Olivia Turner Arts & Life Editor
I wish I could say that I look forward to the career fair every semester.
Considering all the promotion Baylor did for the event, the preparation for updating and perfecting his resume, and the careful selection of his professional attire the night before, I knew this event was one worth my time. I hope. But every year, my hopes are dashed by the lack of journalism major options.
Business and Finance students had a wide range of employer options at this term’s Careers Day, held in the Heard Welcome Center. Meanwhile, only five companies accepted media and journalism students, and one employer didn’t even show up to the event.
We understand that business majors make up a significant portion of Baylor University’s enrollment, but this does not mean their success is more important than other majors. Perhaps there are simply more jobs in the business, but I refuse to believe that there were only five nearby employers in the industry coming on October 2nd.
And that’s considering that journalism majors don’t have a choice. Some of my friends who are STEM majors also said they felt like there was a lack of employers to choose from. You would think that a university that consistently boasts about its R1 research status would have more options.
Another thing Baylor is proud of is the employment rate of students who find employment immediately after graduation. Currently, that rate is 85%, with an overall success rate of 87.8%. I worry that this rate will go down if Baylor doesn’t do more to help students find jobs through events like Career Day.
Baylor should offer a rich pool of employers to reflect the many fields of study that our university represents. In doing so, Baylor has played a role in setting up job applications and networking opportunities. It seems ironic to provide someone with such an amazing and nurturing education and then leave them to fend for themselves after graduation.
I’m not the first person to speak out about this. Four years ago, and perhaps even further back, students expressed similar complaints about the lack of options on Career Day. Baylor, when will changes be made? Student success depends on it.
