Tempe, Ariz. (AP)-Arizona State University student Scott Conklin is hanging on to his job at Costco and says most of his friends are also keeping their retail jobs-just in case they cannot find jobs after they graduate.
An already sluggish economy that took a turn for the worst after the September 11 terrorist attacks is promising to create some tight situations for this year’s senior class at Arizona universities, and it has some students carefully evaluating their options.
Conklin, a political science major, said he sees few openings in his field but isn’t too worried because he has something to fall back on. He estimates 90 percent of his friends are also hanging on to current jobs.
“That’s a pretty good sign that they don’t trust the economy right now,” said Conklin, 26. “It’s probably going to get worse before it gets better, and that all stems back to the September 11 attacks.”
ASU economist Michael Melvin said that although the economy has been slowing down for a while, students graduating this year are going to be the first to truly feel the pinch. Economists and career specialists at Arizona universities say economic conditions are going to force students to take a more flexible and aggressive approach to job hunting.
“I would be cautious and not expect too much, but try and find whatever job you can so you can get some experience,” said Melvin. “When the economy picks up, hopefully your experience will put you in a good position for a job.”
Where and how students are conducting their searches-as well the attitude they have when they look-has a lot to do with their success, said Elaine Stover, associate director of career services at ASU.
“Students have to be even more creative than they were a couple of years ago,” said Stover. “They may have to look at more organizations, more locations and at different industries.”
One visible effect at the university level of the economic slowdown is that fewer recruiters are scheduled to visit ASU, the University of Arizona and Northern Arizona University (NAU), which collectively graduate about 21,000 students every year.
Only a handful of recruiters have canceled plans to attend NAU’s October 9 career fair, but those who do attend will be hiring fewer students, said Karen White, NAU’s director of career services. Several recruiters decided the terrorist attacks last month were the last straw and that they had to tighten their belts, according to White.
“It is going to take students more initiative to get jobs. They are going to learn very quickly how to create a network for themselves in order to create more opportunities,” White said.
Several students say they’re worried about their prospects, but most have alternative plans for after graduation.
Joe Manfrida, a graduate microbiology student at ASU, said students need to be more open-minded with the positions they’ll accept until the market rebounds.
“Flexibility is key,” said Manfrida, 29. “People need to realize that you are not limited to what is on your degree. What you have is a package of skills to take with you.”
Arpit Uppal, a sophomore business major at ASU, said he’s not too worried that the market will still be in bad shape when he graduates.
“If the economy doesn’t rebound, I will hope for the best, work at McDonald’s and help the economy out.”

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