This past February, the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) conducted an online survey of college students that aimed to determine their preference when it came to selecting private or public sector jobs. In total, the researchers interviewed students pursuing bachelor's to advanced degrees at nearly 600 schools across the country.
The most notable finding of the NACE was that only 6 percent of respondents indicated that they planned on pursuing public service following graduation, the lowest since this annual survey was started in 2008. Similarly, only 3 percent of the survey takers indicated they wanted to work for the federal government.
By contrast, 33 percent said they planned on attending graduate school, perhaps due to the many economic factors weighing down the employment market. Overall, there are more than 100,000 government vacancies, according to experts that analyzed the data. This figure, however, excluded the number of temporary positions, student internships and military jobs that need filling, among others.
Given the high number of students who are looking for private sector jobs, it may behoove these future job seekers to pursue the IT training they need that can help them land top positions in a growing field. However, aspiring IT workers who are not enrolled in a four-year college can still pursue other low cost options.
For example, by taking online courses with certified instructors, those who want to learn the ins and outs of Microsoft SharePoint and Oracle networks can get the professional training they need to take certification exams. Students who want a more hands-on approach should be careful to select a provider that offers both online and in-person instruction.