If the Class of 2000 resembles the senior class that graduated two years ago, 60 percent of its members have received job offers for next year, one fifth plan on attending graduate school and the average alum will make roughly $36,000 annually.
The most common choice of employment is likely business -- with investment banking and consulting leading the way -- distantly followed by education, scientific research, computer science and engineering, social service, communications, arts, and government, in that order.
Among those who attend graduate school, most will go to medical school, a close second will go to law school, about two percent of the class will receive advanced degrees in engineering and an additional two percent will enroll in Ph.D. programs.
If this year's trends mirror those of the Class of 1998, the most recent year for which College data is available, computer scientists and engineers will command the most earning power, with the average graduate in those fields receiving nearly $45,000 a year. Business workers will have similar salaries, the average approximating $40,000. And those who pursue careers in communications, law, government and science will mostly earn around $30,000 annually.
According to the data, which is obtained each year from seniors on the day of graduation rehearsal, men continue to earn more than their female counterparts. The average male graduate of Dartmouth earns roughly $39,000, as of 1998, while the average female graduate earns about $6,000 less than that.
According to Associate Director of Career Services Kathryn Hutchinson, however, this year has seen the beginning of several changes in the job market.
For one, Hutchinson said, there has been an increase in the number of students interested in marketing, advertising and public relations coinciding with more employers in these categories.
She also said Dot Com start ups and e-commerce employers are attracting seniors, and several graduates have plans to start their own Internet companies in San Francisco next fall.
What Hutchinson stressed, moreover, is the diversity of options open to Dartmouth seniors.
Hutchinson said education has been a strong interest for seniors, both in the public and private sectors. Graduates are going to schools such as the Landmark School for math and language teaching, Teach for America and CIEP France to teach English. In addition, for a third year, seniors will be teaching at the Queen of Peace School in the Marshall Islands.
In the public service area, a Dartmouth General Fellow will be working at Rosie's Place, a Food Access Initiative in Boston. Green Corps has hired a senior to work as an Environmental Field Organizer and the WaterWatch Foundation has also hired a graduate to become a campus organizer.
On the international front, Hutchinson said, seniors will be in such places as Australia working for Bain Consulting and Africa for the Peace Corps. One will be organizing and conducting performances of 18th century music, and one will be involved in language studies and community health care in Antigua, Guatemala.
