a skill I took with me both personally and professionally and has been most advantageous in my post-college career. All forms of different communication and expression were emphasized throughout my time at KSC and are lifelong skills every individual needs during and after their college years.” —Abby Feather Nelson
“The BFA program and the senior-project piece of the program proved to be immensely valuable in helping me build my career. It taught me not only how to continue learning, but also how I learn best. In the senior project program, I was responsible for defining what my project was about and my success criteria for the project, and then I had to plan how I would reach my goals and deliver a final project that I was proud of. All of these skills proved to be essential in my career thus far in the creative webworld.” —Heather Bowman
“I learned how to adapt to changing situations if my life and my career. Also my close relationship with my professors has helped me along the way. The Safety program is unique in the sense that the professors know you by first name and will work one-on-one with you. They are also still there as a resource even after you leave KSC.” —John Harvey
