Of the sample about 1000 were technical students, 1000 non-technical, and 1000 graduate business students. About 70 per cent of the non-technical sample plan to go on to graduate school somewhere, and 34 per cent ultimately to have a career with an industrial or business firm. Only 25 per cent said they wanted to go into education, while 20 per cent plan to be self employed and 5 per cent want to go into government.
San Francisco
According to the study San Francisco is the most popular city to live in, while Detroit is the most unpopu- lar. Suburbia is the preferred residential location, with the big city in second place. The expected starting salary varies with the field of work, the highest being $775 per month for those in business, and the lowest $675 per month for a government job.
MORE than 50 per cent of the sample said they would prefer to work for an employer who would finance continued education, specifically a formal degree program. Such a program is now being offered by the First National Bank of Chicago. Under its Scholar Program students are sent to a graduate business school to earn an MBA degree. The bank pays both tution and a salary and recognizes the student's need for study time.
The Career Planning Study pinpointed five most important criteria in choosing a job:
* Opportunity to acquire training and experience which would increase attractiveness to other employers
* Opportunity for diverse field experience in several functional areas
* Good working conditions
* Opportunity for significant responsibility
* Maximum opportunity for promotion.
Many interesting hypotheses can be drawn from these findings. Sixty per cent of the sample were eligible for the draft, and of these two thirds plan to go to graduate school. However, many of these responses were given before the new Selective Service ruling. It is impossible to judge from these figures how many of these students were planning to continue their education solely as a means of avoiding the draft. But it will be interesting to see if there is a significant drop in this percentage in subsequent years.
Starting Where Dad Stopped
The study points up the fact that those from an urban environment are more interested in working in business than those from rural areas. Of those at business schools, the greatest number come from a middle to high income suburban, educated family. Today's business school graduate expects to start his salary where his father left off, according to the study.
AN INTERESTING tangent to this study is the question of the effect that riots in the cities has on job applications. Detroit, which has been the scene of some of this country's worst riots, is the most unpopular city. Chicago, another racially tense city, was almost as widely disliked as Detroit. Figures like these might convince to business based to try to improve their surroundings if they hope to attract new talent.
Most basically, the study demonstrates a new emphasis on making the most of one's capabilities to work and to learn. Students want jobs which demand responsibility and initiative; parallels can be drawn between the findings of this study and the success of IGS itself.
The individual managers at IGS do not earn fantastic salaries. Many over 20 hours per week for only $30 per week. Some of them worked their way up through the ranks, others applied directly for specific jobs. Joe DiMento '69, personnel director for IGS, says he likes his jobs because it is interesting, well-paid, and diversified. Ted Siff '70, who runs the financial end, is enthusiastic about IGS because the projects "have something to do with tomorrow," and because it is almost completely run by students with dynamic new ideas.
From the other end, most of the interviewers who work for IGS enjoy the interesting work and the casual set-up. The workers get to choose their own hours, have frequent changes of jobs, and can work at their own pace. Joyce Peters '68, and IGS employee, says she thinks the organization is run very well, and that the management is very friendly. "The way it's set up is optimum for the way I want to work," she said.
There are many people who work at IGS because it pays well. Good translators can earn as much as $5-6 per hour, and no IGS worker ever earns less than $2 per hour. For a student on scholarship who has to work, but who wants to work at erratic times and learn something at the same time, IGS is the perfect employer.
Few of us are aware of IGS's existence. Although much of its work does not affect us, some of its projects involve us directly. You know that new privately-financed stadium that may be built one of these days? When and it that day comes, you can thank IGS for the finished product, because they proved to the Commonwealth Stadium Associates that it was economically feasible