With all of the economic news, seniors may be thinking overtime about their post-academic futures.

The Career Center is there to help seniors upon graduation in May.

Finding a job, however, may not be at the top of everyone’s list.
Joni O’Hagan, senior associate director at the Career Center, weighed the pros and cons of attending graduate school.

“If graduate school is appropriate to their career goal then perhaps it would be a good consideration,” she said. “However, if graduate school has no relationship to what the student ultimately seeks to do then it might not be a good investment in these tough times.”

Senior government and politics major and SGI Secretary Dominic Baccala said he is realistic about his expectations after graduation.

“I realize that working with the government is more realistic in this economy but I’ve always planned on going to graduate school regardless of the current crisis,” he said.

He also said he believes that taking advantage of networking opportunities is crucial because “it’s not what you know but who you know that is really going to be important nowadays.”

O’Hagan also said that she finds interning to be beneficial to students, even after they graduate.

“We often suggest internships to graduates who are either facing a tough economy or who are in transition between two industries. It provides a good ‘foot in the door’ as well as a great opportunity to network in an industry.”

Senior history major Kevin Lubrano is interning to boost his resume.

“I have an internship with the Queens Historical Society, taking foreign languages, and trying to get a paper published,” he said.
Fellow senior and journalism major Giselle Castro said she is hopeful about her future job prospects and that she thinks having a positive attitude is the best way to deal with today’s economy.

“I try to remain involved in activities at school pertaining to my major to make up for it,” she said. “For example I have an interest in broadcasting, so I’m apart of the TV club on campus.”

Castro said she has started job-hunting, and has “noticed there are a lot of freelancing position available for writers.”