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news
Career world looms
near for seniors
By Grant Parker
Special to the Online Forty-Niner
The spring semester
is at its halfway mark. For seniors, graduation is within
their grasp. Getting out of school is all that some graduates
can think about.
But after all the
diplomas are handed out, and all the parties over, what comes
next? If you aren't going to graduate school you begin a new
chapter of life: entering the career world.
Some seniors have big plans
For some CSULB
seniors, the transition will be easy. Allison Surdoca, an
exercise science major, knows what her future will bring.
"I work at a physical
therapy clinic in Los Alamitos and volunteer at Long Beach
Memorial Hospital in the pediatric department, " she said.
According to Surdoca,
students who intern at Long Beach Memorial are guaranteed
a job when they graduate, but she is unsure if she wants to
work at the hospital. "I am waiting to find a job, but at
least I know where to get a job in physical therapy," she
said.
Not everyone has
already found a job
Many students at
the Beach know what career field they want to enter, but haven't
been able to find a job yet. One such student is Kyle Hanley,
a communication major. Hanley is looking for a sales job in
the pharmaceutical field.
"Right now I am just looking on the Internet, but I haven't
found anything good yet," he said.
Hanley has used general search engines, as opposed to the
popular job related sites such as www.monster.com and www.flipdog.com.
As for the immediate future, he says, "I'm just trying to
focus on my studies and will worry about sending applications
in when I graduate."
Not sure about the future
Not all CSULB seniors'
plans are as laid out. Rebecca Christiansen, a broadcast journalism
major , isn't sure what her future entails.
"I'm not looking [for a job] yet because I'm unsure if I will
graduate now or in the fall" she said.
While Christiansen hasn't interned at a business, she said
she hopes a campus job will increase her prospects.
"I work for the
University Magazine [www.csulb.edu/~univmag.com],
and that should help my career possibilities."
CSULB Career
Center
Many graduating
students fail to take advantage of the University's Career
Center. Located in room 250 of Brotman Hall, the center's
goal is to help students pick a major and find a career.
Steave Savage works
at the career center, trying to help students find a career.
"We help students
at all academic levels by assisting them in choosing a major
and a career, and showing them how to pursue their plans,"
he said.
The career center
offers the following to students:
* Job resource
library
* Help with finding
internships
* Networking
how to's
* Pamphlets on
career finding/planning
* Career counselors
(by appointment)
Another service
provided by the center is its many workshops. The workshops
are designed to help students get prepared for their careers.
The center provides
workshops to help with the following:
* Interviewing
and presentation techniques
* Resume writing
* Job search
techniques
* How to present
oneself at interviews
The career center
is a free service provided to students and alumni by the University,
but according to Savage, "not as many students go to the career
center as they should."
For seniors, as
well as other students who aren't sure about their plans after
graduation, try the resources at the career center. The career
center can be accessed on the Internet at www.careers.csulb.edu.
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