Jobs await prospective accountants, engineers
If you want a clue as to what career fields are hottest, take a look at the Fall Career Fair Northeastern University hosted earlier this month.
Recruiters from 214 companies, from accounting, biotechnology, investment banking, financial services, engineering, power, and the Peace Corps, met with 1,400 students that day.
Although you'll see many firms on the list offering jobs that are in big demand, you don't see healthcare institutions. That's because most healthcare grads from Northeastern's programs already have jobs lined up, explained Maria Stein, director of career services at the school.
"I usually turn away hospitals," she said, "because we don't have students looking for jobs." Students graduating in nursing, pharmacy, and physical therapy, she said, "have already been scooped up. They're gone. So they don't come to the career fair."
Stein and Thom Bosanquet, director of employment and employer relations for Lahey Clinic Medical Center in Burlington, agreed that healthcare students benefit tremendously from co-op programs, clinical rotations during schooling, or part-time work in the field. Students learn the ropes, make connections, and almost always have jobs lined up before graduation.
Nursing is generally considered the hottest career right now, and experienced nurses with training in acute care and telemetry, which is used in cardiac units for heart monitoring, are the "hottest of the hot," according to Bosanquet. Nursing educators and managers are also in short supply.
As the industry now requires graduating pharmacists to have doctorates, schools are struggling to fill demand for this field. The growing shortage of pharmacists is related to both the aging population and to the expansion of pharmacies into big commercial outlets, which is "sucking up the supply," Bosanquet said.
All diagnostic imaging fields are growing and need workers, and physical therapy remains very busy, too.
Accounting and engineering are both actively looking for more qualified candidates, but these careers are not always at the top of the list for some students. What students think is "hot" or "sexy," Stein pointed out, does not always match what companies need.
Investment banking is still very popular with students and companies, but accounting, one of the most in-demand fields, doesn't have a glamorous image. "We can't get enough students to major in it," she said. "It's a great career with a lot of opportunities. It's much more dynamic than students think."
In accounting, "Good quality candidates are very hard to find. Companies definitely want talented people," said Bill Driscoll, New England district president for the staffing firm
Salaries and demand are rising in accounting and finance, Driscoll said. The 2002 Sarbanes-Oxley legislation mandating greater financial accountability from public companies continues to drive demand for accountants.
Engineering is offering more opportunities. Civil, chemical, electrical, and mechanical engineering are all looking for good employees.
At Wentworth Institute of Technology, director of career services Greg Denon said transportation planning and structural are the two hottest areas in civil engineering. As "green design" catches on, more companies are seeking specialists in this field.
"The public does not perceive the need, and yet we look around and see the need," said Dr. Cornelia Demers, associate professor and program coordinator for civil engineering technology at Wentworth. "We see concrete falling from our bridges."
Wentworth's enrollment numbers have been steady and solid, but some schools have trouble getting students interested in engineering. Besides civil engineering, other areas of specialty in Massachusetts include mechanical and electronic engineers for medical devices, and mechanical for alternative energy, according to Denon. "There's a lot of interest in design for wind turbines and fuel cells," he said.
Other businesses actively recruiting on Northeastern's campus included Cambridge high-tech firms, power companies looking for engineers and technologists for geo-environmental work, and insurance and investment firms.
Companies need management, training, and leadership personnel, too, Stein added. On the creative side, graphic designers and Web designers are among the highest-demand careers.
"Recruiters were here because they want students and employees," Stein said, voicing optimism about the overall job market in this region. "The news says that many companies are cutting back, but we're not seeing that yet here. Those companies on the conservative side might be holding back a bit on hiring," she noted, but overall she sees a healthy job market. 