Local students consider relocating after graduation
By ANDREA SION | Apr. 14, 2006With graduation - and the loan collectors - a hop, skip and a jump around the corner, thousands of UB students will soon be looking for their first post-graduation paycheck, preferably with a job that's comfortably above minimum wage and doesn't take your four-year degree to ask if you'd like fries with that.UB grads will be competing with graduates from area colleges and universities, so finding a job in the Buffalo area may prove difficult for many."With 17 area college campuses in the region, our universities and colleges produce more graduates than are needed in this region," said Dan Ryan, director of Career Services.As a result, many graduates may consider relocating, away from friends and family, in search of fresh career prospects.While leaving Western New York may appeal to some graduates, students must consider several factors -- primarily what kind of salary they can expect and the cost of living -- before making such a life-changing plunge.Craig Smith, a senior pharmaceutical science major from Webster, NY, said he is eager to begin his future in pharmaceutical sales immediately after graduation."I'm going to go wherever the place with the biggest difference between the cost of living and the salary is," Smith said.Although he doesn't have a specific location in mind, Smith -- like many graduates -- said he dreams of a place where it is sunny year round, with beaches and zero snow flurries.But even warmer weather may not be enough of a draw for cash-hungry graduates.
