RALEIGH, N.C. – Graduation is right around the corner, and new graduates will receive a piece of paper and a pat on the back before being thrown out to fend for themselves in a dog-eat-dog world.
According to Carol Schroeder, director of the North Carolina State University Career Center, it isn’t too late to land a suitable job.
“Don’t panic,” Schroeder said. “Don’t be afraid to come see your counselor at the Career Center.”
Searching for the perfect job is like “making a long journey,” she added.
“Find out about your destination,” Schroeder said. “Map out your journal and pack what you need for the trip.”
David Hine, a recent graduate with a degree in parks, recreation and tourism management at NCSU, said he was a “little nervous” this time last semester because he didn’t receive an internship offer with the Charlotte Bobcats, an NBA team, until two-and-a-half weeks before commencement.
“I didn’t put all my eggs in one basket, but they were the only ones who took interest in me,” Hine said.
After interning with the Bobcats, Hine said he decided the sports industry seemed “more glamorous” from the outside looking in and decided to seek a different field.
“It’s a great single life because it’s a lot of fun to go out, but if you want to be a family person, sports probably isn’t for you,” said Hine, who became engaged in February. “All of the people I knew were having marital problems, separated or single.”
He is now a sales representative at Tarheel Paper Company, a packaging distributor in Winston-Salem, N.C.
Schroeder said the job market is good, but in situations such as Hine’s, it’s “hard work to land the right job.”
“There are lots of reasons why some applicants get hired and others don’t,” Schroeder said. “It’s not always that someone else has more experience; sometimes attitude is just as important.”
Sterling Greene, a senior in electrical and computer engineering, said his involvement in on-campus organizations, such as the underwater robotics club, helped him secure a job at Lockheed Martin, an information technology company.
“The particular group within Lockheed (Martin) that hired me is the maritime systems and sensors group,” Greene said. “They have several unmanned underwater vehicle projects.”
Greene used his networking skills at a convention in San Diego to establish a relationship with someone at the company.
“I talked to a couple of people at the (College of Engineering) Career Fair and (got) an interview the next day,” Greene said. “About two or three weeks later, they sent me an offer.”
Hine said after his internship ended with the Bobcats, he used connections through a family friend to get in touch with his current employer.
“Networking is the big key,” Hine said. “I interviewed on a Thursday; a week-and-a-half later – I had the job.”
Hine said he enjoys his new job because he isn’t “confined to a desk.”
Although his undergraduate degree concentrated in sports management, Hine said his business minor was quite helpful.
“You always hear people say you’re going to end up doing something you didn’t get your degree in,” Hine said.
Schroeder offered advice to discouraged seniors that she deemed more “philosophical” than practical.
“The job you want may be out there, but your ability to get that job may not be a straight line from A to B,” Schroeder said. “The trick is to not let the sense of rejection bring you down.”
