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Some colleges do a good job of attracting employers from elsewhere to come to campus and recruit. Some don't. It is one thing to look at when choosing a college.
I went to a school in a traditional college town (College Station, TX - home of Texas A&M - is, like the others mentioned, a college surrounded by farmland and retail). The Career Services center did an excellent job helping many to find jobs, and pobably over 90% moved elsewhere.
I'm glad I chose a campus that was in a more rural area, and I'm glad I moved away after.
The OP has pointed out a really true problem - that the traditional "college town" has a huge disadvantage in that it does not allow students to search for jobs or work at meaningful jobs while in school, because there is simply nothing there except for a few sandwich shops and a bar or two. This really does put many students at a disadvantage and is something to take into consideration when choosing a school. It's one reason I would always recommend going to school in an urban area with a strong job market whenever possible - especially if one's parents live in area that doesn't have a lot of industry. For example, I grew up in a rural area with few jobs and went to school in a traditional college town where little existed outside of the campus. That meant that I had no opportunities to work or interview locally anywhere - not while in school, and not when I moved back home after graduating. We've all seen how hard it is to find work from out of area - this is exactly the situation that is guaranteed when you graduate from a college located in one of those tiny college towns and don't have parents or relatives in a more populated area.
I don't know... I went to the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign. There are not many jobs there, but the companies in Chicago went down there to recruit. I didn't have any trouble getting interviews (that were on campus) for companies in the Chicago area at all. I know things aren't quite as good now as they were when I graduated, but I have a hard time believing that all those companies recruiting simply stopped completely. I had a job offer lined up 6 months before graduation, from an on-campus interview. I know for a fact that the company I worked at after graduation still recruits there, as does the company my husband went to work for.
It never occurred to me that I'd work in Champaign after graduating... I worked for the university when I was a student.
"My school system had a vo-tech where people learned to be welders, auto mechanics, cosmetologists, pharmacy techs, medical secretaries, home health aides, daycare teachers, chefs."
Some of those are nice don't get me wrong but to be a daycare teacher in my state pretty much requires a degree and passing about five other tests. When the priest scandal happened back around '02 they dominated the news and anything that had to deal with children hiked their standards up dramatically.
Pharmacy techs still have pharmacy school as are medical secretaries because there's compliance with the state.
Trades booms and busts all the time. It wasn't that uncommon for years to find cranes workers in Boston making 100k a year. But after the big dig finished I can't hardly find any cranes. Having said this the IBEW does pretty well. I think that trades can be ok but I wouldn't lump them all into one. Electrical work I'd say is probably more stable then carpentry. Plumbing can be ok but it depends on the state laws and weather can effect things. Up north even vacant buildings have to have a certain amount of heat to prevent pipes from bursting.
there are some college towns dominated by the college so outside of employment there there might not be. These days I don't think it is that hard to travel to find work
I just graduated from a very well-known large university in a college town. Now, I am realizing, unless I was a science or math-based major, my odds of finding a job are very hard and I pretty much have to start at the worse of jobs. Heck, I'm starting to think if I was at least in a town outside a major metro like Santa Cruz outside San Jose or Davis outside Sacramento, my odds would have been better.
I feel bad because so many liberal arts majors are out of jobs and some even have big college debts to pay off.
Sounds to me like you went to Cal Poly SLO. I did too and I'm still here in SLO 3 years after graduation . There are jobs here, and SLO usually prefers to hire Cal Poly grads. However, the only way you're going to do it is by networking, chatting with locals, and being persistent.
Good luck.
Me personally though, I'm applying for jobs in the East Bay. This town is just too perfect. I'm ready for some nitty gritty, hippy, edgy Oakland/Berkeley.
The OP has pointed out a really true problem - that the traditional "college town" has a huge disadvantage in that it does not allow students to search for jobs or work at meaningful jobs while in school, because there is simply nothing there except for a few sandwich shops and a bar or two. This really does put many students at a disadvantage and is something to take into consideration when choosing a school. It's one reason I would always recommend going to school in an urban area with a strong job market whenever possible - especially if one's parents live in area that doesn't have a lot of industry. For example, I grew up in a rural area with few jobs and went to school in a traditional college town where little existed outside of the campus. That meant that I had no opportunities to work or interview locally anywhere - not while in school, and not when I moved back home after graduating. We've all seen how hard it is to find work from out of area - this is exactly the situation that is guaranteed when you graduate from a college located in one of those tiny college towns and don't have parents or relatives in a more populated area.
Repped. I, myself, highly recommend students look at the job market before choosing a university. I went to VCU in Richmond, VA. Richmond is the home to many Fortune 100 companies and start-ups. Several of my friends went to JMU in Harrisonburg, VA. Many of those friends worked in Applebee's or Capital Ale House as a Bartender or Server after graduation. They eventually had to leave for more opportunity.
I'm not going to lie- JMU is a fun, party school with an ideal college campus however thinking long term you have to set yourself up for plenty of job opportunities. Luckily, most of my friends were involved in internships in DC so they could gain experience during the summer. Then they would work lower wage-paying jobs during the semester to make ends meet.
"My school system had a vo-tech where people learned to be welders, auto mechanics, cosmetologists, pharmacy techs, medical secretaries, home health aides, daycare teachers, chefs."
Some of those are nice don't get me wrong but to be a daycare teacher in my state pretty much requires a degree and passing about five other tests. When the priest scandal happened back around '02 they dominated the news and anything that had to deal with children hiked their standards up dramatically.
Pharmacy techs still have pharmacy school as are medical secretaries because there's compliance with the state.
Trades booms and busts all the time. It wasn't that uncommon for years to find cranes workers in Boston making 100k a year. But after the big dig finished I can't hardly find any cranes. Having said this the IBEW does pretty well. I think that trades can be ok but I wouldn't lump them all into one. Electrical work I'd say is probably more stable then carpentry. Plumbing can be ok but it depends on the state laws and weather can effect things. Up north even vacant buildings have to have a certain amount of heat to prevent pipes from bursting.
there are some college towns dominated by the college so outside of employment there there might not be. These days I don't think it is that hard to travel to find work
The vo-tech at my college was like essentially getting that schooling that you would require to be in those fields. IE.) cosmetology school, getting something similar to an associates in childcare while also completing high school. It's not avoiding getting those certifications required; it's doing it while you're in high school and at a relatively low cost to you. The stylist who cuts my hair went through a great vo-tech program in PA and her cost to attend was the cost of her tools. I have to say that it was a smart move: she could do something she loved that would earn a decent living and had no cosmetology school loans.
I was making a statement that the "everyone needs to go to college" business model that our education system is pumping out is outdated and there should now be a dialogue about how there are other options available.
Here's the thing - people also shouldn't be encouraged to major in something they're not cut out to do because it is where the jobs are right now (four years from now - who knows what the demand for those fields will be or how oversaturated their talent pool will be). When I was a college freshman in 2004, finance was the "in" degree and in 2008, the demand was short and the labor supply too plentiful... despite the fact that for three years it had been "in demand." Too many people now think STEM is the only way to get a good job when it isn't! Even STEM majors with no internships have a tough time finding their first position. Finding that first position is hard! Sure, liberal arts majors may need to be more creative, but I'm sick of the idea that liberal arts means unemployment or that studying what you love means unemployment.
What we ought to do is quit pushing everyone to college. Not everyone needs a bachelor's degree to make a good life, but it is almost seemed shameful if you don't have a degree. We should push vocational-technical school more. Not just having people learn trades, but to help us to realize that college is not the only valid path. My school system had a vo-tech where people learned to be welders, auto mechanics, cosmetologists, pharmacy techs, medical secretaries, home health aides, daycare teachers, chefs.
orrr, people shouldn't expect to work in the field they got their degree in. There are plenty of jobs that require a degree, but not in a specific field. Didn't say they were great jobs but they are usually a step above those you can get without experience and without a degree.
Unfortunately recent grads don't understand that there's still a lot of "dues paying' to do in the year right after school, but if you put energy and committment together with a degree in 5-10 years you can write your own ticket (and similarly in some fields that value experience more than education) Go be resourceful, work, don't worry about what you're suited for, and if it doesn't pay for your loans, get 2 jobs, 3 jobs.
I just graduated from a very well-known large university in a college town. Now, I am realizing, unless I was a science or math-based major, my odds of finding a job are very hard and I pretty much have to start at the worse of jobs. Heck, I'm starting to think if I was at least in a town outside a major metro like Santa Cruz outside San Jose or Davis outside Sacramento, my odds would have been better.
I feel bad because so many liberal arts majors are out of jobs and some even have big college debts to pay off.
Well college degree is just a piece of paper. Your job prospect depends on what is in depend on the job market. Take a look around you and in the news and see exactly what people are using and doing and figure out what possibilities are there with your degree.
I know for some people it maybe hard and it is when you have degrees that aren't specialized and odds are you will be standing on lines with other people just to get an interview.
When I graduated way back in the 90s', companies were interviewing CS students in their 2-3rd year and trying to pull them out of college and straight to work. Many companies are willing to hire students in their 3rd year and offer them paid tuition to finish their degrees. This is rare today.
I don't like the job environment today, not enough quality jobs provided by the private sector. More handout jobs created just to satisfy quotas the Feds requires to give them big tax cuts.
All big companies today are doing very little to be socially responsible and could care less because they keep printing monopoly money through stocks, bailouts, and use the govt to help them print more money.
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. There are jobs here, and SLO usually prefers to hire Cal Poly grads. However, the only way you're going to do it is by networking, chatting with locals, and being persistent. 
