Monday, Jul 20, 2020
Survey reveals insights about Class of 2019 one year after graduation
by Rachel Stengel '14, '20
Within one year of graduation, 92% of bachelor's degree recipients and 96% of master's degree recipients from Rider's Class of 2019 are employed, pursuing graduate study, volunteering or in the military, reports a survey conducted by Rider’s Office of Career Development and Success.
The office surveyed 774 members of the Class of 2019 to learn about their career choices and outcomes of Rider graduates.
"The impressive results of the Class of 2019 survey speak to the effectiveness of a Rider education," says Kim Barberich, executive director of Career Development and Success. "Students take advantage of the expansive support Rider offers for career preparedness through workshops, career fairs and internships. All these experiences translate into actual results as students pursue the next part of their professional journeys."
Rider graduates of the Class of 2019 are employed by more than 200 organizations, including Apple, Bloomberg, Johnson & Johnson, Princeton Public Schools, the Walt Disney Company, the U.S. Department of Defense and the University of Pennsylvania.
Seven out of 10 employed undergraduate survey respondents gained hands-on experience through internships, co-ops or student teaching placements. Providing hands-on experience, where students can begin to apply the knowledge they gain in the classroom to real-world situations, is a cornerstone of the University’s Engaged Learning Program.
Allison Jurado's ’19 journey personifies the Engaged Learning Program in action. Jurado secured a full-time job at JPMorgan Chase during her junior year after completing a paid internship in the bank's global finance and business management analyst program.
Jurado says her experiences at Rider — everything from completing the University's Business Honors Program to study abroad in Croatia — led her to become the leader she is now.
“I thought leadership was something you were born with, and I believed I was not born with it,” Jurado says. “But I decided to go with it. I learned leadership is a skill that can be developed, and especially when you have the right tools. I see that in myself now.”
Alumni who are pursuing graduate studies are enrolled at a number of prestigious institutions including Georgetown University and Colombia University.
Erin Rein '19 attends the Drexel University Thomas R. Kline School of Law on a full-tuition scholarship. Rein, who graduated with a double major in education and psychology, was intent on becoming a teacher, but the faraway actions of policymakers in Washington, D.C., altered her course.
“Public policy, especially for education, is always changing, but part of the problem with policymakers who work on education is that they have never been in the classroom,” Rein says. “I feel that many of the mandates aren't helping teachers.”
She hopes to use her law degree to help shape public policy around education.
Experts in Career Development and Success help students forge pathways to their professional aspirations. In 2019, career advisers worked with students in more than 1,200 individual appointments. Career Development and Success organized more than 80 workshops, programs and events that over 1,300 students attended. During multiple career fairs, Rider students were exposed to more than 300 employers to assist in their job searches.
Students' relationship with Career Development and Success does not end as a student. The office continues to support alumni with their career objectives, including one-on-one career counseling and assistance with securing job opportunities.