2013 job market trends for international students

When it comes to employment opportunities in the US, international students are generally constrained by a number of policies and regulations that make employers hesitant to hire them. However, there are a few resources out there that can help internatinal students better prepare themselves for future employment in the US by choosing the a career path and industry in which international students can be in high demand.

Last week, I attended an informational workshop put together by the International Student/Scholar Office that presented strategies international students can implement to possibly secure employment positions beyond their OPT months. In his presentation, the Associate Director at the University Career Center, James Novak, mentioned some statistics from a job outlook report; so, when I got home I did a little bit of research and here it is.

The National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) put together a 2013 Job Outlook report that can help students find important trends in the US job market. As an international student, I find this report to be of particular interest and hope others can find it useful as well (there is a lot of great information for college/master students in general -- so, check it out)

In 2013, about 28.1% of respondents (US employers) plan to hire international students, especially those graduating with computer science and information technology degrees. In the last few years, this number has followed an upper trend which sounds very promising for international students who want to pursue employment in the US. Below is a breakdown of the hiring plans of international students by industry:

NACE 2013 Job Outlook Report - International student hiring plans, by industry

Another interesting graph to look at is the international student hiring plans by region:

NACE 2013 Job Outlook Report - International student hiring plans, by region

As I look over this, I wish I would've known about this report earlier in my academic career. It could've saved me quite a few struggles along the way. However, I'm glad to see that the Southeast region of the US is seeing an increase in employers planning to hire international students.

One encouraging stat for my fellow MBA students: the 2012-2013 average signing bonus (projected) for MBA graduates is $16,583. We are definitely in the right field of studies! :)

What are your thoughts about these trends?

Spring Break is over....now back into the school groove!!

It is almost the middle of March; my last Spring Break as a graduate student is over and I’m half way through my MBA program: where did the time fly by? I can see the light at the end of the tunnel shinning brighter and brighter at me.

As much as I enjoy being a graduate student, I do miss my little vacation! Since this was my last Spring Break ever (don’t see myself actually pursuing a PhD program!), I decided to make it big: together with a classmate, we decided to go on a 5-day cruise to Bahamas! And we had a blast!!! The nice weather, great food, amazing scenery, and an overall relaxing atmosphere made it so much harder to get back into the groove of studying, doing homework, and working on assignments and case studies when we got back!

But now it’s back to reality: I have a midterm and a project coming up, trying to keep up with my other 3 classes and my graduate assistant work, and still looking for the right internship for the summer: so much to do, so little time!!

If there is something I learned from this Spring Break is that taking an entire week off  from your school work during a full load semester (even if it is for a relaxing Spring Break) is not recommended while in graduate school. The anxiety of having to catch up and never feeling like you can get ahead is not the best of feelings; especially not after a great vacation.

But I'm grateful for the opportunities I have to not only pursue a master degree in a field I love and better prepare myself for future endeavors but also build long lasting friendships with my classmates!