As members of the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Class of 2016 cross the stage on May 28, what are some of their future plans following Commencement?
Many graduates will continue their studies after graduation. Among the schools that graduates will be attending are Baylor College of Medicine, Columbia University, Harvard University, Purdue University, University of Michigan, and, of course, Rensselaer.
Many others will be starting exciting new jobs. “Employers are looking for candidates that have strong critical thinking skills, professionalism, and the ability to work in a team,” said Jennifer Walters, director of the Center for Career and Professional Development (CCPD) at Rensselaer. “Opportunities for on-campus research, internships, co-ops, and other experiential learning experiences allow Rensselaer students to strengthen such skills. Some of the top employers in the country continue to hire Rensselaer graduates for their strong disciplinary knowledge as well as their problem-solving and leadership skills.”
Graduates will be heading from the stage to offices and locations within the Capital Region, across the nation, and also overseas. The top reported employers that Rensselaer graduates will work at include: Amazon.com, Boeing, Cisco Systems, Google, IBM, Microsoft, and Pratt & Whitney/United Technologies. Also, students have reported postdoctoral assignments at: Amherst College, Georgia Institute of Technology on a NASA-sponsored fellowship, and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).
In addition, there have been numerous hires at defense-related employers including Raytheon, Sandia National Labs, Knolls Atomic Power Lab, Bechtel, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, and BAE Systems.
Graduates will be heading from the stage to offices and locations within the Capital Region, across the nation, and also overseas. The top reported employers that Rensselaer graduates will work at include: Amazon.com, Boeing, Cisco Systems, Google, IBM, Microsoft, and Pratt & Whitney/United Technologies. Also, students have reported postdoctoral assignments at: Amherst College, Georgia Institute of Technology on a NASA-sponsored fellowship, and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).
Today, job market news continues to look positive in all regions for Class of 2016 graduates. Walters noted that while the center is not seeing any downward trends in any specific industries as of yet, there have been several new and interesting employment offerings for Rensselaer graduates. Organizations from a variety of industries, sizes, and locations are hiring Rensselaer graduates, which illustrates the continued strength and breadth of a Rensselaer education. For example, DraftKings, a gaming and entertainment company, hired an undergraduate student; the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore hired a master’s-level student; Fingerpaint, a Saratoga Springs-based marketing firm, hired a Ph.D. candidate; and the Carnegie Institution for Science hired a Ph.D. candidate.
Walters also noted that Rensselaer graduates continue to enjoy overall higher starting salaries compared to national averages published by the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE). Over a dozen computer science students reported salaries above $100,000. The average salary for undergraduate students receiving a bachelor’s in engineering is coming in at approximately $68,000, which is a slight increase above the previous year. Graduate-level salaries are also on the rise, with master’s degree candidates averaging $80,000 and Ph.D. candidates pursuing careers averaging $101,000.