work & study
Keith Van der Reit uses a blow torch to weld a metal ring on Tuesday. Van Der Reit's current project includes fusing plastic with metal.
wage the battle
Hourly jobs can temporarily support recent graduates. BY SARA BEHUNEK
Chin high, tassel swaying in your peripheral vision, you swagger down the Campanile walkway. Cameras click and relatives glow as they witness you complete four, or five, years of late-night cramming, 8:30 a.m. classes and eight, or 10, final-exam weeks. After you have recovered from the graduation hangover and mounted your framed diploma on the wall, it's time to get serious.
Three months and 30 inquiry letters later, the prospects are looking dim. With barely any money and no job, you've received a not-so welcome introduction to the real world.
Steve Slaughter, Kansas City, Kan., graduate, finished school in May 2003 with his bachelor's degree in business administration. This summer he worked
as a paid intern for Allied Insurance. Although this experience buffed up his resume, as of last week he was still hunting for an entry-level position. During the five months since his graduation, Slaughter has been posting his resume on Internet sites, skimming the classifieds and sending out 10 to 15 resumes each month. To get by, Slaughter tends bar at Abe & Jake's Landing, 8 E. Sixth St., on the weekends. He makes $100 during the week doing labor-intensive work such as construction or clean up, and $300 on Friday and Saturday nights. It's enough to pay the bills but not for too long.
"I am not quite ready to start the work force yet," Slaughter says as he wipes down the bar at Abe & Jake's. "Without the restrictions of a 'real' job, I can go out
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jayplay
thursday, november 20. 2003