College students reach a point in their four years where they have to face the harsh reality of finding a job outside of college.
Thankfully for some, employers are coming to the University of Idaho campus to look for new hires.
Career Services is presenting the biannual Career Fair Wednesday in the Kibbie Dome. For anyone interested in attending, there are roughly 140 different companies and organizations attending the fair, as of Monday.
For anyone who isn’t a STEM major, though, the Career Fair likely won’t cater to your job hunt following graduation.
UI is known for its agriculture and engineering programs, which have long served as the staple of the university. However, a majority of students at UI aren’t in those programs.
The largest portion of students are part of the College of Letters, Arts and Social Sciences, which means there should be a larger number of employers visiting the fair with the specific goal of finding CLASS majors.
These students have about 10 CLASS-related fair presenters to consider, and those are just companies that accept all majors. Meanwhile, Agribusiness majors have roughly 40 companies they can visit, while engineering students can stop and talk to about 65 different companies, according to the Hire a Vandal website.
Make no mistake, the emphasis on the STEM field is important, especially with the current job market and the demand for computer science and engineering, as well as the local focus on agricultural degrees. But when a large portion of the student population isn’t being well represented in the Career Fair, it makes it hard to motivate students to stay in the field they are passionate about.
This isn’t just about CLASS majors either. Other majors such as pre-health have no options at all according to the website, and those interested in pursuing graduate school are given limited options when it comes to the Career Fair.
Career Services does provide advice and legitimate opportunities to help students in CLASS majors or those interested in graduate school. However, those options require students to seek them out instead of attending an event designed to help them network.
Of course there are companies and organizations at the Career Fair that accept all majors, but many of those are also tailored to STEM degrees such as Beef Northwest, BP America or HDR, Inc.
Finding something that interests students outside of their degree field is entirely possible and is a purpose of attending the Career Fair. Even if no employers fall within a student’s major, opportunities can still be found.
The Career Fair isn’t a waste of time for anyone who wants to attend. It is a valuable experience for students who want their resume checked by professionals in the field, while also serving as a great chance to network.
Still, it would be nice to see more careers represented that fall outside the agriculture and engineering fields.
— CW