Red and blue balloons welcomed students into the Savemart Center for the Career Expo on Thursday.
“It went really well,â€Â said Rita Bocchinfuso-Cohen, the director of Career Services.
Over 2,100 students attended the expo, which is far more than Bocchinfuso-Cohen and the rest of the staff expected. She explained that compared to last year, when about 1,800 students attended, the amount of students has increased significantly.
Various companies attended from an array of industries.
“First, I hope that students had fun and secondly, were not intimidated,â€Â she said. She explained that many students do get overwhelmed at the Career Expo because there are so many companies and information. Many students do not know where to begin.
Career Services will be holding two workshops to give students “Tips for Successâ€Â that will help students prepare resumes, sell their skills and gain valuable experience.
If students found career opportunities at the expo, Bocchinfuco-Cohen hopes that students made follow-up contacts to show interest and initiative.
“The companies meet dozens after dozens of students and they may not be sure who was interested, until you show that initiative,â€Â she said.
According to Career Services, students should not be discouraged with the state of the economy because it will not affect college graduates.
“There are so many companies out there looking for talented people,â€Â Bocchinfuco-Cohen said.
Many employees are near retiring, which give graduates the opportunity to move in.
“This is a good year for graduates,â€Â she said.
Anonymous • Feb 29, 2008 at 12:53 pm
While I appreciate all the time and effort that goes into putting on an event of this magnitude, I feel a little more worried about my job prospects.
You see, I am a Mass Comm major, and I am finally graduating in May. Every time I go to these business networking expos on campus, I feel a little more worried and my degree feels a little more worthless. After leaving the Expo every year, I often wonder if changing majors is a good idea.
Simply put: If you are an Ag, Police, or Engineer major, your pretty much guaranteed a job either at the expo, or at least when you get out. We KNOW these jobs are in demand! But as for everyone else, such as myself, we have this constant worry that we are most likely going to have to start out as an unpaid intern…again. So why not help the grads that are having a much tougher time finding a job, get in touch with the proper businesses. I know they exist!
In my situation, I found one ,thats right, ONE company that was even remotely related to the field I am in, and even then they were looking for…. Marketing people! What about printers? Writers? Even web people?! NOPE! Nothing. I will start at the bottom and work my way up, (I’m expecting that) but most of the marketing involved with every company was a nice way of saying “Telemarketer”. If I knew I was going to become a telemarketer, I would not have bothered to pursue a degree. My degree is worth a little more than that.
What about those wanting to go into nursing, teaching, music, deaf ed, ect.? Those people probably feel the same as I do.
Now granted, there are certain jobs that hire you from within, or you might get in the good graces of higher-ups and hit them up for a job. I get that. But there HAS to be SOME organizations that are looking to hire or at least get in touch with students in that field.
So, even though I will be graduating soon, and long gone when the next Expo hits, I would ask that the organizers realize that this is NOT the Ag, Police, and Engineering Expo. It is the Career Expo! There really are jobs outside of those fields! Trust me!
Anonymous • Feb 29, 2008 at 7:53 pm
While I appreciate all the time and effort that goes into putting on an event of this magnitude, I feel a little more worried about my job prospects.
You see, I am a Mass Comm major, and I am finally graduating in May. Every time I go to these business networking expos on campus, I feel a little more worried and my degree feels a little more worthless. After leaving the Expo every year, I often wonder if changing majors is a good idea.
Simply put: If you are an Ag, Police, or Engineer major, your pretty much guaranteed a job either at the expo, or at least when you get out. We KNOW these jobs are in demand! But as for everyone else, such as myself, we have this constant worry that we are most likely going to have to start out as an unpaid intern…again. So why not help the grads that are having a much tougher time finding a job, get in touch with the proper businesses. I know they exist!
In my situation, I found one ,thats right, ONE company that was even remotely related to the field I am in, and even then they were looking for…. Marketing people! What about printers? Writers? Even web people?! NOPE! Nothing. I will start at the bottom and work my way up, (I’m expecting that) but most of the marketing involved with every company was a nice way of saying “Telemarketer”. If I knew I was going to become a telemarketer, I would not have bothered to pursue a degree. My degree is worth a little more than that.
What about those wanting to go into nursing, teaching, music, deaf ed, ect.? Those people probably feel the same as I do.
Now granted, there are certain jobs that hire you from within, or you might get in the good graces of higher-ups and hit them up for a job. I get that. But there HAS to be SOME organizations that are looking to hire or at least get in touch with students in that field.
So, even though I will be graduating soon, and long gone when the next Expo hits, I would ask that the organizers realize that this is NOT the Ag, Police, and Engineering Expo. It is the Career Expo! There really are jobs outside of those fields! Trust me!