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