As of May 14, 81% of graduating seniors have responded to the “first destination survey” conducted annually by the Center for Career Development (CCD). Of the students surveyed, two-thirds have secured employment, one-quarter will be pursuing advanced degrees, 5% will be doing service and 2% serving in the military.
According to Ryan Willerton, associate vice president for career and professional development, early trends for the class of 2024 are projected to track trends from last year’s graduating class.
The two most popular destinations for graduating seniors are Chicago and New York.
Additionally, employers that have formed strong relationships with Notre Dame over the years continue to recruit from the graduating class. According to Willerton, these employers, which include Deloitte, PwC, JPMorgan, Bank of America, KPMG, Epic, Goldman Sachs, McKinsey and Company and EY, hired ten or more students this year.
The job market has remained relatively stable since the fall semester but can vary depending on the industry. Some industries, like consulting and technology, have been impacted harder than others.
“For example, we have seen some, but not all, management consulting firms pull back on hiring due to economic factors, and some tech firms have also scaled back hiring college graduates as they have made workforce reductions,” Willerton wrote.
Following employment, the second most popular post-graduation destination is pursuing an advanced degree like graduate school or medical school.
“Seniors continue to get accepted to top graduate programs, including Harvard Law School, Yale, and Cambridge,” Willerton wrote.
Willerton reported that five or more students have accepted offers at Northwestern University, Duke University, Columbia University, University of Pennsylvania, UNC-Chapel Hill and Purdue University for advanced degrees.
The CCD has supported students throughout their journey at Notre Dame and their career discernment path over the last four years. Many students have worked with the CCD since their freshman and sophomore years and will continue working with career advisors following graduation.
“About 86% of the senior class has engaged with the Center for Career Development during their time at Notre Dame,” Willerton wrote.
Willerton stressed the importance of networking with Notre Dame connections to find career opportunities. “Some of the best opportunities Notre Dame graduates secure come from networking, not submitting 100+ resumes,” he wrote.
The CCD hopes to help support students in their lifelong career development following graduation.
“Your major may inform, but does not determine your career path or success. What you learned both in the classroom and outside of the classroom can be leveraged,” Willerton wrote.
As seniors set off for their first post-graduation destination or continue to search for employment, Willerton reminds students that the recruiting process and timeline looks different in each industry. Some students may have had a job lined up for months, while others are currently evaluating offers upon graduation.
“Accelerated recruiting for roles like investment banking and management consulting resulted in many students accepting full-time employment offers last fall,” Willerton wrote. “Many students in other industries are evaluating offers this month, and some lines of work, like government, public policy, media and entertainment focus on ‘just in time’ hiring, which means some graduates will be securing great opportunities in the coming months.”
