Montana State University’s spring career fair drew 1,200 students and 85 employers to the Brick Breeden Fieldhouse Wednesday, where the most frequently asked question was “Do you have remote positions?” and the most frequently given answer was “Not really, no.”

The fair, organized by MSU’s Office of Career Development, featured employers from sectors including engineering, agriculture, technology, health care, and what the program listed as “Other,” which turned out to be a single booth staffed by a man from a Billings insurance agency who looked like he’d been told he was going to Bozeman for a ski trip.

“We’re seeing strong employer interest in MSU graduates,” said Career Development director Julie Hanrahan. “The challenge is matching Bozeman cost of living with entry-level salaries being offered. There’s a gap.”

The gap, according to exit surveys collected by The Bee, is approximately $25,000 per year, which is the difference between what graduates believe they need to live in Bozeman and what employers are prepared to pay them to live in Bozeman. Most employers resolved this tension by being located somewhere else.

“I talked to a great company,” said senior mechanical engineering major Kyle Brubeck, 22. “They loved my résumé, my projects, my GPA. Then I asked where the job was. Spokane. Every good offer is in Spokane or Denver or somewhere that isn’t here.”

Of the 85 employers present, 23 were based in Montana, 14 were based in Bozeman, and 3 of those 14 were MSU itself, creating a modest echo chamber of institutional self-recruitment.

Hanrahan acknowledged the geographic challenge but noted that “quality of life” was a factor that kept some graduates in the valley. “People take a pay cut to live here. That’s not new. It’s been the Montana trade-off for decades.”

Brubeck said he understands the trade-off. “I love Bozeman,” he said. “I just can’t afford to love it with a $52,000 salary and $1,800 rent. The math is the math.”

He said he’s leaning toward the Spokane offer. “I’ll visit on weekends,” he said, though he did not specify how often one can visit Bozeman from Spokane on an entry-level salary.