Careers can start at home

By: Alex Graham

Posted: 4/29/09

Job openings for college graduates are in short supply. Many companies that employ thousands of Arkansas workers around the state are cutting jobs to save money.

The UA, one of the top five employers in Northwest Arkansas, however, will not cut jobs. In fact, the UA is still hiring, employment director Beth Arbuthnot said.

As job positions open they will be filled accordingly, she said.

"There is a distinct change in the amount of turnover in the openings of jobs here at the university. Recently, I've noticed people aren't leaving their jobs as frequently to pursue other careers," Arbuthnot said.

Because of the recent fall in the economy, the number of jobs open now is less than last year but some positions still need to be filled, she said. UA secretarial jobs, for example, now require an applicant to have at least a Bachelor's degree and one year experience before they can be considered, according to guidelines.

Program and high-level administration, accountants and upper-level staff positions can require as much as a master's degree or a Ph.D. and up to five years of experience after that. Editors and lower-level staff members need a bachelor's degree and one to two years of computer experience, Arbuthnot said.

"The types of job or the number of jobs available are unknown at this point. Whether or not a position is available can only be determined when that opening happens," Arbuthnot said.

"As positions open, there may be delays in filling them. And there may be a delay for quite a while," she said.

As for the availability of a job for graduating seniors, there are other options.

Julie Duke landed a job as a program technician for the engineering department immediately after she graduated in December.

This job requires Duke to do research in the engineering lab and her qualifications were to have a bachelor's degree in engineering and above a 3.5 GPA. Hard work and dedication to her schoolwork helped her get the job over two other candidates, she said.

"After I turned in my application, I had to get recommendations from my professors and have several informal interviews with Dr. [Julie] Carrier, an associate professor in the Biological and Agricultural Engineering department," Duke said.

"I am paid on salary and get the same benefits as any other employee at the university. I decide what I need to do on a day to day basis but Dr. Carrier oversees the process, timeline and any changes in the research," Duke said.

She was told what needed to get done in the six months that she holds this position and it is up to her to get it done. She is required to write a research paper that includes background research of her topic, as well as materials, methods, results and conclusions of her work, she said.

Duke will present her findings at the 31st Symposium on Biotechnology for Fuels and Chemicals in San Francisco next month.

"I took the job as an in between type of job so that I could get some experience with my degree but would also be available to start medical school in August," Duke said.

She thinks this job will help her more in her future compared to any other engineering job she could have taken because no matter what the topic, learning the process of doing good research is beneficial, Duke said.

"It can help me decide if I want to do research in medicine or if I would rather practice traditionally. If I decide not to continue research in medicine, it will allow me to have respect for those that do and the process and time required to accomplish their tasks," Duke said.

"Even through hard economic times, I'm glad the UA still has these kinds of positions open to young professionals. I was able to learn practices that might be useful to me in the future and be a grown-up without completely leaving my comfort zone. I feel lucky to have a job today when so many others don't," Duke said.