This can't be a good sign.

The UAF Alumni Association recently completed a survey of its members. And while the final report has the type of statistics you'd expect from members of an alumni association (93 percent of respondents said they had an either "good" or "excellent" opinion of UAF), it also has a disturbing finding: Many recent alumni don't think UAF helped them enough to find jobs.

"As a center of preparation for post-educational life, Alaska enjoys a good reputation among its alumni," the report says. "However this is less true for younger graduates than for the older ones, reflecting the rather common disillusionment of recent grads, but also indicating a potential area for improvement. This finding is reinforced by the fact that 'identifying job opportunities for graduates' surfaced as the second most important and least effectively performed (by the school) issue among those covered in this section."

The survey found younger alumni are collectively more agitated than older ones on nearly every issue, but especially surrounding career and work-related issues. It recommends creating a clearinghouse of and for employer alumni, and it also recommends the UAF Alumni Association step in and get involved with helping students prior to graduation with career skills and training.

That's not a bad idea. But when I read this survey, I'm just wondering whether or not I went to the wrong school altogether.

This is my last year at UAF, so let me be frank: I have no clue what lies ahead of me after May. I don't know if I have a job, or if I will find another internship. I don't know if I can stay in state or have to leave in order to find work.

So when I read that most alumni are worried about the "value and respect for [their] degree," I get to wondering, is there something these graduates have figured out that I haven't? They've been trying to get jobs, but the graduating classes right after mine are reporting not having much luck.

I'm sure things will work out and that this is just the type of thing seniors generally worry about. But clearly findings like these don't help to build confidence. The Department of Career Services says its working hard and that it can fulfill these missions, but clearly, that's not enough, according to all these recent graduates.

The administration needs to take a hard look at its job placement programs and see if there's a way to help. Because honestly, when this survey rolls around again, I don't want to be one of those alumni who's classified as "agitated" because of where I landed.