CANTON - A little over one year from graduation, 93.2 percent of St. Lawrence University's Class of 2010 are either employed or furthering their education in graduate schools.

That’s according to the Career Services office, which conducts an annual survey that had a response rate of 75.5 percent.

Responses indicate 73.6 percent are pursuing a career, and of those, 81 percent found employment either through direct application or through networking. Those primarily pursuing advanced degrees through graduate or professional school totaled 19.4 percent of respondents.

In addition to being asked in which field graduates are employed, the survey also sought information about what job functions the Class of 2010 is primarily performing.

Most prevalent were teaching/coaching/training; research/analysis and customer service. Respondents said that education was the top field for employment, followed by finance/banking, with government/public administration and sports/recreation tied for third.

Education; science/technology and law were the top three fields of study for respondents enrolled either full-time or part-time in graduate or professional school.

Carol Bate, assistant dean of student life and director of career services, noted that "Despite the poor condition of the job market, members of the Class of 2010 fared well, with a total placement rate of 93.2%, down just .3% from the previous year. This is particularly impressive given that it had been estimated that hiring would be down by eight to 10 percent. In fact, reports indicate that employers shed between 35 and 40 percent of their hiring targets."