The Job Search Begins

Keri S.

April 16, 2010 - 10:30 PM

This week on campus, the Career Center put on the Career Fair. This event is held once a term, and I usually try to go at least twice a year just to get practice networking and to see what different companies have to offer. When I went last Thursday, however, it was the real deal!!!

There were over 70 companies at the event, which was a lot more than last year. There were also a wide variety of firms there vs. previous years. Of these 70 companies, about 10 or 15 were holding interviews the next day. I was able to get an interview with one company for a summer internship opportunity, but after learning about their compensation policy I realized I could go back to summer camp and make the same amount each week! It seemed like a great opportunity, but if I am going to be living in Eugene I need to be able to cover my living expenses. There were quite a few other companies who said they would be posting jobs and internships on their websites within the next couple of weeks, so as of right now I will continue looking.

One trend I have noticed, especially within the communications and marketing fields, is that most companies want you to have an internship before a career. It is almost as if an internship is required as a trial run before they hire you. This is strange to my parents, as I explain to them that I am applying for internships and they respond "but you will have a college degree."

One thing that is a HUGE controversy right now on campus (and in my house as well) is the unpaid internship, which is a growing trend. Although internships can provide the intern with great hands-on experience, it can also provide the company with great services. There are some companies that take advantage of interns to do work for free that would otherwise be done by a paid staff member. There are also some who believe that the trend of unpaid internships is another unfair advantage given to the upper class college students, because they are much more likely to be able to afford working for free and therefore get much more experience heading out of college.

Personally, I think that the unpaid internship is kind of a bummer, but something that is not going away anytime soon and that is just one step in the career ladder. It is unfortunate, but necessary. The New York Times recently posted an article on the subject, and called Oregon out in particular as a state that is illegally using unpaid interns. Although I think this article brought up some great points, I do not see companies changing their compensation policies anytime soon. If anything, I fear that some companies may eliminate intern positions to avoid any legal implications.

That is all for now-gotta get back to applying for jobs. If you hear of anything, especially within the soccer or Nike world, give me a shout out.