April 26, 2011 Turning the Truman Tassel
Classes are coming to a close and students are finishing the semester’s final assignments, but college seniors are focused on the days after finals, in anticipation of a new career or more years of schooling.
Senior Omar Sheira, from Cairo, Egypt, will be graduating with a bachelor’s degree in political science with a minor in visual communications this May. Sheira said he feels strongly about returning to Egypt, but he is concerned about money.
“Either way I’m going to have to go back to Egypt sometime soon to start help with the rebuilding process going on back there and try to play a role in what’s going on in the political sphere,” Sheira said.
Sheira said he wants to work with non-governmental organizations and individuals that share his views but he realizes first and foremost he needs to earn some money. Sheira said he thinks his creative background goes hand in hand with his political science major.
“If I don’t get to use my art than it will at least help me to have an imagination for how I can project any image to the public,” Sheira said.
Other graduates have made plans to enter the working world. Senior Emily Donath is graduating with a master’s degree in accountancy in May and said she will be working for Ernst and Young, a public accounting firm in St. Louis, Mo. upon graduating.
Donath said she thinks Truman has a very good reputation with business and finance degrees and accounting majors usually don’t have a hard time finding a job.
“In my job search at least, everything just kind of naturally fell into place,” Donath said. “The fact that I was a student at Truman set me apart from everybody else because a degree from Truman means more than a degree from anywhere else.”
Donath said a benefit of her degree program is completing a 150-hour work experience requirement in order to become a Certified Public Accountant (CPA).
Donath said she first chose her major because she excelled in her business classes, and after doing some research she found that a career in accountancy can also be lucrative. In 2011 a CPA will earn between $47,991 – $69,964, according to PayScale’s database.
“It’s actually a really rewarding practice,” Donath said. “Because at the end of the day when everything balances you know you can walk away knowing you did a good job.”
Job prospects in accounting are expected to increase by 22 percent through 2018, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Most accountants have a bachelor’s degree and work in four main areas: public accounting, management accounting, government accounting, and internal auditing.
Senior Andrew McCrady said he also thinks a degree from Truman is worth more because it is one of the tougher schools in the state of Missouri.
“School has been something that I’ve always felt comfortable and good at,” McCrady said. “I really like to learn and I thought continuing with that would be my best choice in life.”
McCrady will be receiving a bachelor’s of science degree in mathematics in May. He recently received his letter of acceptance to University of Missouri- Columbia for graduate studies in mathematics.
One resource that helps Truman students plan their futures is the Career Center. Career coordinator Katie Vanderhoof has been working in the center two years. Vanderhoof said the Career Center offers help in variety of ways, such as résumé and cover letter critiques. Vanderhoof said about 45% of Truman students go off to pursue graduate studies.
She said while the center is there to help it is ultimately the responsibility of the individual to put in the work.
By: Ashley Wilson & John Moenster
- Leave a comment
- Posted under Uncategorized
