EMILY CHAMBERLAI
Most college graduates appear optimistic about their futures.
According to a GMAC/Gallup poll released early this fall, college graduates showed a significant interest in entrepreneurial careers. Results also showed that women are choosing different career goals and appear less optimistic towards their careers than their male counterparts.
Julie Dolan, vice president of the Graduate Management Admission Council, said “college graduates have a general wellspring of optimism.”
Dolan feels positive about the optimism of the graduates entering into entrepreneurial careers but is concerned about the results of the survey showing less women interested in attending business school. The survey showed only 16 percent of women plan to attend business school compared with 27 percent of men.
This is a concern business schools should be aware of, Dolan said. Most business schools try to have a high amount of diversity in gender, ethnicity and backgrounds in training future business managers.
Alan Simpson, media relations specialist at Westerbeck Communications, Inc., said the survey displayed a trend in three areas:
-One of every five seniors interested in graduate school plans on attending graduate business school, making it a primary choice for post-graduate education.
-Nearly two-thirds of seniors expect that, in 20 years, their standard of living will be higher than that of their parents at the same age.
-Many seniors believe there is a “glass ceiling” limiting the progress of women in their careers and women are far more likely to perceive a glass ceiling than men.
Dolan said that as women choose their career path, the notion of a glass ceiling could have an effect on their interests and choice of career. But it’s really all in the mind, she said.
Melissa Rohrer, a second-year MBA student at BYU, said she really doesn’t see a glass ceiling. She said “most major companies are up-to-date and most seem to give everyone a chance.”
John Montgomery, also a second-year MBA student with an emphasis in finance, said that he does feel there is somewhat of a glass ceiling in the business field.
“I did know a lot of women that worked really hard and were successful in advancing in their careers, but I do think that they did have to work harder than men to get the same position,” Montgomery said.
Most students entering into business schools have a reason why they would like to continue their education.
“I think that career advancement is the number-one reason for pursuing an MBA degree,” said Dolan.
Montgomery said, “I would never miss a promotion because I didn’t have enough education.”
Thirty-nine percent of those surveyed showed an interest in owning small-business firms.
Dolan said owning a business is a very popular trend. She said the survey shows a fairly high number expressing entrepreneurships as their principle interest compared with ten years ago when most students showed greater interest in corporate positions.
David Foutz, a second-year MBA student at BYU with an emphasis in marketing and strategy, said he would rather work for a large corporation. He feels most students don’t understand what entrepreneurship is and said if he were ever to start his own business he would make sure he gained the skills necessary to make the business successful.
Rohrer said she doesn’t plan to go up the corporate ladder because she would like to raise a family. She said she went into the MBA program because she wanted to do something practical and to broaden her perspective.
Foutz shares this outlook. “I would really be happy if I could support my wife and make enough money so my family could live a comfortable middle-class lifestyle.”
According to the survey, the top three occupational choices of men are entrepreneurial positions, science professions and corporate management.
The top three choices for women are educational professions, health professions and entrepreneurial positions.
The survey is the second annual study done by GMAC which collected opinions from 1,000 college graduates nationwide from 88 different universities.
