Washington University’s Career Center has stepped up its efforts to help students obtain the jobs they want. This initiative is a reaction to students’ worries about finding jobs in the current economic climate.

In a recent column in the Huffington Post, Amanda Terkel wrote about America’s “Brain Drain,” how graduates in scientific fields work in finance rather than continuing with research. Instead of continuing with scientific research and development, technical majors often end up in the world of finance, working for a Wall Street investment bank.

Washington University prides itself on its career center and the career services it provides for its students. The prestigious jobs its students are offered every year, the clout those students hold in the working world, and the substantial alumni network that we have are all indicators that a lot of things are going well.

A recent release of 2010 census data showed that the population in St. Louis City had decreased by about 8 percent over the past decade. The figures indicate a total population of 319,294 people, a near 30,000 person decrease from the 2000 census and a reduction by more than half since the 1950s.

The economy is in all sorts of trouble; some experts believe it’s in a recession, some say a depression, and every now and then you’ll hear some clown say that it’s just fine.

Though national unemployment soars at nearly 10 percent, school officials predict Washington University’s Class of 2011 will actually have less difficulty finding jobs than did students graduating in previous years.

The cab driver wanted me to know that he wasn’t a cab driver. “This is only temporary,” he assured me before we even made it to Forsyth. “It’s only for a little while.” He wanted me to know that he had been laid off from his real job four months ago. He wanted me to know that he was actually a construction manager; he had been with his company for 11 years.

The Gephardt Institute for Public Service showcased government jobs in an event on Nov. 10, as students look to government jobs in a tough economic climate.

With job deadlines swiftly approaching, many Washington University seniors are rushing to the Career Center for guidance—and for some students, this visit will be their first in four years. How is that possible, you ask?

Despite the economic downturn, 91 percent of 2009 Washington University business school graduates who sought employment received at least one job offer.