Finally, St. Louis appears on a positive “Top 10” list

By Jessica Penland

Photo By Cammy Blount

Recently, St. Louis has been recognized for drugs, sexually transmitted diseases and how dangerous it is.  Once again the city is in the spotlight, but for a good reason this time.  

St. Louis was named number 10 out of the top 10 cities for college graduates to live and work.  The list was compiled by Apartments.com, CareerRookie.com as a part of CareerBuilder.com, LLC. [To see what other cities made the list you can visit:  http://www.bizjournals.com/stlouis/news/2011/08/30/st-louis-among-top-cities-for-recent.html ]

Their findings are based on three distinct factors.  Those factors are the number of adults between the ages of 20 and 24 years old living within the city, the number of jobs that require a year or less experience and the cost of rent, according to the “St. Louis Business Journal.”

            Therefore, the list takes into account a cities’ affordability, availability for work and competition for jobs.

            Michela Walsh, the manager of the Career and Employment Services at Florissant Valley, said, “Speaking from the perspective of someone who assists students and alumni in seeking employment, I think there are a number of employment opportunities in the St. Louis metropolitan area.”

            Walsh went on to say that currently there are 284 positions waiting to be filled in eRecruiting, which is an online system where jobs are listed that St. Louis Community College uses. 

            “Recently, we have seen an increase in employment opportunities posted by small to medium sized employers. The use of temporary services and contract labor by local employers is growing rapidly. Internships are also on the rise which can provide valuable experience to individuals in school or shortly after graduation,” said Walsh.

            The Career and Employment Services center helps students seek employment opportunities as long as they are either enrolled in or have taken three credit hours.  If you would like to seek their expertise, they are located in the Counseling Department in the Student Center.