Armed with a new political science degree from UW-Madison, an ability to speak Czech and Polish, and an abundance of confidence, Jerrie Ceplina felt like she could take on almost any job. The one she found paid $8.50 per hour at a Madison tanning salon.”I applied everywhere,” said Ceplina, who graduated a year ago. “I was sending out like nine resumes a day. … I just took the first thing because I was like, â??I have to do something for my own sanity.â??â??” Like Ceplina, those graduating this month may need to reconcile lofty career goals with the realities of the job market. Although hiring of recent grads is expected to pick up by about 5 percent this spring, unemployment is still high. In Wisconsin, it was nearly 9 percent in March when seasonally adjusted.
Office of Strategic Communication