Seeking Summer Jobs, Students Crowd OCS

Candace M. Hom '96 wants to find a summer job in the field of environmental science.

She is spending a lot of time at the Office of Career Services (OCS) looking through binders full of contact names and job listings. But she is not alone--and that has slowed the process.

"Sometimes there are so many people here that I have to wait a long time to use the binders," Hom said.

Hom is one of what OCS summer jobs counselor Mary Fan Kain says is an unusually large number of students seeking summer jobs at OCS.

The demand for summer job counseling has forced OCS to schedule more meeting in the afternoon, when more students have a break from classes, according to Kain.

Kain isn't quite sure why so many students are coming in. But she says that upper-class students and employers are emphasizing the importance of summer experience when they speak to first-years and sophomores.

"It's been more hectic this year than others, presumably because more students are realizing the importance of starting the job search early," Kain says.

Kain says first-year students and sophomores have been frequenting OCS, whose function is to assist students in planning careers and finding summer employment.

"The job application process is new to most first-years, so it's even more important for them to come in," Kain says.

Hom and other students who have visited OCS recently have noticed the crowding.

"The office has gotten pretty chaotic recently," said Jean Swithenbank '97, who has been looking for a summer job through OCS for a couple of weeks.

Kain said she encourages students to make appointments with counselors who are specialists in the student's area of interest and can best advise them on the career options in that field.

Students approaching OCS, however, have found the office shorthanded in two of the most popular career paths--government and the media.

OCS has not had a government and media specialist for more than two months, Kain said. The previous specialist, Ande Diaz, alerted OCS in the fall that she would be leaving, and the job remained empty until this week.

Kain said OCS has offered counseling for those seeking advice in government and journalism, though it has not been able to provide a specialist.