{"id":4910,"date":"2011-04-01T15:35:34","date_gmt":"2011-04-01T19:35:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/?p=4910"},"modified":"2013-02-05T11:13:14","modified_gmt":"2013-02-05T15:13:14","slug":"ruth-mantell-advises-students-on-navigating-the-world-of-work","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/2011\/04\/ruth-mantell-advises-students-on-navigating-the-world-of-work\/","title":{"rendered":"Ruth Mantell advises students on navigating the world of work"},"content":{"rendered":"

Ruth Mantell, a personal-finance reporter for MarketWatch, a service of the Wall Street Journal Digital Network, advised college students about successfully making the transition from college to career during the Perspectives 2011, The Raymond and Florence Witt Lecture Series: Getting a job, changing careers: navigating the world of work.<\/em> Mantell spoke about a variety of topics including graduate degrees, negotiating pay, relocating, and internships.<\/p>\n\"\"<\/a>\n

\u201cIn some ways, college students have the golden ticket. The unemployment rate for those with a bachelor\u2019s degree is about 4 percent compared to 9 percent for the general population, but challenges remain for fresh college graduates remain because of youth and inexperience.\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Mantell writes about careers, the labor market, and issues\u00a0that concern\u00a0working families, and more. She also covers breaking news on jobless claims and other U.S. Labor Department data.\u00a0She regularly writes features for The Wall Street Journal <\/em>Sunday, and posts\u00a0for WSJ.com\u2019s \u201cJuggle\u201d blog about balancing work and family.\u00a0She is working on a new jobs blog for MarketWatch that will offer tips for workers\u00a0about careers and compensation.<\/p>\n

According to Mantell, some of the top fields for job growth are nursing, education, customer service, and business, but economists are still unsure about the future. \u201cThe economy is going through massive amount of change right now. We are emerging from a tough recession and economists are not exactly sure what the economy is going to look like in the next few years.\u201d<\/p>\n

With an uncertain economy, some students turn to graduate degrees to increase their employability. While graduates degrees can mean lower unemployment rates and increased lifetime earnings, Mantell said, \u201cYou want to make sure you\u2019re choosing the right graduate degree if you\u2019re going for greater earnings potential. In some cases, you can be better served by specialized or on-the-job training.\u201d<\/p>\n

Young workers may become prone to \u201cjob hopping\u201d or changing jobs frequently. \u201cIt\u2019s okay to change jobs, but before you do so, just make sure you\u2019re really considering why you\u2019re doing it because you may end up going into another spot that you also don\u2019t like and also leave very quickly,\u201d she said. \u201cIf a possible employer sees you as a job hopper, they\u2019re not going to want to hire you. If they don\u2019t think you\u2019ll going to stick with them, they\u2019re not going to make the investment.\u201d<\/p>\n

Relocating to a new city can also be risky. \u201cBefore you move, you need to figure out how to pay the bills. A few years ago, you needed a two or three months of living expenses, but because of the uncertain job market, it needs to be six to nine months,\u201d Mantell advised. You want to be able you can support yourself. Make sure there are opportunities in your new city.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mantell emphasized the importance of networking in finding a new job.<\/p>\n