Special Report

FACING THE FUTURE

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Glo

Above: MSU's
Phil Gardner

Right: Federation's
Scott Kaufman

Life After College from page 41

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Working Part-Time and
Living at Home
Some college graduates working part-
time jobs find that living at home is

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42

February 11 • 2010

Based on the report by MSU's
Gardner, internships and part-time jobs
are a great way for students and gradu-
ates to develop a diverse set of skills.
"Employers are confining their
hiring to graduates that have the
full package of extraordinary criti-
cal thinking, communication skills,
leadership, initiative and an innovative
spirit:' Gardner said.
Samantha Superstine of Ann Arbor,
a 2009 U-M graduate in economics
and environment, participated in
forensics in high school. When she
started college, she applied for a part-
time bookkeeping position with the
Michigan Interscholastic Forensics
Association (MIFA) in Ann Arbor.
"I figured it would be good to start
building my resume early:' Superstine
said. "My experience at MIFA has
helped me to develop a wide range of
skills and become an integral part of
an organization I care about:'
Her part-time bookkeeping posi-
tion eventually landed her a position
with expanded responsibilities as the
assistant to the executive director. She
is currently seeking admission for a
master's degree in public policy.

the most realistic option.
Elizabeth Parker of Walled Lake, a
2009 U-M graduate in creative writing
and literature, finds that working a
part-time job has given her the flex-
ibility she needs to both save money
and build the skills that she will even-
tually use for her career.
"Even though I would like to get my
own apartment, living at home is more
convenient and it allows me to save
money:' she said. "I commute about 30
minutes to work every day and I feel
that I am lucky to have a job; many of
my former classmates are still looking:'
Parker is currently working as an
assistant medical editor and would
like to pursue a career as a fiction and
children's book editor.

Service First: Giving Back
College graduates who already have
plans to pursue a graduate degree find
that service is an important part of the
educational experience.
For Joe Simons of West Bloomfield,
a U-M graduate in political science,
service became an intrinsic part of his
plan.
"I always had plans to pursue a
Ph.D., but I wanted to do something in
the service area;' he said.
Simons is currently working as
an AmeriCorps volunteer with the
Accounting Aid Society in Detroit, the

