Angst part of senior experience for those graduating

BY OLANZO PALMER / VN STAFF WRITER

Just two months before graduation, seniors find their thoughts dominated by questions about the future.

“Will I get a job right out of college?”

“What is my next move?”

It can be scary time, especially if you’re the first in your family to earn a degree or if your family has high expectations for you.

Some people are more optimistic than others.

John Keep, a digital media studies senior, is looking forward to making his mark in the world.

“Change is always scary,” he said, “but I think I’ll find my place soon enough.”

Scott Schaible graduated from the same program last year.

“Even though I feel my program has not successfully set me up in this field, it did give me an opportunity to surround myself with people with similar interests and gave me the drive to want to learn more,” he said.

Schaible does not work full time in the field of his major.

“But I do have a business called Shybull Films on the side that gives me a lot of opportunity to pursue video and graphic design,” he said.

For most graduates, there is no guarantee of a job in their field of study.

Javon Holland hasn’t landed a full-time job in his field.

He is a freelance graphic designer and video editor.

But “digital media and multimedia journalism benefit me in a lot ways,” he said. “I got some people who want me to make them logos, videos and pictures for their business or own personal usages.”

Jonathan Brooks graduated from the mechanical engineering program.

Now he works as a paint operations engineer in corporate management.

“I feel like it could have been more tailored to what I am doing now to be honest,” he said of his education. “I feel that there were major areas missed as well as certificates that could have been had to put us ahead of the previous generation.”

Overall, though, “from a generalized stand point, I think UDM did well in introducing me to the life after college,” he said.

Tony Harris, a graduate of the industrial organization psychology, feels the same way about his program.

His education prepared him “but not in the way I would’ve guessed,” he said. “It taught me skills of interaction.”