LANDON PHILLIPS/Cartoonist
STAFF EDITORIAL
You might not know where it is. You might not know with whom to speak once there. You might not even know that it exists. However, the Seaver College Career Center, located in the Tyler Campus Center, is a valuable Pepperdine resource waiting to be tapped by a number of students. One of the center’s central aims is to connect students with jobs both on and off campus.
Though many students take advantage of the Career Center, its director, Brad Dudley, said there are 122 available positions that have yet to be filled. In other words, money is ready and available for the taking.
Students seeking work experience and a steady salary should be proactive about obtaining these jobs. The Career Center is open to all students to help them get their feet in the door. However, students need to take the first step.
This is especially important for those struggling with the always-frustrating task of paying college tuition.
Unlike universities such as Yale and Harvard, which recently announced drastic changes to their financial aid policies to accommodate more students, Pepperdine is not taking that route. Yale and Harvard are using their massive billion-dollar endowments to offer greater grants for students, but Pepperdine does not have an endowment that can support this extra spending. This makes it even more important for students to take advantage of free resources like the Career Center.
Through financial aid, department opportunities, the Federal Work-Study Program and the Pepperdine Work Program, students can earn money while gaining valuable experience.
Available campus jobs include positions within the Athletics Departments, Human Resources, Public Relations and News, IT and Public Safety, just to name a few. With a multitude of options, students can find a campus job that suits their interests and future career goals.
One of the most advantageous qualities of the Career Center is that it serves as a support system for students so that they are not alone in their current and future career endeavors. The center has done a commendable job finding employment opportunities for students at Pepperdine both during their college careers and even after graduation.
In addition to helping students find jobs, the Career Center also offers aid with building a resume and interviewing skills.
Though not directly organized through the Career Center, stipends are also offered for leadership and volunteer positions within various organizations on campus, such as Jumpstart, which promotes bonding between students and preschool children in early learning programs.
Showing the Pepperdine community’s value of service, purpose and leadership, 17 percent of the campus jobs are aimed at aiding the community. The Federal Government mandates that 7 percent of Federal Work-Study positions have this foundation, but Pepperdine students more than double that requirement through the work they carry out.
And, students who take advantage of the Career Center in the past have noted its benefits. According to a survey by the Career Center, 90 percent of students working on campus felt their jobs had developed their personal responsibility, 88 percent said they had increased their skill in paying attention to detail and 88 percent said they had become more dependable.
Students are compensated through their campus jobs based on the level of experience and responsibility he or she has within that position.
There are four levels of pay students can receive, ranging from $8 to $10, which increases with each level. Level four, available only to select students, is an unspecified amount, depending on whether the student has a college degree, specialized skill or special certification.
With so many benefits waiting to be claimed, students have no reason not to visit the Career Center. You can go to the office directly or visit the Career Center’s Web site, which has a complete list of available on- and off- campus jobs, at http://seaver.pepperdine.edu/studentaffairs/careercenter/
studentemployment/.
02-07-2008