Newswise — With commencement looming, college seniors are already looking for entry-level jobs and internships. Julie Boone Elliott, director, and Gretchen Maldonado, assistant director of Career Planning & Resources at Scripps College in Claremont, Calif., the women's college of the Claremont Colleges, are available for comment on the general outlook of students as they gear up for the job search and the difficult transition between college and "the real world."
Maldonado says that:
- Students are concerned about the future, but motivated to make it great. She points out that if you look at the top ten stressors in life, the transition between college and the real world is up there with divorce and a death in the family. It is difficult to make this a non-stressful time for students, but her job is to provide them with the tools to navigate it successfully. She assures students that it is indeed a big change and it's normal to feel overwhelmed.
- The students that are confident about being able to weather the transition are those who have had experiences outside the classroom through internships, extracurricular activities on campus, volunteer work, and community involvement. She stresses the importance of internships and experiences outside the classroom, whether that be community involvement, volunteering, or leadership roles on campus. The students who have had the opportunity to explore different kinds of occupations and environments during their undergrad years feel much more confident going out the door, and feel that they have more direction in terms of career.
- At Scripps she sees increasingly more students who want their occupations to have personal meaning. This is possibly reflective of their generation as well. They don't see a job as a means to collect a paycheck at the end of the day; rather they want jobs that will serve as extensions of their selves and reflect what they value in life. Many students at Scripps are interested in government, politics, education, and the public service sectors, and ultimately go into those fields.
- Networking is key. Part of what she focuses on in her work is educating students on how to network, meet people, and uncover opportunities. She sees this educational process as much more valuable than showing somebody how to format her resume.
Julie received her M.Ed. in Student Personnel Services from the University of South Carolina and her B.A. in Government and Politics from George Mason University. She previously worked in the career centers at the University of South Carolina and Loyola University New Orleans.
Gretchen received her master's degree in Career Counseling from Cal State Northridge in 2002. She spent a number of years in human resource administration before beginning her graduate training in career counseling. This has proven invaluable because it gave her an understanding of the recruiting process from the inside out. She works with students, delivering workshops and helping with special programs. Gretchen also serves as the Sophomore Liaison. Scripps was her first choice of a place to work after graduation because of the opportunity to focus on women's issues.
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