The world can be a dark, scary and seemingly jobless place at times, and while the economy struggles and the job market grows less promising, there is good news for Guilford College students. A recent survey proves that 2011 Guilford graduates were ready and rose to the challenge.

The annual alumni survey reported that 69 percent of 2011 Guilford grads have found full-time employment, 14 percent have found part-time employment and 19 percent have moved on to graduate school. These recent findings leave the full-time employment rate of Guilford graduates 14 percent higher than the national average of 55 percent found by the National Association of Colleges and Employers.

“Bloomberg (News) did a list of the top 50 cities in America to live in,” said Alan Mueller, director of the Career Development Center. “Well, of those 50 cities, five were in North Carolina. If you’re in a place where everybody wants to live, there’s going to be a lot more competition for jobs.

“You put that up against that fact that 45 percent of our students are CCE students who have ties to this area and are job searching primarily in the triad — that makes our job (at the Career Development Center) tough and that makes us (the Guilford faculty) a little extra proud of that 69 percent.”

While the numbers have shown the success of the class of 2011, the class of 2012 has already begun showing promise working in the world beyond Guilford.

2012 graduates William Moser IV and Colleen Hayes have both already found work and exemplify what great resources professors can be in the search for employment.

Moser now works at Patriot Biodiesel where he disposes of oil, produces biodiesel, and “(throws) barrels like Donkey Kong,” thanks to Donald Smith, assistant professor of physics.

“(Smith) knew the owner of the place that I work at and was able to get him to come do a seminar, so that’s how I met him the first time,” said Moser.

Hayes found work at APEX Analytix, an auditing firm in Greensboro. However, this job opportunity would not have been found were it not for David Limburg, professor of foreign languages.

“He sent a bunch of people he knew … an email over the summer that he had received from a temp agency, asking if he knew anyone who would be interested in this position,” said Hayes. “At the time, I was working at Bruegger’s just as a line person so I was like, ’Eh, why not?’”

As the class of 2012 bursts out of the bubble and into the world, they march in the footsteps of the class of 2011 and other alumni, proving again just what Guilford graduates are capable of.

If Guilford’s graduate employment rates continue to rise, we can be certain to see some great work from the class of 2012.

The next step is up to them.