University of Alabama graduates are leaving the state, rather than finding work in Alabama, according to the Career Center’s Career Outcomes Summary.
According to the Career Center, the summary compiles information on salaries and job placements from surveys conducted throughout the year to provide to undergraduate students, and is updated after every semester.
The most recent summary from spring 2024 found that 65% of respondents planned to work outside of Alabama after graduating. This matches the summary’s compiled findings from all reports, dating back to the fall of 2018, that 62% of graduates leave the state of Alabama to join the workforce.
Garrett Reynolds, a 2024 graduate of the University, grew up in Alabama and completed both his Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts in Political Science. He said he felt there was never a push from the University to keep in-state students in Alabama after graduation.
“At times, it seemed there was more focus on keeping students at the University rather than supporting a transition to postgrad in the state,” Reynolds said. “In the political science department specifically, there was a heavy emphasis on preparing for academia and graduate studies rather than a post-graduate career path, such as campaign work or public service.”
Reynolds left Alabama after his graduation to work for Kamala Harris and Tim Walz’s 2024 presidential campaign in Maine. He said there were limited opportunities to find work that aligned with his beliefs in Alabama.
The University has over 150 graduate programs for prospective and current students to enroll in. Sinclair Linkis graduated from the Capstone last year with a bachelor’s degree in health and nutrition, a field in which she says you “have to have a masters.”
As of Jan 1, 2024, the minimum degree requirement to take the registration examination for dietitians.
“I did apply to Alabama actually, but their application process was a lot more unorganized, so it led me to seek a different school that instilled some more faith in the organization of the program,” she said.
Linkis is currently enrolled in graduate school at Florida State University, pursuing a master’s in nutrition sciences. For those graduating with bachelor’s degree seeking post-graduate education, the Career Outcomes Summary numbers shift, with only 35% leaving the state and 65% staying in Alabama. The Career Outcomes Summary lists the top destinations for graduates continuing their education as Atlanta, Auburn, Birmingham, Chicago and Dallas. Tuscaloosa is ninth on the list.
“I feel like a lot of people stay at the University due to their amazing scholarship programs, and then they have amazing academics that come along with it,” Linkis said. “I feel like they could do a better job about job placements within the state, and maybe just showing that there are a lot of jobs within the state.”
Xzarria Peterson graduated last spring with a bachelor’s degree in political science. She left Alabama after graduation because she couldn’t find a job in-state, and the University doesn’t offer the concentration in public health she wanted to persue.
The University offers a master’s in public health of health education and promotion. Peterson said she wanted to concentrate on health management and policy.
“So I moved back home, and I am a legal assistant now at a law firm,” she said.
Peterson said she has no plans to return to Alabama unless an opportunity presents itself to her.
Reynolds is coming back to Alabama to help run a campaign with the experience he learned on the presidential trail. He said he recognizes the importance of “sustained support” across the South.
“I was offered the opportunity to manage a re-election campaign for a Democratic candidate for the State House, which I’m confident I earned because of the experience I developed out of state,” Reynolds said. “The nature of campaign and government work is somewhat nomadic, so I never know where I may end up, but the South needs more support now than ever.”
Linkis also said she plans to return to Alabama once she has completed her education.
“My goal is definitely to stay in the South. And I do see myself going back,” she said. “Alabama was an amazing choice, and I love it, and I will be returning back home.”
The Career Center referred The Crimson White to a UA spokesperson, who did not respond to requests for comment in time for printing purposes.
Hence then, the article about why ua grads are leaving the state was published today ( ) and is available on The Crimson White ( Middle East ) The editorial team at PressBee has edited and verified it, and it may have been modified, fully republished, or quoted. You can read and follow the updates of this news or article from its original source.
Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( Why UA grads are leaving the state )
Also on site :
- Ann Godoff, Penguin Press Founder and Editor, Dies at 76
- When Does the Rest of 'Bridgerton' Season 4 Come Out?
- Five Below’s Pretty Pink Stackable Bins Are Only $5 and a Must For Your Spring Refresh