Though unemployment rates have seen better days, the overall rate in the United States is on a steady decline. Two LSU computer engineering graduates demonstrate how important applying for jobs can be in the long run.
Prosys software engineer Edward Lynch began looking for jobs the summer before his senior of college. He also worked as an intern for a video game store while in college. Lynch also showed he was multi-dimensional by completing other tasks.
“I developed apps on the side,” Lynch said. “It was a great thing to show employers, getting internships while in college as well as after.”
Lynch’s advantage of gaining experience in college landed him a job less than a month after graduating from LSU in December 2014. He has worked at Prosys ever since.
Lynch’s success does not stop with him. He stressed the importance of applying to many places when searching for a job.
“You’ll have more options the wider area you go,” Lynch said. “So I applied to multiple locations to open up those options.”
Lynch’s advice was not heeded by another former LSU student in the same major.
Phillip Marr, who graduated in December 2015, waited to apply for a job until just before graduation. His decision may have cost him a semester’s worth of employment, but he acknowledged that Baton Rouge may not be the best place to settle for a career in computer engineering.
“I know Houston has a huge population of LSU graduates,” Marr said. “I’m starting my look there now. There’s nothing here for computer engineers in high tech.”
The unemployment rate in Baton Rouge dropped from 6.5 percent to five percent in 2015. Oil and gas jobs took the biggest hit this past year as oil prices fell. Still, the market experienced a loss of only 300 jobs from November to December which was a sign that things were beginning to slow down.
The number of jobs in the U.S. grew by 2.1 percent, while the number of unemployed people in Louisiana dropped to 106,500, down from 141,000 a year ago.
“Definitely apply during your senior year,” Marr said. “That was my biggest regret. It’ll benefit you in the long run.”