With a 9.4 percent unemployment rate in the United States, many Boston University students are anxious about the looming uncertainty that is life after college, as expectations to enter the real world and find a job haven’t decreased with the economy.
While many students said they feel pressured to pick a certain major, other students said they believe the major they choose may not be the most important factor when job hunting after graduating.
Director of Career Services Kimberly DelGizzo said the internships, abroad programs and community service are all important factors in building a competitive resume.
Picking a major does not necessarily guarantee a student a career in that field, DelGizzo said.
“There are journalists who don’t have a journalism background, and there are people who studied journalism in school who do not follow that career path,” DelGizzo said.
Some students aim to improve their chances in the job market by continuing their education after receiving their bachelor’s degree.
College of Communication junior Ashlyn St. Ours said that graduate school has become her solution for getting ahead in the job industry.
St. Ours said she worked at the Career Center at the University of Maine for two years and her experience there had convinced her that graduate school was a good idea.
“I think it’s more important than ever to consider graduate school,” St. Ours said. “I know so many graduates who went back to school because of how competitive virtually every industry has become.”
Graduate school may be one of the most inviting options for seniors, but some students are looking to alternative paths for after graduation.
College of Arts and Sciences senior Cristina Inceu said she is trying to have more than one option to look to after graduating from BU.
“Graduating from college is such a big thing,” Inceu said. “After you graduate from high school it’s normal to just go to college, but after college there are all these possibilities.”
Inceu said she already applied to graduate school and has decided to look for jobs, but graduating in the current economy makes her nervous.
Despite the daunting task of finding a job after college, DelGizzo said she is optimistic. The job market improved last year and is expected to keep improving.
“We have the BU CareerLink, an enhanced online system,” DelGizzo said. “There are thousands of employers and we can’t get enough students. We urge students to get their résumé’s reviewed and get on the CareerLink.”
CareerLink, which can be accessed at the BU Career Services website, allows BU students and alumni who are seeking jobs to post resumes and allows employers to post job listings.
Career Services will be hosting the Spring Career Expo on Feb. 16 at Metcalf Hall, and students are encouraged to bring their resume.
This is an account occasionally used by the Daily Free Press editors to post archived posts from previous iterations of the site or otherwise for special circumstance publications. See authorship info on the byline at the top of the page.
