All work and no play has graduating seniors looking to find future professions.
A tool useful in exploring career possibilities is the University’s Career Center.
“I try not to prescribe things for students, I try to give people options,” said Larry Smith, director of the Career Center.
Students can search the Career Center’s library which holds job descriptions and contact information. Career counselors are also available to help students find internships and job opportunities.
“I have looked on the Internet and asked professors who have been out in the field about jobs and where to look for them,” said Gillian Brinegar, a senior graduating with a B.A. in journalism.
As an art associate on the School of Journalism’s Flux magazine, Brinegar has been able to get some valuable experience in magazine layout and design.
“I am looking for a job in the visual design field, especially with magazines,” she said. “I’m definitely excited about graduation, but a little worried that I don’t already have a job lined up for me.”
Brinegar is planning on moving to Los Angeles this summer and possibly working as an intern for Shape magazine.
Graduates who are looking for jobs most often find a perch job. Smith described a perch job as a make-work kind of job.
“It is an entry level job, so there is no emotional commitment,” he said. “You are also not trapped in this job forever. This is a job where you have a chance to look around and think, reflecting on all of the hard work that you’ve done for the past four or five years in college.”
ReShawn Lewis, a senior general science major, will also be graduating this spring. When talking about jobs, she said, “I know I’ll get one.” She currently works for State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company and is thinking about moving back to Portland after graduation. She has decided to work for the next year and then go to dental school.
Lewis will have a better chance of getting a good job next year with a good cover letter and resumé. Whether a job requires writing samples or creative artwork, the resumé and cover letter are representative of a person’s ability to effectively communicate who they are and show what they can do.
“The resumé can tell a story about what the individual can do,” Smith said.
Graduating seniors are also forced to think about the contacts they have made in school. In any past employment and at most job fairs, seniors can meet people who will help guide their future.
“Connections are great,” said softball player Jill Robinson. “You need connections to make it in this world. They are very important.”
Robinson, a Portuguese-American, has been chosen to go to Portugal and work for the Luso American Development Foundation, an organization that evaluates grant proposals for research related to the Portuguese culture.
Along with setting outstanding records for the softball team, Robinson is an anthropology major and business minor.
“I know this program sponsors people who do research, and since I’d like to be an anthropologist one day, this is a great opportunity to write and evaluate grant proposals,” Robinson said. “Hopefully, they’ll sponsor a grant proposal for my research one day.”
Graduating seniors can take advantage of resources like the Career Center and the Internet to make use of their diploma. Even if they don’t know where they are going, the education students receive from the University is a solid foundation to build on.