2020 graduates defied pandemic economy, report shows
Despite the COVID-19 pandemic and its worldwide economic impact, members of Skidmore’s
Class of 2020 are finding fulfilling success and demonstrating remarkable achievement
in pursuing employment, education and other opportunities after graduation, a new
report from the College’s Career Development Center shows.
85% report they are employed or pursuing post-graduate educational and other opportunities The annual First Destinations Report is a snapshot of the various paths Skidmore
graduates embark on with their degrees. The newly released report for the Class of
2020 found that, despite high national levels of unemployment, the overwhelming majority
of respondents — 85% — report they are employed or pursuing post-graduate educational
and other opportunities. Most — about three-quarters — indicated that they were continuing
on a path related to their career goals.
Our graduates are finding jobs or getting into the graduate schools of their dreams, a remarkable accomplishment that illustrates how prepared they were to adapt to a rapidly changing market as well as their innate resilience and flexibility."Kim CrabbeAssociate dean of student affairs for career development
The results reflect responses from 70% of Skidmore's 639 graduates in 2020. Data was collected through an online survey and follow-up research for a period of six months after graduation. Content of the report includes destinations (employment, graduate school, service, military, etc.), employing organizations, graduate school programs, median salaries and internship experiences.
“This report speaks to Skidmore’s commitment to supporting students and graduates in their pursuit of a variety of career paths,” said Megan Jackson, associate director in the CDC, who prepared the report. “For 2020-2021, it’s encouraging to see Skidmore graduates performing comparatively well to the class years before them who entered more welcoming and thriving job markets.”
The survey meets part of the guidelines of the National Association of Colleges and
Employers (NACE), which allow for standardized data among reporting colleges.
Highlights
While those seeking employment reported at higher rates than previous classes (14%, up 4% from the Class of 2019), the Class of 2020 entered a market when the U.S. Department of Labor was reporting unemployment rates of over 20% for 20- to 24-year-olds.
60% of those who reported employment shared salary information. Median salaries ranged
from $30,000 to $60,000 with 20% reporting over $50,000.
Industries
Employers and Graduate Schools
- AIG
- Albany Molecular Research Inc.
- Amazon Web Services (AWS)
- AmeriCorps
- Ayco
- BBC News
- Boston Children’s Hospital
- Capital One
- City Year Boston
- Columbia University
- Dana Farber Cancer Institute
- Denver Public Schools
- Freedom Mortgage
- GE Power
- Guidepoint Healthcare Consultancy Group
- i360
- IBM
- KPMG
- M&T Bank
- Massachusetts General Hospital
- McKinsey Consulting
- NPR
- National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration/Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences
- Northeastern University
- Office of the New York State Attorney General
- Santander Corporate & Investment Bank
- Saratoga Hospital
- Social Security Administration
- Somerville Homeless Coalition
- Sotheby’s
- Success Academy Charter Schools
- The Chestnut Hill School
- Trilia Media
- Vineyard Vines
- Auburn University, counseling/psychology
- Boston University, physical therapy
- Brown University, public humanities
- Colorado State University, food science and human nutrition
- Columbia University, ecology evolution and conservation biology
- Cornell University, accounting
- Dartmouth College, engineering
- Duke University, business
- George Mason University, sports and recreation studies
- Hunter College, dance education
- Indiana University, law
- McGill University, law
- New York University, data science
- Rochester Institute of Technology, business
- Sarah Lawrence University, creative writing
- Simmons University, library and information science
- Swedish University of Agricultural Science, soil, water and environment
- Syracuse University, illustration
- The Johns Hopkins University, data science
- University of Chicago, public policy
- University of Connecticut, law
- University of Iceland, geology
- University of Miami, exploration science
- University of North Carolina at Charlotte, kinesiology
- University of Texas, law
- University of Wisconsin - Madison, atmospheric and oceanic sciences
Alumni Spotlights
Brianna Logan '20
Brianna Logan '20 is helping C-suite executives manage their personal brands as a client success manager at Qnary, a talent management company in New York City.
Faisal Namanya '20
Faisal Namanya '20 is an analyst at MUFG Bank in New York City. He works on the securitized products team, a group he interned with while he was a student at Skidmore.
Nathan Smail '20
Nathan Smail '20 is pursuing a master's in geology at the University of Iceland in Reykjavík.
Elizabeth Levy '20
Elizabeth Levy '20 is an assistant swimming and diving coach at Florida State University in Tallahassee, Florida.
Lauren Michelle '20
Lauren Michelle '20 is on the front lines of Baltimore's response to COVID-19 as a case investigator and community health worker for the Baltimore City Health Department.
Jordan Alvarez '20
Jordan Alvarez '20 is a counseling psychology doctoral student at Auburn University researching the impacts of mental health stigmas on ethnic minorities.
