Whether students are trying to get some weekly beer money, pay rent or gain experience in a particular field, the University and Eugene communities offer a wide range of job opportunities.
A main outlet in the community for job searches is the University Career Center. Every term, the Career Center sponsors the Career Fair, which brings University employers and Eugene businesses together to recruit University students for jobs and internships.
Students can access the Career Center Web site to get further information, schedules for the fair
and Campus Interview Program.
By signing onto the Web site
and registering with the Career Center, students automatically have
access to information on local
part-time/seasonal jobs, full-time employment and internships.
“This Web site serves as a repository for employers of the community who realize that there are students who are looking for work and targeting the kinds of jobs and opportunities that these employers offer,” Career Center Director Deb Chereck said.
Even after graduating, interior architecture major Theresa Maurer said she is able to use the Career Center Web site as a resource in a competitive job market.
“The help they provided
and large amount of job information on the Web site was more helpful than sifting through a newspaper,” Maurer said.
Being employed by the University is a convenient way for a student to make money said junior Maria Sceva, who works at the library. Sceva found her job after hearing from a friend in her sorority that the library was hiring.
Jobs off campus, but close to
the University, are another convenient way to make money, said Theron Spiek, doorman at Taylor’s Bar and Grill.

“Working close to campus is
almost like working for a part of the school because that area is the
social center of campus,” Spiek said. “These jobs right off
campus are very competitive, so it helps to know somebody where you are applying.”
Spiek said that when looking for a job a student should “start early in the year, be pushy, don’t get discouraged and make sure that you are doing something that you can handle and that you can enjoy, because working on top of taking classes is hard enough.”
For students who get discouraged by unsuccessfully looking for work near campus, Eugene also has malls with many job opportunities.
“The local malls provide a possibility for many more jobs than the campus area and these jobs are especially good for people looking for just a little extra income without a huge time commitment, because most retail jobs are not very generous with shifts,” Gap employee Ryan Sweeney said. “Start applying a month or two before the
preceding season because this is when employers, especially in retail, start looking for new faces.”

Kate Webster is a freelance reporter
for the Emerald.