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E iri ^ l ■ siTi
by Sara Mitchell
majors czan do
“So, you’re an English
major. What are you going to
do when you graduate, teach?”
Many Texas A&M English
majors and other liberal arts
students hear questions similar
to this when discussing future
plans. Contrary to popular
belief, many English majors do
not teach.
Dr. Claude Gibson, assistant
professor and undergraduate
adviser for the English
Department, said many
opportunities exist for graduates
with good communication skills.
“Teaching is an obvious end
to obtaining a degree in English,
but that is not what all our
students end up doing,” Gibson
said. He mentioned former
English graduates in unusual
occupations: an FBI special
agent, a stockbroker, a factory
manager, bank vice-presidents,
a pilot and the mayor of San
Antonio, Henry Cisneros.
“We teach reading, writing
and analysis. People in
management do a lot of report
writing and analysis,” Gibson
said. He said English students
often go into such fields as
writing and editing, working for
a newspapers, pre-law, pre
medicine and pre-dentistry. He
also said many companies, such
as banks and large
corporations, are willing to train
employees with a liberal arts
background.
Dr. Sam Dragga, assistant
professor of English and
coodinator of the Writing
Specialization Program at
A&M, said English majors with
minors in computer science and
business are qualified for many
jobs.
“Businesses find the research
and analytical skills English
majors develop useful,” Dragga
said. He mentioned that
insurance companies often hire
English graduates with business
minors as underwriters.
Dr. Elizabeth Tebeaux,
associate professor of English,
said English majors are sought
for desktop publishing jobs,
book sales and publishing. She
said they are also in demand to
develop on-line user
documentation, training
manuals and other technical
materials.
Gibson said the College of
Liberal Arts found that its
graduates were competing
equally with specialized
students five years after
entering the job market due to
good communication skills.
“They (liberal arts majors)
may start in on a lower entry
level, but due to their good
communication skills and
analytical ability, once they
break into the position they are
um
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generally very promotable,”
Gibson said.
Gibson said students should
not to go into a particular field
just because it’s the “hot
degree” to get, such as
petroleum engineering was a
few years ago.
“A student has to determine
where his talents are and
develop those talents. The
liberal arts student is a little
more flexible in that we require
a minor,” Gibson said. He said
the student can tailor his
curriculum to suit his interests
and talents nd the
specialization of the degree can
lead to many opportunities.
“I’m not sure that people
always know what they’re going
to do with the degree, but they
tend to do well once they get
out there, ” Gibson said.
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Aggienizing Answers
feel about the job market?
How do you
by Karen Kroesche
and Lydia Berzsenyi
One popular question posed
during interviews causes many
students to (a) become
dumbfounded as blank looks
cross their faces, (b) shift
uncomfortably in their chairs as
they mumble a reply or (c) look
extremely guilty as they
blatantly lie. The ever-popular
interview question that can
stump even the most self-
confident person: “What do
you see yourself doing 10 years
from today?”
The truth is, most students
just don’t know. Although
students get an education with
the intent of getting a good job
upon graduation, it is not
uncommon to find third, fourth
or even fifth year students with
little idea of what they want to
do with their lives.
We hit the streets this week
to ask students what their job
opportunities look like. Most
seem optimistic about finding a
job, although some, like Chris
Johnson, a senior finance major
graduating in December, realize
the jobs they get may not be
their first choices.
“It will be no problem finding
a job, but it many not be exactly
what I want,” he says. “You
can’t be too picky.”
Another business major,
sophomore Kyle Toland, is also
confident that he’ll find a job,
but he stresses the importance
of making contacts.
“I don’t think it’s what you
know, it’s who you know,”
Toland says. “That’s the whole
business world.”
Senior Pete McDonald, an
electrical engineering major
who will graduate in May, says
although he’s already had one
job offer, he’s keeping all his
options open.
“I’m using all my resources,”
he explains, “the placement
center, myself and contacts. ”
In fact, Stephanie Patterson,
a recruiter for MPI in Oklahoma
City, says that versatility is a key
to getting the job of your
choice.
“The market is so
competitive, employers can ask
for higher standards of
students, ” she says.
“Students should make
themselves as versatile as
possible when signing up for
electives. They should keep
their minds open to
opportunities. ”
Andrew Pappas, a senior
finance major, says he’s not
worried about finding a job, but
that he plans to get some
experience outside of Texas
until the economy here
improves.
He also emphasizes
flexibility, saying that he's
keeping an open mind and “not
looking for anything in
particular.”
Betsy Muir, a senior
industrial engineering major,
says the chances of getting a job
depend on how much one
searches and researches.
Fellow senior industrial
engineering major Frank
Medrano agrees, adding that
getting a job often boils down to
luck and situations.
Although both Medrano and
Muir are optimistic about their
job chances, they are
concerned about the current
problems in the stock market.
“Right now the job economy
is at a peak, ” Medrano says,
“but it may slow down since
stock has dropped. ”
Sophomore Becky Bollfrass,
an accounting major “subject to
change, ” says her immediate
worry is getting into upper-level
business classes, since the
overcrowded College of
Business is tightening its
standards.
Meg Reagan, a freshman
general studies major is still
doubtful of what she wants to
do with her life, also.
“I don’t know yet what I
want to be when I grow up, ”
she says with a laugh.
“But,’’sheadds, “job
opportunity will help determine
what I decide to major in. ”