COLORADO SPRINGS – The Broadmoor World Arena was packed on Friday as thousands of people gathered inside for the 2019 UCCS Spring Commencement Ceremony.
With graduation season happening all across the country, News 5 wanted to take a look at the job outlook
for the Class of 2019.
According to the National Association of Colleges and Employers it’s expected that U.S. employers will hire nearly 11 percent more graduates from the Class of 2019 than they did the year before. It’s actually the first time since 2011 that hiring projections are in the double digits.
Jacob Seay said, “This is years and years in the making.”
It’s a rite of passage that Seay and his classmates have been waiting for: graduating from the University of Colorado Colorado Springs.
Fellow graduate Kelsie Hedrick said, “Today – it’s the end. It means I get to start my career, start my life, start everything, start a new chapter.”
Also graduating this year is Kayla Stalcar who said, “Glad to finally make it.”
The work isn’t over though. New challenges are right around the corner – getting and starting that first job.
Hedrick said, “I’ve already accepted a job on the western slope of Colorado. I’ll be teaching third grade…I’m really excited to have a job. I know there’s so many people that don’t have a job and they’re still job searching here in the Springs.”
The good news is that a lot of these grads shouldn’t have to search for long. The job outlook for this year’s class is a lot better than 2018.
Stalcar said, “That’s a relief because I’ve heard so many people say that they got a degree and they don’t use it.”
Which definitely won’t be the case for Seay. He’s graduating with a degree in mechanical and aerospace engineering.
On the horizon for him are “interviews and waiting on job offers…things are lining up. Interviews have gone well.”
To know that employment should improve for his class is “fantastic and expected. I know a lot of classmates that have internships and they’re going straight to jobs right after.”
These positive 2019 job projections – even more of a reason to celebrate this major milestone.
As far as salaries go for the Class of 2019 those with engineering, computer science, and math and sciences degrees are once again projected to be the top-paid graduates. Business and social sciences majors are also at the top of the list.
