Walking across the stage to receive a diploma usually signifies the end of college life and the first step into the real world. However, some graduates are finding themselves back where they started - at home with their parents.
"I went back home out of convenience," said Rohit Venkatesan, who graduated in May with degrees in biology and philosophy.
Venkatesan is not alone. Whether for convenience, job searching or mom's home-cooked meals, an increasing number of college graduates are moving back home with their parents, according to a nationwide poll conducted in June.
The poll found that about 77 percent of recent graduates moved home after graduation, including 12 percent who moved back for the summer and 65 percent until they found a job.
"I was fine with it, since it's part of my plan," Venkatesan said, adding that he decided to take a year off before applying to medical school.
CollegeGrad.com, an entry-level job-search site, conducted the online poll, which had 1,400 respondents from across the nation. In 2007, the site reported that 73 percent of graduates returned to their parents' home, compared to 2006, when about 67 percent moved back.
The nation's worsening economy and weak labor market may factor into the decision to return to the nest, but numbers show that the Texas economy is not as plagued as other states' economies. Texas is, in fact, creating more jobs, according to a monthly review of the state's economy by the Real Estate Center at Texas A&M University.
UT's College of Liberal Arts Career Center said employers are still actively seeking graduates.
"The economy hasn't really affected Texas the way that it's affected other states like California or Florida," said Robert Vega, the center's senior program coordinator. "We've been very busy this month with employers already getting postings ready for students who graduate in May 2009."
Each college within the University provides career services to help students obtain internships and employment upon graduation. The offices work with employers through on-campus recruiting, job and internship fairs, cooperative programs and résumé referrals.
"The hiring dynamics in the industry and field you want to enter determines how difficult it will be to find a job," said Matt Berndt, director of Communication Career Services. "About two-thirds of [communication] students do not secure their first jobs prior to graduation, while many business and engineering students do."
Berndt said graduates may also be setting their expectations too high for entry-level salaries, preventing them from accepting jobs.
"Students need to be better aware of their market value," Berndt said. "Just because they grow accustomed to a certain lifestyle or want to earn a certain amount doesn't mean they're going to get paid that."
Beyond economic factors, graduates may be moving back home for social reasons as well.
"Young adults are increasingly spending more of their adulthood in their parents' household," said Kelly Raley, an associate sociology professor. "One of the reasons why is because they're not getting married."
"In other countries, for example in Japan, where housing costs are high and difficult to secure, [moving back home] is more common," Raley said. "The U.S. is a little unusual."
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