Evening star., 1935-06-02

they, upon graduation, md
jobs that will justify the
time and expense necessary for each
to get a college degree? Or will John
and Mary be compelled to join the
army of unemployed even after four
years of apprenticeship" for the busi-
ness of living and of making living?
These very troublesome questions are
beng asked now by thousands of
fathers and mothers throughout the
United States. whose own Johns and
Marys are being graduated from high
school this month. And these same
vexing questions are occurring to John
and Mary. at least if they have am
bition and are giving thought to what
the years ahead may hold for them.
During the decade from 1919 to 1929
American youth acquired the Amer
ican habit of going to college. In this
period the colleges and universities
showed their greatest gains in enroll
ment. Opportunities were plentiful
1t was generally accepted that young
man or young woman having college
diploma would readily get position
considerably better than the jobs OBJ
tainable by those who sought employ
ment at the end of four years in high
school 1t actually worked out that
way, back in those days of super
abundance. The coveted college Gre
dentials were the open sesame to
employment In many fields.
Young America Optimists.
Then came the fateful days of 1929.
The graduates of the following June
and succeeding Junes from most uni
versities and colleges found the time
worn quip about it's being a cold
world" only too true when it came
to the matter of employment During
those years much was heard from the
pessimist who thought he saw the
general uselessness of college training
in such chaotic times. Nevertheless
young America continued to throng
into the colleges, universities and other
higher schools. They were optimists.
There has just come from the campus
Of Purdue University at Lafayette.
Ind, some dramatic evidence that in
spite Of all these things these young
optimists were right.
Purdue University is State institu-
ton devoted to engineering. agricul-
ture and applied science The workers
therein deal mostly with cold, hard
facts. Therefore it Is not surprising
that the president of the university,
DR.. Edward c. Elliott, should have
asked himself the question: What are
these ruthless times doing to our
graduates"
To get at the cold. hard facts Of
the situation the university has taken
a job census Of the more than 1000
graduates of the last seven years. The
results of this job census, only re-
Gently published, reveal discourage
ment for some, but take on rosy
hue for the vast majority of the grad
yates.
Briefly, this census showed the fol-
lowing:
That s1.3 per cent of the graduates
Of the last seven years are employed
today-89 per cent Of them gainfully,
the % per cent being represented by
housewives and graduate students.
That more than two-thirds of those
gainfully employed are engaged in
permanent work for which they were
specifically trained in the university.
Many Had Contracts.
That 90 per cent of these more
than 1000 graduates had signed con-
tracts for employment before they
had their diplomas; another 39.5 per
cent had employment within two
weeks after graduation, and another
23.9 per cent within three months
making 1873 per cent gainfully en-
ployed within 80 days after receiving
their diplomas.
That salaries in this group ranged
from $500 to $4,000 annually, with
the low salaries supplemented by COM
missions, bonuses, fees and certain
other forms of compensation.
That the low point in employment
came in 1882, with the trend upward
since that time.
That the lowest point in starting
salaries came in 1882 and that the
average had been advancing since
then.
To get these cold, hard facts-which
In the case of Purdue were not so cold
the university authorities had to
find out exactly how many OF the re-
cent graduates actually were working.
what they were doing, what salaries
they received at the start of their en-
ployment, what they were being paid
in the autumn of 1884 when the sur
vey began, how closely their positions
were related to the courses they pur-
sued during their undergraduate days.
the time of obtaining employment
and similar information.
The survey covered the careers OF
those who had graduated from the
four main branches of engineering,
civil, chemical, electrical, and me-
chanical; in agriculture, pharmacy.
science, home economics and physical
education-the courses of study Of
fered at Purdue.
Colleagues Of the Purdue executive