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There Is Hope for Employment:
Let’s Hope We Can Get a Decent Job
 
By Pyun Ja-seong, Student Editor
Hwang In-sik, Student Editor
 
The government has implemented a university information disclosure system since 2008, a number of universities have reported falsely their graduate employment rate to receive funds from the government because the employment rate is a main university evaluation index. It can also affect the university admission rate as parents would like to send their children to universities with high graduate employment rates. According to a survey by the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology about the employment rate for new graduates based on the 2012 June 1st data from the National Health Insurance Corporation, Chonnam National University (CNU) ranked quite low compared to the other four-year tertiary educational institutions in Korea. CNU was placed 8th out of 10 national universities on the list. This shows why the 19th CNU Presidential election candidates paid more attention to the ways to raise the employment rates among CNU graduates.
 
CNU-DES Employment Camp orientation
University Administration Support Programs
Universities have to cultivate qualified graduates which companies need by offering extracurricular programs to help its students prepare for their future employment after graduation. CNU has developed and run several employment support programs. The Division of Employment Support (DES) operates a website named ‘Career and Professional Development (CAPD)’ on the internet and helps students prepare for their employment in the job market through a variety of career education and counseling programs for undergraduate and postgraduate students.
The DES also manages an interview training program, in which the instructors make students prepare for a job interview through an image-making, one minute speech, how to write papers and mock job interviews for a day. The survey on the satisfaction of this program showed that most participant students were satisfied with the training and would like to recommend it to their acquaintances. For freshmen and sophomores, there is a class called Career Path and Self-understanding to provide them with systemic and effective assistance such as career counseling and a way to set a career road map. Lee Chang-seok (Freshman, School of Business Administration) who took this class said, “It was good to find out more details about jobs and I now know them.”
 
College Support Programs
Each college at CNU is also gearing-up to help its students improve their competitive edge that might make a difference to certain types of job markets. Most colleges collect the data of employed graduates and upload them with major roadmaps on the CAPD site so that undergraduates can refer to it. A student said, “It is important that students find out their aptitude and prepare for their career by using job-related programs on campus.”
Some departments offer a private counseling program with a professor, about students’ futures based upon their own plans as well. Other departments are working well not only in counseling, but also trying to give practical supports for their students from academic grades to career and employment preparation. For example, the School of Economics operates a program to boost students’ academic achievements, and the College of Humanities held the 2012 Employment Fair to which graduate seniors were invited as mentors for students of the college.
The College of Social Sciences helps its students foster their job skills by providing a variety of programs such as a workshop for teaching how to write a job application and a cover letter, an English speaking contest, an international students’ day event and an online survey collecting information about students’ preparation and requirements for employment. Several departments have developed programs related to real-life experience through team projects from freshmen year. Besides, there are plenty of opportunities to meet the demands of students for employment such as a financial support for certification exams, study groups and meetings with alumni to pass on useful information to students.
 
Confident CNU students facing a mock interview at the Employment Camp
Students’ make Decisions about Their Future Early
It is true that all the universities and students try hard for their future, but there is also a worry that many students want to get a job with conglomerates. “Most students prefer major companies because they offer a high income. They also think that to work for large corporation is more comfortable than working  for a small to medium sized company, so they avoid applying for small businesses”, said Shin Hye-kyeong, a teaching assistant from the Department of Mechanical System Engineering.
This tendency is shown by the results of the 2012 Survey on the Actual Condition of CNU Freshmen and Enrolled Students. Major companies got the most votes (25.9%), followed by public enterprises (19.9%), public officials (17.8%), professional works (9.6%). The most desired level of annual income was 25~30 million won (26.9%), next was 30~35 million won (21.4%), 20~25 million won (14.6%) was the last. Students answered that they give priority to achievement (25.2%), job stability (20.3%), and monetary reward (18.7%) when they choose their jobs. 63.5% of respondents think the crucial factor that influences employment, is students’ ability. However, many students have not decided their courses after graduation (32.3%) or put their plans into practice (21.5%). As Shin added, “Students need to look further into the future, not choose their jobs because of convenience and money”, we need time to think about what is right for our life.
 
Listen to Yourself and Find Out Your Own Way
Some students have a tendency to give up on getting a decent job in advance because they are local university students. But still, there is a hope. A survey conducted by the Korea Research Institute for Vocational Education and Training showed that even graduate students from universities in Seoul had fewer opportunities to find a good job than those from local universities, if they had lower English competency. In other words, local university graduates like CNUians will be able to get a decent job, if they have higher English proficiencies.
Therefore, students need to prepare for their futures as earlier as possible. Unlike the past, it is a good way to be employed in a stable job like being a public official. There are plenty of ways that students will be able to live their lives. Students can start their own business based on their ideas instead of finding a position in a company, they do not need to be obsessed with the idea of getting a job. Students need to change their point of view regarding employment as well. The most important thing is to find out who they really want to be, and what they want to do in the future. Students do not need to make themselves fit into the standard of other people. If they listen to their voices deeply, they will be able to lead themselves to the best way of life for themselves.
저작권자 © Chonnam Tribune 무단전재 및 재배포 금지