As Cal Poly students bring their undergraduate college careers to a close, the question that seems to come up time and time again is “What’s next?”
After the graduation ceremonies end, students may have the difficult task of finding a job.
According to Cal Poly reports from the 2007-2008 academic year, 89.2 percent of Cal Poly graduates attended graduate school within one year of graduating.
Of the students graduating this fall, the majority of them are either looking for work, taking the rest of the year off or have already been offered their desired job.
Construction management senior Josh Azofeifa said he is still looking for a job.
“I’m on a unique path because construction isn’t my first choice,” Azofeifa said. “I will ideally get hired as a firefighter. If I don’t get that position right away, I plan to work on an ambulance since I have my EMT license.”
He said he has kept his options open and knows he has his Cal Poly degree to fall back on.
While some students are still looking for jobs, others are taking the rest of the year off.
Journalism senior Kelsey Gerckens said she plans to stay in San Luis Obispo and work until June after she graduates.
“Since I am graduating early, I have prior commitments such as my sorority and my housing lease,” Gerckens said. “I plan to make my part-time serving job into a full-time job in order to save money until the end of the school year.”
Even though she is not going straight into the work force, she said she wished Cal Poly had prepared her more on exactly how to get a job or given her more connections.
“As far as the general knowledge of broadcast journalism, I know a lot,” Gerckens said.
Other students said they feel they have the right to be more selective when it comes to picking a career.
Industrial engineering senior Derek Hiler said he has been offered one job but is still in the decision process.
“I still have a couple interviews left and I am still waiting to hear back from places, so my options are open,” Hiler said.
While some students are still deciding between jobs, others have already interviewed and been offered their desired job before graduating.
Lisa Sargiotto, a journalism senior, said she accepted a job at Verdin Marketing Ink in San Luis Obispo.
“I know I will be doing a lot of work with public relations and social media,” Sargiotto said. “Even though I was offered a full-time job, I still want to keep a couple of my part-time jobs as well.”
A handful of professors helped her get to where she is today, she said. During her last two years at Cal Poly, her professors challenged her.
“I owe my feelings of being prepared to them,” she said.
Like Sargiotto, Brendan Heinichen, an agricultural communications senior, just got offered the job he wanted.
“I just took a job with Foster Farms near Modesto,” Heinichen said. “I am super stoked.”
He said he felt Cal Poly really prepared him for the future and many employers were impressed by the Cal Poly name.
After going through the entire process of trying to graduate and find a job, Heinichen said students should become involved in anything they can — clubs, internships or even a part-time job.
“Employers are looking for students who go above and beyond and who are constantly trying to improve themselves and further their own education,” Heinichen said.