Seniors Search For Post-Grad Options
by Amy Levin-Epstein

 In the midst of a recent economic downturn that sprang from the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, ballooning levels of unemployment have created job anxiety among members of the Class of 2002.
“I am worried about what is currently going on in the economy. I had something lined up with Morgan Stanley until this recession hit. Now it’s one of those ‘let’s wait and see what happens’ kind of a thing,” senior Felipe Fernandez said.
Even prior to the economic downturn, apprehension could be felt in the Career Service Center’s Sept. 6 Senior Orientation Session. At this event, Career Services opened various job-acquisition resources to students, offering help with résumés, sign-ups for e-recruiting, a web-based job search program and information about admissions tests and applications.
“[The market] has been excellent for some time; it’s kind of a rude awakening. Students need to be taking advantage of opportunities and be open and flexible. Probably the number one issue is not knowing what you want to do. Oberlin students have lots of interests, so they feel like it’s hard to choose,” Director of Career Services Wendy Miller said.
Oberlin’s liberal arts degree has proven competitive in a career climate that changes quickly with technological developments.
“The liberal arts education provides the creative problem solving skills, the ability to write and speak articulately and a broad base of knowledge,” Dean of Arts and Sciences Clayton Koppes said. “The lesson of the job market over the past 20 years is that you can prepare for a job that will not exist some years later. The liberal arts provides the breadth of education for a lifetime rather than for the first job after graduation,” he added
For 25 seniors, post-grad fears were abated as their applications for the Selective Liberal Arts Consortium (SLAC) Senior Interview Days and e-recruiting went out this week. Students interested in education signed up for various job databases and interviewed with the agencies. Although employer participation dropped 30 percent across the five participating cities, web recruiting seems to be popular.
“So far I registered [online] with three candidate search services for teaching at independent schools and applied for three EPA jobs. [Career Services] has been very helpful,” senior Jake Lubarsky said.
“I went to Resumania [a Career Service event during which students could drop into the Office, go over their résumé, and get free résumé paper and envelopes] which gave me some good feedback on my re
sumé. I’m moving to Seattle and i either support services and education for survivors of sexual violence,” senior Jen Katz said.

Other students hope to spread their net further, and travel in their first year outside of Oberlin. “I would like to leave the country for a while. I have been thinking about the Peace Corps a lot and went to a meeting about it last night,” senior Abe Jaffe said. About 20 other ’02 members attended similar information sessions this week. Over 448 Oberlin alumni have volunteered with the Peace Corps. Oberlin ranks seventh nationwide among small schools based on numbers of volunteers placed since the beginning of the organization in 1961. On average, 20 alums will be stationed with the Peace Corps at a given time.
Obies follow a wider array of paths than graduates coming from many similar schools. About 23 percent of students go directly to graduate school with another 57 percent enrolling later, a rate higher than that of Oberlin’s peer institutions. Career Services supplies test takers with preparation software for the GRE and advice on the LSAT and MCAT. Even those postponing graduate school often take the required tests while still in “test-taking mode.”

Employment, fellowships or research are other paths students take. “Oberlin students have been successful in receiving some fellowships such as the Watson but we should have more students getting these awards. Students need to be more aware of the possibilities,” Koppes said.
About one seventh of seniors have made use of Career Services this year. Some seniors haven’t had time to make it to events, or feel intimidated.
“I feel like they try to make you feel guilty for not going. Not in a sinister way, though,” senior Nate Marsh said.
“The career service people were less than helpful in the one meeting I had. I have avoided them since, although I probably should try again,” one student commented anonymously.

Miller urges students to take advantage of upcoming events, such as the Senior Mock Interview week, beginning in mid-November. After seniors log-in to e-recruiting, they can easily access the Career Services recruiting calendar and check for new events, winter term internships and deadlines.
Other students are cautiously optimistic. “I’m a little freaked out by all the uncertainty, but I’m definitely excited and ready to go,” Katz said. During the next seven months, Career Services plans to work hard to make sure that every member of the Class of 2002 is as ready as possible to face a lackluster job market. However, successful employment will be up to the student.

“Oberlin has always been well regarded by employers. Our problem is not in getting the employers, but in getting the students to start the job search process early enough to take advantage of the opportunities,” Miller said.

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