The price of college tuition is higher than ever, and an increase is on the horizon. This, coupled with increasing costs of living, means that more and more students are seeking employment. But where can students go to look for employment?
On Feb. 14 and 15, the PSU Career Center is hosting a job fair and career information event geared towards PSU students from all majors and programs who are interested in internships, volunteer work, post-graduation careers and general employment opportunities. It will be held in the third floor ballroom of Smith Memorial Student Union from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., and is open to all interested students.
Tuesday will be dedicated to specialized employment opportunities in engineering and technology, while Wednesday will offer opportunities to students of all majors and interests.
More than 100 different employers will be present over the course of the event, ten of which will be in attendance both days. “This is our second year of doing two days of fairs,” said Gregory Flores, the associate director of the Career Center. “Previously we averaged around 80 employers; this year we have 105 different employers coming.”
There will be a variety of companies and employers in attendance. While the engineering and technology fair is much more specific and specialized in the kinds of employment offered, the general fair caters to a wide range of industries, fields and student interests. For the all-majors fair, employers such as the U.S. Department of State and KGW News Channel 8 will be present, whereas the Engineering and Technology Job Fair will showcase companies like Elemental Technologies Inc. and ColumbiaSoft Corporation. A full list of the registered employers is available on the Career Center website.
The two-day event has been publicized through a variety of means. “All students received an email at their pdx.edu address; faculty and staff were sent a message asking to share the information with their students and to encourage them to attend,” Flores said. It is also advertised on the PSU Career Center online calendar, on posters across campus, as well as at advertising tables on campus.
However, it seems that some students don’t think the fair’s been advertised enough. A sample of random students interviewed showed that most weren’t aware of the event. Alexis Gomez, a freshman advertisement management major, was aware of the upcoming fair but said that if she didn’t live in PSU housing that she wouldn’t have heard about it. “I don’t think they are doing a very good job publicizing the event; I only heard about from fliers passed out by my resident hall assistant,” Gomez said. She is still going to go and is very interested in employment opportunities.
Freshman business management major Sarah Jaddo said she knew about the fair but wouldn’t attend. She doesn’t think that the fair will be applicable to her in terms of immediate employment since she is an international student. “Because I am an international student I can only work jobs on campus and most of those are taken already,” she said. She is looking for employment, but being on a student visa has some restrictions.
The Career Center is confident in its publicizing abilities and in the projected student turnout numbers. “We expect to have between 800–900 students each day of the fair,” Flores said. At last year’s fair, half of the attending students were juniors and seniors who were on the verge of graduating. “Typically, about 50 percent attending are seniors or grad students,” Flores added. Another 20 percent are alumni, but all students, regardless of class standing, are invited to attend. Flores noted that employers are informed that all students are encouraged “to attend to do some career exploration and learn about jobs and internships, and to learn about hiring processes as well.”
For more information for both fairs, visit pdx.edu/careers/career-and-job-fairs.of Smith Memorial Student Union from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., and is open to all interested students.