College students walk with not only the weight of a book-filled backpack on their shoulders, but they carry the weight of an incredible amount of college debt with them too. 200,000 is a large enough number, add a dollar sign in front of it, throw it into a student’s college debt account and stress levels can skyrocket.
The weight of debt students carry due to the high cost of a college education has many people desperately seeking a full-time job immediately after they graduate.
But what if you didn’t have to worry about finding a job for the next year and a half of college? Some students at the University of Portland don’t have to stress about finding a job post-graduation because of full-time job offers that came out of their summer internships.
Since some students already have jobs locked down, some say they don’t feel as motivated to continue college and say that they would rather accept their jobs now.
Junior OTM business major Nick Hof interned with Imperial Brown, a manufacturing company, and received a full-time job offer. He is among the students who would rather accept his job now, and begin working.
“It kind of makes me sad because I like where I work, and it’s one of those things where I kind of just want to move on,” said Hof.
Internships are important for finding jobs and may even lead to jobs, but according to Career Center’s Internship and Engagement Manager Amanda Wheaton, this should not mean putting school on the back burner.
Wheaton pointed out that companies are currently favoring students with internship experience, since employers find the real-world job experience appealing in applicants.
According to a survey conducted by CareerBuilder, “63 percent of college graduates who completed a paid internship received a job offer, compared to 35 percent who did not complete an internship.” CareerBuilder went on to point out that those same 63 percent are also receiving a starting annual salary of $52,000, compared to $37,000.
Junior civil engineering major Abby Chase had a summer internship with DOWL, an engineering company, that also led to a full-time job. She and Hof both struggled to think of how college prepared them for their real-life job experiences after they concluded their internships.
“I had done this all summer and learned about manufacturing and then I came back to accounting and I’m just rocking it.” Hof took a long pause to reflect on how college prepared him for his job and continued, “I guess college only prepares you for so much and every job is going to train you right then and there.”
Although some students struggle to see how college prepares them for their real-life jobs, the experiences made at work can come back to benefit class performance.
“I didn’t feel like my schooling had prepared me for my internship, but then I really feel like my internship experience is coming back to my schooling this year and it’s really helpful,” said Chase.
Both students also feel ready to move on from college and go ahead and accept their full-time offers.
If students decide to leave college after receiving a job offer, their pay will be significantly less than if they finish their degree. There are crucial skills that only college can teach, which companies are looking for when hiring.
Wheaton highlights some of these abilities that companies are looking for in students with a list of top 10 skills. She pointed out things like leadership, team-work, verbal communication, and written communication, all things which are taught in a college classroom.
She then went into detail about the long-term effects of quitting school to take a job offer.
“In talking to a student who wants to forgo their three years of college experience to take that first job because they’re afraid they won’t get one afterwards, you’re really hamstringing yourself if you’re thinking so short term about this opportunity,” Wheaton said. “You aren’t necessarily thinking about long term career.”
The survey conducted by CareerBuilder also mentioned that what you major in does matter. Business, computer science, and engineering are the top three majors most likely to lead to full-time jobs. Hof and Chase’s choices in their major could have also influenced the offers they received.
While the stress of internship hunting and finding a job after college is overwhelmingly high, some feelings can be put to rest. This CareerBuilder survey reassures students that finding a job is possible.
“Nearly 75 percent of employers surveyed say they plan to hire graduates fresh out of college this year, the highest is has been in nearly a decade,” according to CareerBuilder.
