Aggielife
The Battalion
Page 3 • Wednesday, January 15, 2003
Gorkins that Oto Q
December grads begin the hunt for employment
By Denise Schoppe
THE BATTALION
When David Belew graduated in December, he was not pre
pared for a bleak job market.
“I have two jobs that pay minimum wage and I’m looking for
a third,” Belew said. “It’s not what 1 expected it to be like after
graduating from Texas A&M.”
In December 2002, 3,891 degrees were awarded to Texas
A&M students.
However, many have difficulty entering the
work-force.
Belew graduated with a degree in journalism and
said finding an adequate paying position has been diffi
cult.
“I started (looking) in October, and I’m still
looking,” he said. “I'm at two TV stations working
32 hours a week. It’s experience that I need, and it
will help in the future. Hopefully it all pays off.”
While many companies recruit in the spring,
Belew said graduating in December rather than
May does not make a noticeable difference when
searching for employment.
“In December, the holidays and offices are closed,
but in May you have more graduates to compete
with,” Belew said. “My twin brother graduated in
It’s nice to not have
to worry about home
work and testSy but
now it’s all about
working paying bills
and surviving.
— David Belew
December 2002 graduate
LORI GREEN • THE BATTALION
August and is still looking. I guess patience is a virtue.”
While he keeps a busy work schedule, Belew said being out
of school has given him a new perspective.
“It’s nice to not have to worry about homework and tests, but
now it’s all about working, paying bills and surviving,” he said.
Anna Benavides, also a December graduate, said she has had
to adjust to the working world and has searched extensively for
employment since graduation.
“During the graduation ceremony, I felt a lot of anxiety,
because I didn’t have a job lined up,” she said. “I
don't think that feeling has gone away exactly.”
Benavides said she regrets losing touch with
potential employers.
“I wish I would have kept in contact with all my past
internship supervisors and co-workers. I could have perfect
ed my networking skills and refined my interviewing skills,”
Benavides said.
Not all graduates are without a job. Eric Webb, also a
December graduate, is employed as a web programmer for The
Association of Former Students. Webb said there are many
things future graduates should remember when looking for a job.
“Don’t ever give up,” he said. “Look everywhere. Exhaust all
resources and work part-time somewhere, if need be, to establish
a rapport.”
The Texas A&M Career Center Web site, career fairs and
mock interviews are among some resources available to future
graduates.
Webb, who registered with the Career Center
during his last semester, said he regrets not taking
advantage of the resource sooner.
“The problem with (registering late) was the
fact that I had missed out on a lot of potential
interviews,” he said. “This was disheartening, but
I knew I had some other events coming up.”
One of the events Webb participated in was a
mock interview with the business department.
“They brought in actual recruiters from large
companies to interview us. This was very benefi
cial to me,” Webb said. “It gave me the opportuni
ty to see what I needed to work on to better sell
myself in interviews.”
Webb was active in the Business Student
Council and acted as web master for the Business
Career Fair. From that experience he said he received several
interviews, though none of the jobs suited him.
“I started to feel disheartened around Halloween, and I con
tacted one of my old professors, and set up a meeting with him
to discuss my future and my situation,” Webb said. “He immedi
ately began calling some of his friends who knew of job open
ings in College Station.”
From this contact, Webb landed an interview with The
Association of Former Students. After two interviews, he was
offered a position as Web programmer for the organization.
“I don’t think I could have found a better place to work at,”
Webb said. “The people are great and I get to deal with Old Ags
all day long. It’s really neat to hear some of their stories.”
Webb said the change from full-time student to full-time
worker has been a welcome adjustment.
“Not having to worry about school, tests or anything like that
is nice,” Webb said. “Going home at 5 p.m. or later and not hav
ing anything to do is also a nice feeling.”
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