By TANGELA JOHNSON

Staff Writer

Tashaunda Dixon, a sophomore accounting major, may be at college in Louisiana right now, but as soon as she graduates, she will be on her way to work in another state.

Dixon is one of many college students who choose to move elsewhere for better jobs, according to recent studies.

Cheryl Myers, Director for the Career Center, said Louisiana has the lowest percentage of college hires in the United States.

"According to the National Association of Colleges and Employers Job Outlook 2005, Analysis by Region, employers in the Northeast and the West plan to increase their college hires by 14.9 percent," Myers said.

"In the Midwest, employers are boosting their new college hires by 26.4 percent while employers in the South reported that they will increase their hiring of new college graduates by 5.9 percent."

Though these numbers do influence some to venture outside of Louisiana, Myers said some still choose to stay in the state.

"For various reasons," Myers said, "some new college graduates will limit their professional job search activities to Louisiana while others will also consider opportunities in other states."

Myers said she was not aware of any governmental incentives to keep students in the state.

Since jobs are scarce here, Dixon said she is going elsewhere to establish a career.

"I am going to go back up north and get some job experience for a year, and then move to the east coast," Dixon said. Dixon said Louisiana is not an option because it is hard to get minimum-wage jobs as well as careers. Dixon said she did clerical work over the summer in Minnesota that would require a degree in Louisiana. For her, the issue is also money.

"I would get a job in the South if it paid better," Dixon said.

Dixon also said students leave north Louisiana because there are very few activities offered in the area. Dixon said she would stay if her fiancŽ wanted her to, but he does not want to live here.

"There is nothing really keeping me here," Dixon said.

Kurt Langberg, a senior biology major, said he would stay in Louisiana if an excellent job in his field was available in the state, but he feels that will not happen.

"If I go in to work and research, and some company offers me more money than any other company in [Louisiana], I would leave," Langberg said.

Langberg said the majority of graduates leave for the same reason, and Louisiana is not a prime job market.

"Louisiana is not known for its superior economy," he said. "Louisiana is known more for its cultural flavor than its business."

Langberg said the best way to remedy the situation is to strengthen existing businesses and create new ones.