Students continue job search despite difficult trying times

August 24, 2009 by U-WIRE 

As summer vacation officially came to an end Wednesday morning, students got back into the daily grind of classes, homework and jobs.

While the idea of getting a job may not sound that appealing, working and job-hunting students find jobs to be a necessity during their college careers.

Achal Anekal, a junior in mechanical engineering, said he has been looking for a job since he moved back to Raleigh after spending his summer at home in Charlotte.

“I have to pay for gas and daily needs,” Anekal said. “It’s hard because a lot of places aren’t hiring.”

Rodger Berg, manager of Packbackers, said though he hasn’t seen a significant increase in job applications since school started, applications for summer jobs went up from past years.

“In summer, a lot of people were looking for work, and that’s partly because of the economy. There’s always a rush at the beginning of the school year to look for work, but it’s hard to say it’s any more than previous years,” Berg said.

Ryan Stamper, a manager of PizzAmerica on Hillsborough Street, said he hasn’t experienced an increase in job applications because most of his employees work year-round, but he knows people who are struggling to look for jobs that apply to their college degrees.

“I’ve known people who graduated in May, and a lot of them work at Food Lion or Harris Teeter even though they may have a BS in engineering,” Stamper said. “I know that Wake County has a hiring freeze, so a lot of people in education are trying to find jobs.”

Carol Schroeder, director of the University Career Center, said the center can offer students a lot of advice about looking for jobs and internships.

“It’s important for students to know that it can be a complicated process,” Schroeder said.

Also, the Career Center Web site contains ways to go about looking for a job in a tough job market and keeps ePack updated.

The Office of Scholarship and Financial Aid maintains a Web site titled “NCSU Student Job Opportunities.“
The Web site features posts of part-time positions that area employers are looking to fill. the posts are updated weekly.

The job opportunities site index of current job listings includes categories ranging from childcare to office work and restaurants to sales.

Students like Kevin Daniel, a sophomore in chemical engineering and paper science, have directed their energies to look on campus for jobs that provide convenience and life-experience.

Daniel said he has been working in the paper science labs since October 2008.

“I study and research new applications for research material,” Daniel said.

He said he decided to work on campus because he thought it’d be easier to get to work and back by just staying around the University rather than commuting elsewhere.

Crabtree Valley Mall, Cary Town Center, and the Streets at Southpoint also all have job listings on their Web sites that stores post on if they need to fill positions.

Stamper suggested that people looking for employment should apply for any jobs they are remotely qualified for.

“Keep on looking if you can’t find a job. Be persistent, and hit the streets every day and you will find something sooner or later. People who do this day in and day out can have a bigger chance,” Stamper said.

Stampler said a lot of times people cap themselves but that networking can definitely help out in the job search.

“A lot of times, it depends on who you know,” he said.

Anekal said he has been looking for jobs at the mall and restaurants around campus. Although he has not had any success yet, he’s not too worried.