One Out of Six Seniors Now Has a Job Waiting

Despite national surveys and headlines predicting bleak employment prospects for June graduates, at least 16 percent of the Class of 1950 have already found permanent positions, the Office of Student Placement disclosed yesterday.

Sixty-three percent of the Class, however will not face the employment problem for from one to four years since it intends to go to graduate school.

The statistics the results of a poll distributed to 638 out of 1,187 seniors on April 24 by the Office of Student Placement. Findings were made public yesterday.

The results of the poll make the employment picture for seniors appear rosier than it was last year, when only five percent of the Class of 1949 was graduating into permanent jobs. Last year's poll, however, was distributed in February, a fact that might account partially but not wholly, for the differential.

Of the 16 percent of seniors who have procured jobs, 27 percent did so with the aid of their families and close friends.

Ample Job Supply

Donald S. Bradshaw and Alexander Clark '38, assistant directors of the Office of Student Placement, argue that there are enough jobs for Harvard seniors if the seniors will only organize an employment campaign and seek out the work.

Business and industry are the occupational goals of 43 percent of all of the seniors polled and ranked first on the occupational preference list. Second was education, preferred by 17 percent of the seniors; third was law with 14 percent; fourth was medicine with 11 percent; and fifth was government service with five percent.

Occupations in the arts, journalism and writing, architecture, the ministry, and scientific research, respectively, claimed the preference of two percent of the seniors.

Occupations in business and industry also ranked first among seniors who do not intend to go to graduate school; 79 percent of the men who will go to work next year, prefer the business community.

Journalism or writing claimed the preference of seven percent of the men in this group; government, the preference of six percent; art, five percent; and education, three percent.

According to the poll, 59 percent of the Class of 1950 has participated in extra-curricular activities; of this number, 21 percent indicated that extra-curricular activities had some effect in choosing a career.

As always, the Harvard Graduate schools were most popular, with 66 percent of those intending further study applying to them