Job prospects for 1995 graduates are bright, says Loretta Schneider, assistant director of career planning and placement at Southeast Missouri State University.

"All the predictions are that hiring will be up 15 to 20 percent," she said. "The job outlook is much brighter for this graduating class" than in previous years, she said.

Students seeking employment in the region also should fare well, she said.

"This whole five-state region is progressing and growing," she said. "It appears there will be a great deal of growth here in the Heartland.

"The job market is changing so drastically and rapidly," Schneider said. "And the methods for finding jobs are changing. There is so much technology now."

Schneider said employment opportunities are now computerized, and less on-campus interviewing takes place.

"Much of the hiring is done through internships," she said. "That's why finding an internship is so important. It translates in the employer's eyes into professional experience."

Schneider said that while the infusion of technology has changed job-search techniques, it has created more jobs and changed the requirements for them. Now more than ever before, computer, communication and graphic-art skills are important to acquire, she said.

"Students need to have a broad background of skills as well as experience."

Southeast students will have an opportunity to market themselves at the annual Spring Career Expo and Summer Job Fair Wednesday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the University Center Ballroom. Students interested in entering the labor market can attend the Career Expo free of charge.

Between 500 and 600 students are expected to take part in the job fair, Schneider said, and about 75 organizations will be on hand. Information on summer jobs, internships and co-ops, and professional positions for graduates and alumni will be available.

Jobs that rank among the top 25 are chemist, dentist, biologist, management consultant, technical writer, grade school teacher, construction superintendent, aeronautical engineer, bank officer, accountant, sociologist and economist.

Opportunities are particularly on the rise in medicine, an American Council on Education study showed.

The number of college degrees awarded in the medical field has increased during the past decade, paralleling the national growth in health-related employment opportunities.

TOP U.S. JOBS

Computer systems analyst.

Physician.

Physician therapist.

Electrical engineer.

Civil engineer.

Pharmacist.

Psychologist.

Geologist.

High school teacher.

School principal.

Paralegal.

Hospital administrator.

Computer programmer.

Source: Money magazine