Makeila Lundy finished her computer science degree in June. By the end of summer, the Oregon State University-Cascades graduate had been hired in Bend by Systema, a German-owned company specializing in automation for manufacturers.

Lundy, a Bend native, chose the right degree to land a job in her field and the right time to graduate from college. Computer science offers a skill set that’s in high demand throughout the U.S., according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Plus, the overall job market is sizzling hot.

The job picture is much different than it was a decade ago, when college enrollment was soaring and college graduates were hard-pressed to find a well-paying job.

As thousands of students head to college, they’re considering which degrees will result in a meaningful career that will produce enough money to pay student loans. About 70 percent of college students borrow money for school, according to the U.S. Department of Education. The average amount borrowed is $27,975.

Labor market projections reveal students graduating from Oregon colleges with a bachelor’s degree in almost any field are well-positioned to find jobs. The same is true nationwide. Those jobs, however, may not be related to their majors, and their wages will vary significantly.

“Young people who are graduating with a bachelor’s degree have a lot of really pretty awesome opportunities right now,” said Damon Runberg, a regional economist for the Oregon Employment Department.

“(In) the projections we’re seeing for labor demand going out the next couple decades, there will be lots of opportunities in lots of different kinds of occupations,” Runberg said.

His work focuses on Central Oregon, where he said there are two major factors contributing to the employability and success of recent graduates.

First, Runberg said, the state is still seeing fairly rapid rates of job growth, specifically in Central Oregon. The business cycle has gotten “to the point that we are in a pretty significant labor crunch. … The supply of labor is relatively low, and the demand is high. That’s a really good situation to be graduating into,” he said.

“The second thing that these graduates have in their favor is sort of a big-picture demographic shift that’s going on right now,” Runberg said. “We’re seeing an ever-increasing number of baby boomers retiring out of the labor force today.”

Runberg said that structural labor pressure seems to be forming, and it will persist for the next couple of years as a massive number of people leave the workforce. “That is creating all sorts of opportunities for young people today to move into some of these roles that are being vacated by retirees.”

But there is no doubt in Runberg’s mind that certain occupations are in higher demand than others. So which graduates, if any, are best off?

Steve Clark, vice president of university relations and marketing at Oregon State University, said OSU’s most popular degree programs are computer science and business administration. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, these two fields are among the top 15 most in-demand jobs for Oregon and nationwide.

Georgetown University’s Center on Education and the Workforce tracked the salaries of graduates with specific degrees for Oregon and the U.S. According to the study, graduates between the ages of 25 and 59 who majored in business administration have a median annual salary of $59,000 in Oregon, just under the national median of $62,000 for business administration graduates. The study showed that in 2015, graduates in computer science between the ages of 25 and 59 earned a median salary of $81,000 in Oregon; across the country, the median income was $83,000.

According to the National Center for Education, the most popular majors at the University of Oregon also include business administration, with journalism and communication trailing closely behind. While business administration occupations are within Oregon’s top 10 most in-demand jobs, journalism and communications occupations were toward the bottom of the list.

Despite their much lower employment potential, however, journalism majors between the ages of 25 and 59 are making a median salary of $53,000 in Oregon and $56,000 nationwide, not far below what business majors make, according to Georgetown’s numbers.

When it comes to working in a career that is not in alignment with a chosen college degree, Runberg used himself as a prime example, explaining that it can be difficult to “connect the dots” between popular majors and careers. “I was a political science and history double-major in my undergrad and I’m an economist for the state of Oregon today,” Runberg said.

“In general, though, we aren’t seeing any industries losing jobs,” he said. “Every major industry sector is adding jobs right now. So there’s not a specific niche. … (There are) really a lot of opportunities across the board.” And even though resources like the Bureau of Labor Statistics can tell you precisely what jobs are in demand and how much they pay, Runberg offered some advice for students concerned with future prospects.

“You don’t need the economist to say that the overall pay you’re going to get isn’t everything in life,” he said. “You don’t need to fall into a certain niche to have a successful career.”

— Reporter: 541-383-0312, echandler@bendbulletin.com