It’s easy to get swept up in the hoopla of college life – parties, exams, minimum-wage jobs – and forget about life after graduation.
While some of this year’s seniors will begin their job searches after graduation, others have employment, graduate school or other activities already lined up.
Noah Lerman, an electrical engineering senior, said he plans to travel after graduation and has a spot waiting for him at Raytheon here in Tucson when he returns.
Lerman said he applied for the job through Wildcat JobLink, a part of the Career Services Web site, and got it after an interview on campus and an on-site interview.
“”It was pretty easy,”” Lerman said of his job search. “”There’s a shortage of engineers because the baby boomers are starting to retire.””
Jasmine Richmond, a senior majoring in political science and history, is headed to Phoenix, where she’ll teach for the next two years as part of the Teach for America program.
She said the program is need-based, so she could end up teaching anywhere from kindergarteners to eighth-graders, something she said she has some experience in.
“”I’m more nervous that I’m skipping over basically an entire major here at the UA – there’s an elementary education major,”” Richmond said. “”We go through summer training.””
Richmond plans to get her master’s degree in education while she’s teaching, and she said she sees law school in her future.
“”They try to recruit people who will carry on the message (of Teach for America), and I want to get into family law or child advocacy,”” she said.
Richmond said most of her friends are in the pre-law fraternity Phi Alpha Delta and many of them are moving away from Tucson after they graduate.
“”Everyone originally wanted to go to law school, so it’s interesting to see how many have changed their minds,”” Richmond said. “”A good chunk are going, but some aren’t.””
While Richmond is committing her next two years to teaching in an urban school district, Brendan Blades will be spending his with the Peace Corps.
“”I’m a history major, so there’s not a whole lot I can do,”” Blades said. “”I want to do something worthwhile, and I thought, ‘This is my chance.'””
He said his degree limits his options for what he can do in the Peace Corps.
“”If you’re a science major, you can go pretty much wherever you want,”” he said. “”If you’re liberal arts, all you can really do is teach English.””
This summer, Blades will head to teach English in Mongolia, where he will live with a Mongolian family while he trains and learns the language.
He said he has no idea what he wants to do careerwise when he returns, and that he’s nervous and excited to live in Mongolia.
“”Hopefully it’ll open some doors and let me know what I want to do with my life,”” he said.
Blades said he isn’t interested in graduate school, but he might have to go because of a lack of jobs for his liberal arts degree.
Susan Miller, senior marketing coordinator for Career Services, said that while it may be easier to get a job with a business degree, liberal arts majors just have to learn how to market their qualifications to a prospective employer.
“”If you’re in liberal arts, you need to make that stretch to say, ‘Here’s how my analytical and communication skills will benefit your company,'”” Miller said.
She said Career Services helps graduating students find jobs through career fairs, campus interviewing and career counseling, as well as online at the Career Services Web site and Wildcat JobLink.
