Spring 2011 Graduating Seniors'
Future Plans Survey
All Respondents: Overview

This overview report presents findings from all graduating seniors participating in the Spring 2011 Graduating Seniors' Future Plans Survey. For more information about the survey methods and analysis, see "Spring 2011 Graduating Seniors' Future Plans Survey: Introduction, Research Methods, and Response Rates." For a report with responses broken down by college, as well as a copy of the question wording, see the "Table of Contents."

Plans Following Graduation
Post-Graduation Employment
Further Education
NC State Experiences and Resources
Closing Comments

Plans Following Graduation

As of the time they completed the survey, a plurality of students graduating in Spring 2011 indicated that they had secured some type of employment. One-fourth of all respondents reported that they had accepted a position that would begin after graduation (24%), 8 percent said they would continue working in a job they had prior to graduation, and about 5 percent said they would be starting their own business (1%), serving in the military (1%), or working as an intern (4%). The large majority of these employed graduates said they would be working full- rather than part-time (84% vs 16%) One-fourth of the graduates said they were actively seeking employment but had not yet found a position (26%). Just 2 percent said they were planning on looking for work but had not yet begun to do so. Finally, one-fourth of respondents anticipated going to graduate/professional school as their primary activity in the year after their graduation (19%) or going to graduate/professional school and working (7%).

Table 1: Plans Following Graduation

	N	%
Have accepted position that will begin after graduation	461	24.3
Will continue working in job I had prior to graduation	158	8.3
Have started/will be starting my own business	22	1.2
Will be working as an intern	76	4.0
Currently seeking employment	492	26.0
Have not begun to seek employment, will begin within year	45	2.4
Going to grad/prof school within the year	357	18.8
Going to grad/prof school and working	126	6.6
Taking additional undergraduate coursework	23	1.2
Military service	22	1.2
Volunteer activity	19	1.0
Starting/raising a family	9	0.5
Don't know yet	20	1.1
Other	65	3.4

Post-Graduate Employment

About 40 percent of respondents said they had secured employment for after graduation. This section of the report first provides detailed information specifically on those students who indicated they had obtained a full-time position. That is followed by information provided by those who said they were actively seeking employment but had not yet found a position, and lastly, a brief look at those who said they had not yet begun their job search.

Full-Time Employment
Almost 85 percent of respondents who said they had secured employment for after graduation indicated they would be working full-time.

Table 2: Full- or Part-Time Employment (among those securing any type of employment)

	N	%
Full-time	729	83.5
Part-time	144	16.5

Number of Job Offers
Half of the students having secured a full-time position said that had been their only job offer (51%). A relatively small number of respondents indicated that they had had three or more job offers from which to choose.

Table 3: Number of Job Offers

	N	%
Yes: This was my only job offer	335	50.9
No: I had one other job offer	214	32.5
No: I had two other job offers	69	10.5
No: I had three or more other offers	40	6.1

Industry and Occupation
Students having obtained full-time employment were asked to select the type of industry and the occupational classification of the job in which they would be working from a list industries and occupations identified by the U.S. Census. Although the graduates are heading into a wide range of industries, the most common industry in which they will be working is professional, scientific, and technical services (14%), followed by manufacturing (10%) and finance and insurance (10%).

Those finding full-time employment were most likely to say they would be working in an occupation related to architecture and engineering (12%), followed by business and financial operations (11%), sales (10%), and computer and mathematics (9%).

For a complete list of the companies/organizations where graduates obtained full-time employment, click here.

Table 4: Industry

	N	%
Accommodation and Food Services	11	1.6
Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services	6	0.8
Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing, and Hunting	17	2.4
Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation	20	2.8
Construction	21	3.0
Educational Services	39	5.5
Finance and Insurance	72	10.2
Health Care and Social Assistance	49	6.9
Information	30	4.2
Management of Companies and Enterprises	32	4.5
Manufacturing	71	10.0
Mining, Quarrying, and Oil and Gas Extraction	2	0.3
Other Services (except Public Administration)	22	3.1
Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services	97	13.7
Public Administration	3	0.4
Real Estate and Rental and Leasing	7	1.0
Retail Trade	33	4.7
Transportation and Warehousing	7	1.0
Utilities	20	2.8
Wholesale Trade	2	0.3
Other	135	19.1
Not sure	12	1.7

Table 5: Occupational Classification

	N	%
Architecture and Engineering Occupations	83	11.8
Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media Occupations	26	3.7
Building and Grounds Cleaning and Maintenance Occupations	2	0.3
Business and Financial Operations Occupations	79	11.2
Community and Social Service Occupations	11	1.6
Computer and Mathematical Occupations	64	9.1
Construction and Extraction Occupations	12	1.7
Education, Training, and Library Occupations	28	4.0
Farming, Fishing, and Forestry Occupations	9	1.3
Food Preparation and Serving Related Occupations	8	1.1
Health Care Practitioners and Technical Occupations	21	3.0
Health Care Support Occupations	13	1.8
Installation, Maintenance, and Repair Occupations	10	1.4
Legal Occupations	7	1.0
Life, Physical, and Social Science Occupations	26	3.7
Management Occupations	43	6.1
Military Specific Occupations	22	3.1
Office and Administrative Support Occupations	30	4.3
Personal Care and Service Occupations	4	0.6
Production Occupations	24	3.4
Protective Service Occupations	2	0.3
Sales and Related Occupations	72	10.2
Transportation and Material Moving Occupations	4	0.6
Other	90	12.8
Not sure	15	2.1

Relationship of Job to Academic Major & Satisfaction with Job
While 60 percent of those with full-time employment said their job was directly related to their academic major, one-in-ten said that it was not at all related. The vast majority of those obtaining full-time employment said they were either very satisfied (56%) or satisfied (33%) with the job in which they would be working. Students obtaining positions more directly related to their major, however, were more likely to be very satisfied than were those getting jobs less directly related to their major .

Table 6: Relationship of Job to Major & Satisfaction with Job

Relationship of job to major	Satisfaction w/ job					All
	Very Satisfied	Satisfied	Neutral	Dissatisfied	Very Dissatisfied
Directly related (n=429)	62.2%	31.2%	6.5%	.	.	61.0%
Somewhat related (n=210)	46.2%	40.0%	10.0%	3.3%	0.5%	29.9%
Not at all related (n=64)	43.8%	23.4%	25.0%	4.7%	3.1%	9.1%
All (n=703)	55.8%	33.1%	9.2%	1.4%	0.4%	100.0%

Job Location
A small number of graduates with full-time employment will be working outside the U.S. (2%). While NC State graduates will be employed across the nation, 72 percent of those students having accepted a full-time job say they will be working in North Carolina. Fairly large contingents of graduates will be working in Virginia, South Carolina, Florida, Georgia, New York, and Illinois. Altogether, 55 percent of the Spring 2011 graduates finding full-time employment will be staying in the Triangle. For a complete list of the countries and states in which graduates will be working, click here.

Table 7 Job Location (most common states)

	N	%
North Carolina	499	72.2
Virginia	23	3.3
South Carolina	18	2.6
Florida	12	1.7
Georgia	12	1.7
New York	12	1.7
Illinois	10	1.4

Table 8: Job Location (In or Our of the Triangle)*

	N	%
Triangle	360	54.9
Other NC	130	19.8
Outside NC	166	25.3

*Some respondents did not provide the name of the city in which they would be working.

Compensation
Students with full-time positions were asked to indicate the different ways in which they would be compensated. While two-thirds said they would be getting a salary, and 27 percent said their income would include hourly wages, results indicate that graduates are being compensated through a variety of methods. For example, plurality of 44 percent will be getting only a salary, 14 percent a salary plus bonuses, 2 percent salary plus commission, and 4 percent salary plus commission and performance bonuses.

Respondents were asked to indicate their annual starting salary, and then, if applicable, their estimated first-year income from performance bonuses and commission. NC State's graduates with full-time employment report an average annual starting salary of $46,531, and an estimated average annual income of almost $25,000 from performance bonuses and/or commission. Combining all forms of reported compensation (excluding hourly wages) brings their average income to $51,734, with one-third earning $60,000 or more their first year and 12 percent earning less than $30,000. Those getting paid an hourly rate report earning, on average, $14.52 per hour.

(Note: Despite instructions asking respondents to exclude their salary from performance bonuses and/or commission, it is possible that a few respondents combined all sources of income in their reported bonuses/commission income. As such, reports below on performance bonus/commission and total income may be slightly higher than is actually the case.)

Table 9: Type of Compensation*

	N	%
Salary	480	65.8
Hourly	199	27.3
Performance Bonuses	155	21.3
Commission	62	8.5
Other	53	7.3

*Respondents could indicate more than one type of compensation.

Table 10: Type of Compensatino, Combined

	N	%
Salary only	313	44.1
Hourly only	159	22.4
Salary plus perf. bonuses	96	13.5
Salary plus comm. and perf. bonuses	26	3.7
Salary plus commission	15	2.1
Hourly plus perf. bonuses	14	2.0
Commission only	9	1.3
Performance bonuses only	2	0.3
Other combinations	45	6.3
Other comp. only	31	4.4

Table 11: Annual Starting Salary

(Average salary = $46,521)	N	%
Less than $30,000	57	12.3
$30,000 - $39,999	99	21.3
$40,000 - $49,999	73	15.7
$50,000 - $59,999	108	23.3
$60,000 or more	96	20.7
Would prefer not answer	18	3.9
Not sure	13	2.8

Table 12: Estimated 1st-Year Income from Performance Bonuses and/or Commission

(Average income = $24,946)	N	%
Less than $2,500	27	14.8
$2,500 - $4,999	23	12.6
$5,000 - $9,999	20	11.0
$10,000 - $19,999	13	7.1
$20,000 - $49,999	49	26.9
$50,000 or more	29	15.9
Would prefer not answer	9	4.9
Not sure	12	6.6

Table 13: Total Combined 1st-Year Compensation (salary plus performance bonuses and commission)

(Average income = $51,734)	N	%
Less than $30,000	58	12.4
$30,000 - $39,999	89	19.1
$40,000 - $49,999	71	15.2
$50,000 - $59,999	94	20.1
$60,000 or more	155	33.2

Table 14: Hourly Wages

Average	Minimum	Maximum	N
$14.52	$2.19	$36.00	174

One-Time Compensation
More than one-in-ten of those with full-time employment said they had received a signing bonus (13%), with more than half of them receiving $5,000 or more. Almost 20 percent of those getting a signing bonus said it was for $10,000 or more (18%).

When asked if they were offered a relocation package, half of the students with full-time jobs said that such a package was 'not applicable,' presumably primarily because they were not relocating any substantial distance for their job. However, 22 percent of all those with full-time employment - - or 45 percent of those not saying 'not applicable' - - said they were offered a relocation package.

Table 15: Signing Bonus

	N	%
Yes	81	12.6
No	562	87.4

Table 16: Amount of Signing Bonus

	N	%
Less than $500	2	2.5
$500 to $999	4	4.9
$1,000 to $1,999	11	13.6
$2,000 to $2,999	9	11.1
$3,000 to $3,999	7	8.6
$4,000 to $4,999	3	3.7
$5,000 to $5,999	19	23.5
$6,000 to $6,999	4	4.9
$7,000 to $7,999	2	2.5
$8,000 to $8,999	1	1.2
$10,000 or more	15	18.5
Would prefer not answer	4	4.9

Table 17: Relocation Package

	N	%
Yes	160	22.5
No	194	27.2
Not applicable	358	50.3

The Job Search
Twenty percent of respondents who had obtained a full-time position for after graduation said they began actively looking for a job 12 or more months before graduating in May. Less than 10 percent said they started their job search just within two months of graduation (9%).

Students were asked to indicate what resources had proved to be helpful in their job search. Those with full-time employment were most likely to say that an internship had been helpful (29%), followed by applying for a job via ePACK (25%), attending a career fair at NC State (24%), the University or college career center (23%), personal connections within the company (22%), and/or networking with family/friends/classmates/co-workers (22%).

Table 18: When Started Looking for a Job

	N	%
12 or more months before graduation	126	19.6
9-11 months before graduation	113	17.6
6-8 months before graduation	178	27.7
3-5 months before graduation	167	26.0
1-2 months before graduation	40	6.2
Less than one month before graduation	18	2.8

Table 19: Helpful Resources*

	N	%
Internship	210	28.8
Applied for job via ePACK	180	24.7
Career fair at NC State	177	24.3
Campus or college career center	168	23.0
Personal connection(s) within the company	161	22.1
Family/friends/classmates/co-workers	161	22.1
On-campus interviewing	115	15.8
Internet	102	14.0
Employer found resume via ePACK	64	8.8
Faculty member or found job listing in an NC State dept	59	8.1
Consultation with Career Counselor/Coach at NC State	57	7.8
Co-op experience	57	7.8
Employer information session on campus	35	4.8
Professional society	34	4.7
Staffing agency	16	2.2
Career fair off-campus	11	1.5
Other	60	8.2

*Respondents could select more than one option.

Seeking Employment
One-in-four respondents to the Graduating Seniors' Future Plans Survey indicated that as of the time they completed the survey they were currently seeking employment, and a small number (2%) said they had not yet begun to seek employment but that they planned to do so within a year after graduation. This section of the report first looks at those who were activitely seeking a job, and then briefly at those who had not yet begun their job search.

The Job Search
The majority of students who said they were looking but had not yet found a job as of the time they completed the survey - - typically within two weeks before or after graduation - - said they first started looking for a job less than 6 months before their graduation. Fifteen percent of those without a job said they began their search less than one month prior to graduation, 25 percent said they started looking one to two months prior to graduation, and one-third said they started three to five months before graduation (32%).

A sizeable number of Spring 2011 graduates who had been seeking but not yet found employment indicated that it was not due to lack of offers. Sixteen percent said that they had actually received a job offer and 5 percent had received two or more offers. These students were asked to briefly describe why the job offer(s) they had received had not worked out. While some respondents indicated they were still in the process of considering the position, the majority gave a variety of reasons for not accepting the job offer. Jobs not being a good fit with one's career goals and/or their educational background were common reasons offered, as well as job location, compensation (e.g., salary too low or being solely based on commission), and not liking the company/organization. Less frequently mentioned was that the timing of the start-date was not going to work out, not wanting to travel extensively as part of the job, and a job offer being rescinded due to budget cuts.

Table 20: When Started Looking for a Job (among those seeking but not yet securing a job)

	N	%
12 or more months before graduation	22	4.6
9-11 months before graduation	26	5.4
6-8 months before graduation	85	17.6
3-5 months before graduation	155	32.1
1-2 months before graduation	121	25.1
Less than one month before graduation	74	15.3

Table 21: Received any job offers (among those seeking but not yet securing a job)

	N	%
No	389	79.2
Yes: one	77	15.7
Yes: two	18	3.7
Yes: three or more	7	1.4

Type of Work Seeking
The large majority of job-seekers are looking for full-time work (90%), with the remainder indicating they were looking for either full- or part-time work. Over 90 percent of those seeking employment said they were were looking for a job either directly (40%) or somewhat (52%) related to their major. The most common occupations in which students were hoping to be employed were architecture and engineering (18%), business and financial operations (15%), and education, training and library (12%).

Table 22: Looking for full-time or part-time work

	N	%
Full-time	441	89.6
Part-time	3	0.6
Either	48	9.8

Table 23: Relationship of Job Seeking to Major

	N	%
Looking for position directly related to my major	197	40.0
Looking for position somewhat related to my major	254	51.6
Looking for position unrelated to my major	9	1.8
How closely position is related to major is irrelevant	32	6.5

Table 24: Occupational Classification of Job Seeking

	N	%
Architecture and Engineering Occupations	88	18.1
Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media Occupations	38	7.8
Business and Financial Operations Occupations	74	15.2
Community and Social Service Occupations	12	2.5
Computer and Mathematical Occupations	15	3.1
Construction and Extraction Occupations	7	1.4
Education, Training, and Library Occupations	58	11.9
Farming, Fishing, and Forestry Occupations	5	1.0
Food Preparation and Serving Related Occupations	1	0.2
Health Care Practitioners and Technical Occupations	11	2.3
Health Care Support Occupations	10	2.1
Installation, Maintenance, and Repair Occupations	1	0.2
Legal Occupations	4	0.8
Life, Physical, and Social Science Occupations	34	7.0
Management Occupations	28	5.7
Office and Administrative Support Occupations	12	2.5
Personal Care and Service Occupations	2	0.4
Production Occupations	5	1.0
Protective Service Occupations	3	0.6
Sales and Related Occupations	15	3.1
Transportation and Material Moving Occupations	4	0.8
Other	40	8.2
Not sure	20	4.1

Location of Job Seeking
Eightly percent of those looking for a job said they were looking only in the United States, while 20 percent said they were looking both inside and outside the U.S.. Relatively few respondents said they were only looking for work outside of North Carolina (6%), while close to half (47%) said they were only looking in North Carolina.

Table 25: Looking for Employment Inside or Outside the U.S.

	N	%
United States	389	79.1
Outside U.S.	3	0.6
Both	100	20.3

Table 26: Looking for Employment Inside or Outside the N.C.

	N	%
N.C. only	181	46.6
Only outside N.C.	23	5.9
Both	184	47.4

Future Job Seekers
A very small number of Spring 2011 graduates -- 2 percent - - said that while they had not yet begun their search for employment their primary activity after graduation would be to find a job. In response to a question asking those respondents when they planned to start looking the majority said within the next couple of weeks (42%) or within a month after graduation (28%).

Table 27: When Will Begin Job Search

	N	%
Within the next couple of weeks	18	41.9
Within a month after graduation	12	27.9
Within 2-3 months after graduation	8	18.6
Within 4-6 months after graduation	2	4.7
Within 6-12 months after graduation	3	7.0

Further Education

This section of the report provides detailed information on further education being pursued by NC State Spring 2011 graduates. One-fourth of the 1,895 graduating seniors who submitted the Future Plans Survey said that they planned on going to graduate or professional school in the coming year. Students planning on attending graduate/professional school were asked to indicate from a list of options the reasons why they had decided to pursue post-graduate education. The most common reason cited was that the student wants to enhance my knowledge in a particular subject area (68%). Half or more also said that my chosen career field requires graduate/professional school (61%), that they will be able to earn a higher salary with an advanced degree (58%), and that they want to improve my marketability (50%). Just 7 percent indicated that being unable to find a job was a reason for attending graduate/professional school.

Table 28: Reasons for Attending Graduate/Professional School*

	N	%
I want to enhance my knowledge in a particular subject area	316	67.7
My chosen career field requires graduate/professional school	283	60.6
I will be able to earn a higher salary with an advanced degree	270	57.8
I want to improve my marketability	232	49.7
I have been unable to find a job	33	7.1
My employer is encouraging me to attend	12	2.6
Other	26	5.6

*Respondents could select more than one option.

Current Status for Graduate/Professional School Attendence
Of those students planning on attending graduate/professional school, 76 percent say they have have been accepted and know where they are going, and another 7 percent have have been accepted but are unsure where or whether they will be attending. A similar number (6%) said they had applied to school but have not yet been accepted, and 11 percent said had not yet applied but were planning on doing so within the next year. The remainder of this section reports on only those who indicated they have been accepted and definitely know where they will be attending graduate/professional school.

Table 29: Current Status for Graduation/Professional School Attendence

	N	%
Have been accepted and know where I'm going	356	76.2
Have not applied but plan to do so within the next year	50	10.7
Have been accepted but undecided	33	7.1
Have applied, but not yet been accepted	28	6.0

School Attending
Students were most likely to say they would be attending graduate/professional school in North Carolina (70%), with almost half of all those pursuing further education saying they will be staying at NC State (47%). Almost 85 percent of those who have been accepted to graduate/professional school and know where they will be attending say they are going to their first-choice school. For a complete list of the graduate/professional schools graduates will be attending click here.

Table 30: State of School Attending (4 most commonly mentioned)

	N	%
North Carolina	250	70.4
Virginia	14	3.9
Florida	10	2.8
New York	10	2.8

Table 31: Name of School Attending (3 most commonly mentioned)

	N	%
NC State Univ.	167	47.4
UNC Chapel Hill	19	5.4
East Carolina Univ.	14	4.0

Table 32: Attending First Choice School?

	N	%
Yes	296	83.6
No	58	16.4

Degree Seeking
Students attending graduate/professional school in the coming year were asked in what degree program they will be enrolled. The majority of students said they would be in a Master's program (64%), while 15 percent will be enrolled in a doctoral program. Twenty percent will be attending professional school. Among those attending professional school a plurality will be will be enrolled in law school (30%). Other professional degrees NC State graduates will be pursuing include DVM (20%), MD (16%), and PharmD (14%). For a complete list of the specific types of degrees programs in which students will be enrolled click here.

Table 33: Degree Program Enrolled In

	N	%
Master's	229	64.3
Doctoral	55	15.4
Professional	72	20.2

Table 34: Professional Degree Program Enrolled In

	N	%
JD	22	29.7
DVM	15	20.3
MD	12	16.2
PharmD	10	13.5

Graduate/Professional School Funding/Awards Received*
NC State undergraduates going on to graduate/professional school received a variety of funding and/or awards as part of their acceptance into their program. Scholarships were most commonly reported (22%), followed by Research Assistantships (14%) and Teaching Assistantships (14%).

Table 35: Graduate/Professional School Funding/Awards

	N	%
Scholarship	78	21.9
Research Assistantship	51	14.3
Teaching Assistantship	50	14.0
Fellowship	33	9.3
Honors/Award	21	5.9
Other assistantship	20	5.6

*Respondents could select more than one type of funding/award.

NC State Experiences and Resources

All graduating seniors participating in the Future Plans Survey were asked about their participation in various work-related experiences, as well as about various career-related resources they might have used while at NC State. This section of the report summarizes the information they shared about these experiences.

Work-Related Experiences
Respondents were asked whether or not they had participated in various work-related experiences while a student at NC State, and if so, for how many semesters/summers they did it, and whether or not it was helpful in securing a job offer. Over half of the students reported having an internship or job related to their major (55%). A significant number of students also reported participating on a research project with a faculty member (20%), or on a class project specifically designed to work with a company/organization outside of NC State (22%).

The relatively small number of students having participated in co-op (6%) typically reported having multiple such experiences, with over half saying they had a co-op for either three (33%) or four or more (23%) semesters/summers. Research with faculty also tended to be a relatively long-term activity, with about one-third of those engaged in this activity doing so for three (14%) or four or more (20%) semesters/summers. Although most common, internships/jobs in academic field were generally more short-term. Forty-three percent of those doing an internship or having a job in their academic area had it for just one semester/summer, while 24 percent had it for two semesters/summers.

For the most part, regardless of the type of work-related experience, students who were interested in finding employment were very positive about the helpfulness of the experience in securing a job offer. Co-ops were most likely to be viewed as very helpful (68%) followed by internships/job in academic field (55%). About 40 percent of those participating in research with faculty or in student teaching found the experience to be very helpful in getting a job (42% and 40%, respectively). Least likely to be helpful in getting a job, according to those with such an experience, was a class project working with an outside company/organization. Twelve percent of those working on such a project said it was not at all helpful in securing a job, and another 21 percent said it was not very helpful.

Table 36: Participation in Work-Related Experiences*

	Yes, participated		# of semesters/summers participated
Participation in work-related experiences	N	%	Less than 1	1	2	3	4+
Co-op	117	6.3%	2.6%	20.5%	20.5%	33.3%	23.1%
Internship/Job in Field	1,012	54.6%	4.1%	43.0%	23.9%	12.2%	16.9%
Practicum	64	3.5%	6.3%	73.0%	14.3%	1.6%	4.8%
Student Teaching	175	9.4%	0.6%	64.4%	18.4%	6.3%	10.3%
Research w/ Faculty	372	20.1%	2.7%	29.7%	33.0%	14.1%	20.5%
Class Project	415	22.4%	5.8%	60.2%	24.8%	3.4%	5.8%

Respondents could select more than one experience.

Table 37: Helpfulness of Work Experiences in Securing Employment (among those having had the experience and having looked for employment)

	Mean	4: Very helpful	3: Somewhat helpful	2: Not very helpful	1: Not at all helpful
Co-op (n=107)	3.54	68.2%	21.5%	6.5%	3.7%
Internship/Job in Field (n=903)	3.41	54.7%	34.4%	7.8%	3.1%
Practicum (n=53)	3.00	32.1%	41.5%	20.8%	5.7%
Student teaching (n=137)	3.15	40.1%	39.4%	16.1%	4.4%
Research w/ faculty (n=294)	3.15	41.5%	38.4%	13.3%	6.8%
Class project (n=353)	2.78	23.2%	43.6%	21.0%	12.2%

Career Service Offices
Graduating seniors were asked how frequently they had used the services of each of the different career service offices on campus, and, for those they had ever used, their evaluation of the services provided. While a majority of respondents (58%) said they had used the University Career Center, just 10 percent said they used it on a regular basis (3%) or many times (7%). Use of college-specific career service offices was, not surprising, lower among respondents overall. And, not surprisingly given their enrollment size relative to other colleges, respondents overall were most likely to have used the Poole College of Management Career Development Center and the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS) Career Services office.

Ratings of all career services offices were generally positive - - in no case did more than small number of users rate the services of any given center as poor or very poor. Users of the College of Textiles Career Services office were most likely to give it a positive rating, with 58 percent saying their services were excellent. One-third of those using the CALS Career Services offices rated their services as excellent (32%). Although still rated favorably as excellent or good by a majority of users, the Poole College of Management Career Development Center, the University Career Center, and the College of Design Career Services office were less likely than others to be rated as excellent by their users (24%, 21%, and 16%, respectively).

Table 38: Frequency of Use of Career Service Offices

	5: On a regular basis	4: Many times	3: Several times	2: Just once or twice	1: Never
University Career Center	3.1%	6.6%	15.3%	33.5%	41.5%
College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Career Services	1.0%	2.0%	5.2%	8.2%	83.7%
College of Textiles Career Services	1.5%	1.0%	1.7%	1.1%	94.6%
College of Design Career Services	0.2%	0.8%	0.8%	1.8%	96.4%
Poole College of Management Career Development Center	1.6%	3.4%	6.2%	8.2%	80.6%

Table 39: Rating of Career Offices' Services (among those ever having used the office)

	Mean	5: Excellent	4: Good	3: Fair	2: Poor	1: Very Poor
University Career Center (n=1,063)	3.93	20.8%	55.0%	21.2%	2.7%	0.3%
CALS Career Services (n=288)	4.16	32.3%	52.1%	14.6%	1.0%	0.0%
College of Textiles Career Services (n=96)	4.46	58.3%	32.3%	7.3%	1.0%	1.0%
College of Design Career Services (n=62)	3.85	16.1%	58.1%	22.6%	1.6%	1.6%
Poole College of Management Career Development Center (n=345)	3.88	23.8%	48.4%	22.3%	3.5%	2.0%

Career Services and Fairs
Students were also asked whether or not they had used various specific career-related services. Almost three-fourths of respondents indicated that that had taken advantage of ePACK (72%), the University Career Center's online tool for connecting students with potential employers, and over half of the students said they had visited the University Career Center website (54%). About one-third of students said they had attended presentations about resume writing, interviewing, and other career skills (35%), that they had joined a professional society or organization at NC State related to their career field of interest (32%), and that they had attended employer information sessions (32%). Students were less likely to have participated in on-campus interviewing with potential employers (25%) or to have spoken with a Career Counselor/Coach (21%), and least likely to have participated in mock interviews with a Career Counselor/Coach (10%).

Two-thirds of those responding to the Future Plans Survey said they had attended a career fair, either on or off campus (65%). Again, given their relative enrollment size, it is perhaps not surprising that students having attended such a career fair were most likely to say they attended an Engineering Career Fair (41%) or the Poole College of Management Career and Internship Fair (26%). Few students mentioned attending a career fair not connected with NC State.

Table 40: Resources Used at NC State*

	N	%
ePACK	1335	72.0
Attended a career fair (either on or off campus)	1197	64.6
NC State University Career Center website	995	53.7
Presentations about resume writing, interviewing, and other career skills	641	34.6
Joined professional society/organization at NC State in career area	595	32.1
Employer information sessions	589	31.8
On-campus interviewing with potential employers	462	24.9
Spoke with Career Counselor/Coach	396	21.4
Mock interviews with Career Counselor/Coach	181	9.8

Respondents could select more than one resource.

Table 41: Career Fair Attended (among those having attended any type of career fair)*

	N	%
Engineering Career Fair	492	41.1
Poole College of Management Career & Internship Fair	314	26.2
College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS) Career Expo	203	17.0
College of Humanities and Social Sciences (CHASS) Career Fair	125	10.4
Health Career Expo (at NC State)	69	5.8
(College of) Textiles Job Forum	66	5.5
Career fair not affiliated with a college/university	38	3.2
Law School Fair (at NC State)	33	2.8
Career fair at another college/university	25	2.1
College of Design Networking Fair	15	1.3
Other fair at NC State	101	8.4
Don't know/don't remember which one	26	2.2

Respondents could select more than one career fair.

Closing Comments

The Future Plans Survey closed by asking respondents to rate their overall satisfaction with the career guidance they had received from their department and/or college while at NC State, and to reflect on how they are feeling about their future career. The majority of Spring 2011 graduates said they were either satisfied (40%) or very satisfied (21%) with the career guidance they had received from their academic department/college. While a sizable number did not feel one way or the other about the guidance they received (30%), ten percent said they were either dissatisfied (7%) or very dissatisfied (3%) with it.

Overall, the Spring 2011 graduates are excited about their futures. When asked which statement comes closes to how they were feeling about their future, a plurality of respondents said they were very excited: I'm confident that this is what I want to do at this time and that I am adequately prepared for it (47%). Another 36 percent selected the option pretty excited: I'm fairly sure this is what I want to do at this time and that I'll be okay. Students were less likely to choose a bit confused/uncertain: I'm really not sure what I want to do and/or what I'm prepared to do (15%). Finally, very few students appear to be feeling at a loss, with just 2 percent selecting the final option, Very confused/uncertain: I just don't feel ready/prepared to move on.

Table 42: Satisfaction with Career Guidance from Academic Department/College

	Mean	5: Very Satisfied	4: Satisfied	3: Neutral	2: Dissatisfied	1: Very Dissatisfied	N
Overall satisfaction	3.69	20.8%	40.0%	29.5%	6.9%	2.9%	1,835

Table 43: Feelings about Future Career Path

	N	%
Very excited: Confident this is what I want to do and I'm prepared	869	47.3
Pretty excited: Fairly sure this is what I want to do	664	36.2
A bit confused/uncertain: Not really sure what I want to do	269	14.7
Very confused/uncertain: Don't feel ready/prepared to move on	34	1.9

For more information on the Spring 2011 Graduating Seniors' Future Plans Survey contact:
Dr. Nancy Whelchel, Associate Director for Survey Research
Institutional Strategy and Analysis
Box 7002
NCSU
Phone: (919) 515-4184
Email: Nancy_Whelchel@ncsu.edu

Posted: July, 2011

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