Intern, grad fair heads to CSUEB campus

By Sarah Williams-Cain, CONTRIBUTOR

In a time where a bachelors degree may only be worth the equivalent of your high school diploma, it is hard to set yourself apart from the recent graduates in the hunt for new job and career opportunities.

Across industries and geographic areas, many other jobs that did not previously require a college degree, including positions like clerks and dental hygienists, are increasingly requiring them according to Burning Glass, a company that analyzes job ads for more than 20,000 online sources, as written in the New York Times.

CSU, East Bay is set to host the annual Career and Graduate School Fair, in hopes of offering students ample career and job opportunities after they have completed their undergraduate studies.

“At CSUEB we want every student to graduate with at least one internship experience in efforts of supporting our students to have a competitive edge and to be career ready.”

—Mariaelena Marcano, CSUEB Internship Coordinator

The free event will take place on Oct. 18 from 11a.m.-2p.m. The graduate school fair will be held on the Agora Lawn, while the career and internship fair will be held in the multipurpose room in the New University Union.

“[It] showed that on average, only 30 percent of graduating seniors have job offers prior to graduation, whereas this number rises to 58 percent for students who have completed internships,” according to a study done by Purdue University.

Internships can be the catalyst for setting yourself apart from other competitors in the job field. Given the experience gained from the internship itself, doors open with the potential to propel one further into an advantageous spot for job recruiters.

“At CSUEB, we want every student to graduate with at least one internship experience in efforts of supporting our students to have a competitive edge and to be career ready,” said the Internships Coordinator Mariaelena Marcano. “Attending an internship and grad fair are important to gain information on opportunities regarding timelines, application deadlines, and resources. It’s important to take advantage of these events because they are for the students and their success.”

At CSU East Bay there are many outlets that have been curated for the sole purpose of planning for life after college career wise and in regards to researching, applying for, and obtaining internships. Located in the Academic Advising and Career Education (AACE) office, resources from counselors are made ready for students.

“Research states the  number one indicator for success after college is experiential learning, internships is the first in this category,” said Marcano. “The sad statistic is that only 15 percent on average of students actually participate in one. Which means that’s approximately 1 out of 6 students graduate with an internship experience.”