2 / GRADUATION GUIDE / THURSDAY, MAY 12, 2011 / THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN / KANSAN.COM
ALTERNATIVE PROGRAMS
Wide range of options available for new graduates
BY CLAIRE MCINERNY editor@kansan.com
As some seniors are preparing for jobs and planning their lives after school, some students are experiencing a different scenario: the end of college panic.
Four years of classes and one degree later, some students do not know what they want to do post-college, and instead of turning right to the work force find eth al.
er. One opportunity that enables students to make that happen is through Teach for America. Teach For America is a program that allows recent college graduates to teach in public schools in low-income communities. The assignment lasts for two years.
Gina Littlejohn, the campus campaign coordinator for Teach For America, said the program accepts people of all majors, and applauds.
a way to prolong to find a job, but rather look at it as a way to find new opportunities and new ways for students to use their passions. She said a lot of politicians who now work in Congress were in the program and are now fighting for education rights.
PEACE CORPS
Like Teach For America, the Peace Corps is another way for
Wiechman spent his two years in Saint Lucia doing community development. He helped a farmers' cooperative develop a grant proposal to get funding for a composting project from the United Nations and also taught reading and music at a school.
The Peace Corps was an attractive option for Wiechman because he did not have a clear direction for his future at the end of col
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 8, 2011
PAGE 4
UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
If unsure, embrace unknown for post-graduation life
BY LAURA ERDALL
editor@kansan.com
This past spring, about 1.65 million young men and women graduated from colleges and universities in the United States. With the nation's unemployment rate soaring, these masses of young people are about to compete in the toughest job market in decades. Soon, if they haven't already, graduates will be on their own and forced to contemplate which graduate school to attend or which city to live in for the foreseeable future.
Paul Jury, author of "States of Confusion," decided to take a seven-week road trip to all 48 states after he graduated from Northwestern University, choosing an unconventional post-graduation experience of joblessness. His car broke down every two states, he was stung by a jellyfish in Florida and he drapped his only set of car keys in a snake infested river in southern Missouri.
"If you know what you love, go do it," Jury said. "If you don't know, go
try something new because no matter what, you'll get a cool story out of it."
Chances are that many of the 2011 graduates are feeling the same way Jury did — confused about their direction in life after completing roughly four years of academic work
is an undergraduate. What graduates need to know though is that it'll be fine in the end because now they can proudly say that they're in that small percentage of Americans who have earned a college degree, Jury said.
ways. So I say go ahead and choose bizarre or interesting jobs because they always give great life stories" lury said.
"It's OK to have multiple jobs in the first couple of years after college."
jury said.
For graduates who have already chosen a path to travel down, there's always helpful advice when it comes to a profession. Megan Hill, associate director at the
College graduates have many options, and one that many people tend to ignore is to take any job that is offered to them in the beginning
PAUL JURY author of "States of Confusion"
"It's OK to have multiple jobs in the first couple of years after college. Graduates who go right into successful jobs don't usually keep them any-
adirector of the University Career Center, said that being able to pay attention and listen is very important in an $ _{j} $ workforce.
"Observe your surroundings — it'll give you a better understanding of the culture you've been placed into," Hill said. "Also, it's important to dress appropriately and to avoid getting sucked into office drama."
No matter what era we are in, the core elements needed in an employ-
SEE GRADUATION 115
Chris Bronson/MANSION FILE PHOTO
Recent graduates should branch out and take any job that is offered to them in the beginning.
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