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New Graduates Likely to Change Jobs Within Five Years, Says Duke's Career Center Director

A survey of Duke alumni shows that, five years after graduation, 83 percent work for a different organization and 43 percent have changed careers at least once.

As members of the Class of 2007 are about to graduate from college and embark on careers, they should be mindful that it is likely they will be working for a different company, and perhaps in a new field, within five years, says a Duke University career expert.

 

 Sheila Curran, Fannie Mitchell Executive Director of the Career Center at Duke, recently surveyed members of Duke's Class of 2001 to see how their careers have evolved. "While 92 percent of the class was initially satisfied with their post-graduation career choice, 36 percent changed jobs in the first year. Five years after graduation, 83 percent work for a different organization and 43 percent have changed careers at least once."

 

 The 540 respondents (a 42 percent response rate) have held more than 1,500 jobs in the five years since they graduated, for an average of 2.77 jobs per graduate. Given the number of times graduates will be changing both jobs and careers, it is essential that students prepare themselves not just for their first job, but for a lifetime of changing jobs and careers, said Curran, co-author of "Smart Moves for Liberal Arts Grads: Finding a Path to Your Perfect Career" (May 2006, Ten Speed Press).

 

"It is important for universities to provide ways for new graduates to get a toe-hold on a career path, for example through on-campus recruiting," Curran said. "However, it is infinitely more important that students develop work skills and personal characteristics inside and outside the classroom that will help them not just in their first jobs, but throughout their career."

 

 Almost one in four graduates cited "lack of a good fit" as the reason for changing careers. To avoid career missteps, students need to spend more time exploring and experiencing different environments, for example through internships, prior to accepting a position, Curran said. And the career choice needs to be the student's, not the parents'.

 

 "It's much more important to study what you love than to follow a path that may be more common but doesn't interest you," Curran said. "Major doesn't equal career, and more majors doesn't equal better careers. Resist the temptation to build academic credentials at the expense of exploring new horizons."

The "Five Year Out" survey also provides insight into how graduates find their positions. Fifty percent of the class found their positions through personal connections. The importance of connections undoubtedly increases the longer a graduate is in the workforce, Curran said.

Parents continue to be involved in the career lives of their graduate children. Sixty percent of the Class of 2001 say their career choices have been influenced somewhat or a great deal by their parents. Families contributed 8 percent of the job leads for graduates and were responsible for 7 percent of the jobs obtained.

"The involvement of family can significantly impact the ability of graduates to find and obtain jobs. Therefore, it is particularly important that universities assist students without such family contacts to leverage alumni and other relationships," Curran said.