Students graduating in Brandeis' Class of 2005 will enter the best job market in four years, and many can expect to earn increasing average salaries, according to reports published by the National Association of Colleges and Employers.Employers plan a 13 percent increase in the hiring of college graduates this year, according to the association's Job Outlook 2005 survey. The NACE report also found in its Spring 2005 Salary Survey that average salaries offered to new graduates are climbing.

Hiatt Career Center Director Martin Ford agreed that the outlook is positive for Brandeis graduates.

"I would say that the economy overall is as strong as it has been in the last four to five years," he said. "The national projections are that this is one of the better times to be graduating from college, ...so the opportunities are there."

Ford said many Brandeis graduates have followed the national trend in taking advantage of opportunities in the ever-evolving business world, specifically financial services and sales-fields, which Ford believes a Brandeis liberal arts education is particularly well suited for.

He said Brandeis graduates benefit from "the skills that we help our students foster to improve upon their liberal arts area skills" such as "analytical skills, problem solving [and] writing skills."

Prof Gary Jefferson (ECON) agrees that the broad education offered by the University is good preparation for the current job market. He said that such an education "should provide the foundation for acquiring the adaptability and skills needed to take advantage of evolving career opportunities."

He said that while "employment opportunities for graduating students should be good by recent standards," the economy is threatened by many obstacles including a large fiscal deficit and the subsequent reliance on foreign support to fund that deficit.

"In light of these uncertainties in the domestic and international economy, businesses may not be hiring as extensively" as they have in the past, he said.

Ford said motivated students who begin their searches early are often most successful because the best programs hire long in advance.

He said internship experiences, which demonstrate a student's talents and initiative, are invaluable in pursuing jobs after graduation. He said they also offer students a chance to get experience at a position before making a decision on a career.

"Probably 10 percent of graduates will change [careers] within the first year," Ford said.

Nate Westheimer '05 is counting on his liberal arts foundation to assist his search for a job next fall. A double major in politics and sociology and former president of the BTV65 campus television station, Westheimer said he plans to take the summer off to work for a local political campaign and then move to New York City to find employment.

He said that while his education has not necessarily pointed him towards a particular field, he feels that his academic and extracurricular experiences at Brandeis have given him a "pretty diverse set of skills."

"When I'm talking to [potential employers], if I'm coming from Brandeis University, people are going to understand that my analytical skills are likely going to be pretty high," Westheimer said. "There is a lot of confidence in my academic preparedness."

Westheimer said his involvement in student affairs at Brandeis has provided him with an understanding of real-world situations.

"If I'm with a consulting group, I can talk about my specific experiences with a struggling media organization," he said. "I can talk about my experiences organizing things that people understand are important."


-Kantele Franko of The Post (UWIRE-OHIO U.) contributed to this article.