The Most Popular First Jobs For Recent College Grads

For recent college graduates an offer letter can be just as coveted as a diploma. With a 4.8% unemployment rate, the class of 2015 is now trickling into the workforce, either starting jobs in their desired fields or taking whatever positions they can get.

According to data collected from LinkedIn during our research for the Most Entrepreneurial Colleges, the most popular field of work for recent college graduates is education. Out of the top 650 schools on FORBES’ Top Colleges list, 36% of the schools’ recent graduates identified themselves as part of the education sector.

“People with jobs in academia or related fields would fall under [the education listing],” says LinkedIn’s Kenly Walker. “It’s not uncommon for graduate students, residential advisers, etc., to also put these roles under experience, so their industry would appear as Education, as well.”

Jobs as teachers, education coordinators, and school administrators also fall under the site’s education category. Recent grads might find that working for their alma maters, continuing their education in graduate school, or going into the field of education itself is a natural next step following four years of undergraduate school and 13 years of primary and secondary school. In an uncertain job market, safety, or sticking with what they know, may be a comfortable route to other opportunities down the road.

Following education, sales and operations are the second and third most popular fields for recent grads. The remaining industries in the top 10 show a real diverse array of careers, from research and media and communications to healthcare services. Although positions in engineering, information technology and finance are typically considered the most desired entry-level jobs because of high starting salaries, only about 7%of recent graduates identify themselves in those industries.

This article was written by Natalie Sportelli from Forbes and was legally licensed through the NewsCred publisher network. SmartRecruiters is the hiring success platform to find and hire great people.