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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (June 7, 1999)
Fast-paced Internet company seeking College Grads to sell on-line advertising campaigns to small, medium and Fortune 1000 companies. Team oriented, career driven graduates with leadership backgrounds can have the opp ortunity to work with the nation$ first On-Line Moving & Relocation Mega-Site. Base t Commission + Stock Options Contact Eric Hilleboe at The Glacier Group - the authorized recruiting firm tor Virtual Relocation 877-638-5622 or e-mail resume to hilleboe&earthlink. net Virtual Relocation is an equal opportunity employer. rtual. HELOCATION.COM /ZZ900 © 1998 TAG Heuer USA Grad school presents dilemma Many wonder if the additional education is worth the extra money By Jack Clifford Oregon Daily Emerald Graduating from college once seemed so simple. You get the diploma, find a job that pays the bills and eventually forget all of those late-night cram sessions. Nowadays, the question of at tending graduate school almost immediately begins to nag at most students. Kerrie Bishop re ceived an English undergraduate degree in 1980, but she avoids es otericism to explain her decision at the time to forego a graduate degree. “I was just sick of school,” said the University alumna. Now, at age 42, she expresses regret over her resistance to an advanced education. Bishop en tered the work world with addi tional qualifications in counsel ing; her current job is as a mental health worker with Halfway House Services. How ever, Bishop guesses that her salary today — had she contin ued in school — would be about one-and-a-half times what she makes now. Statistics seem to support that claim. In 1997, the median week ly earnings in the United States for employees with a bachelor’s degree was $697, according to numbers from the Oregon Em ployment Department. Paychecks jump to $880 for those with a master’s, and doctoral degrees command a median weekly wage of $1,116. “Having a master’s degree shows the initiative employers value,” said Carol Fairboum, la bor market information specialist with the department. “There are some outstanding people in the work force with just a bachelor’s degree. But I think they have to work harder to sell their wares or prove they are highly capable. “So, do I think going to gradu ate school is important? Yes,” she said. Fairboum, who works with statewide employers, policymak ers and some job seekers, added that there is some truth to the sto ries of people with advanced de grees pumping gas or waiting ta bles. Then again, it’s not necessarily a tight job market that put them there. “Just because you have a mas ter’s doesn’t guarantee that you can do the job,” she said. “There are people who are lifelong stu dents of our educational system who couldn’t work their way out of a paper bag with both ends open.” Of course, more schooling means more expense, and with tuition costs rising, a master’s or doctoral degree brings on a heavy financial burden. Indeed, the cost of education is climbing faster than wages. Tuition at the University jumped 85 percent from 1990 to 1997, according to Oregon Em ployment Department statistics, while the average annual wage increased just 33 percent. “If I go back to get my master’s, I’ll need a job that can pay for the extra schooling,” Bishop said. Such is the dilemma facing Danielle Martwick, who re ceived a bachelor’s degree in so ciology two years ago. She is re turning to the classroom for a master’s in teaching, this time at Oregon State University, and is expecting a tuition bill of $12,000 for four terms, plus liv ing costs. Martwick is also aware of the rigorous demands on masters’ students; she pointed out that of the 60 people currently enrolled in OSU’s teaching program, only two of them have steady jobs. “I think it’s very scary to be that much more in debt,” admitted the 24-year-old social service worker. “But putting myself in debt now will hopefully pay off with a bet ter job. Of course, I’ll be paying off my college for the next 50 years.” Those who aren’t scared off by the extra debt or aren’t “sick of school” can receive advice on graduate school from the Ca reer Center in 244 Hendricks Hall. Beth Pfeiffer, the center’s assistant director, said coun selors are available to help out in various ways, such as read ing over your personal state ment letter required by gradu ate schools. In addition, the center offers the Placement File Service, which maintains a file for stu dents, including letters of recom mendation. “It’s best to set up your file be fore you leave campus, because there’s easier access to your pro fessors,” Pfeiffer said. In addition, the office offers a wide range of resources to help students gain more information about the pros and cons of taking the next step. Alumni who pay $40 can access the services for six months, but Pfeiffer says stu dents graduating now receive one free term before the fee is re quired. Career Center hours are Mon day from 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Tuesday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. UO Summer Session Classes Begin June 21. Register Now! irs Not Too Late. UNIVERSITY of OREGON SUMMER SESSION Pick up your free summer bulletin today in the Summer Session office, 333 Oregon Hall, or at the UO Bookstore. You can speed your way toward graduation by taking required courses during summer. hnp://uosummer.uoregon.eilu/ 1A n. Better Ingredients. Better Pizza. Locally owned .and operated. Serving U of O & S. Eugene Located at: 30 W. 29* Avenue (Just west of Willamette) 484-PAPA (7272) I I Large 1 -Topping for I I only $6.99 Carry-out or Free Delivery 1 frtpOBfc 484'7272 (gjSlns, I JUnWj 0ffer valid through 6/15/99 IrMTI #% # * PLEASE RECYCLE
