UTEP Seniors Prepare For Graduation, Career

by ABC-7 Reporter/Anchor Ashlie Hardway

EL PASO — Graduation day is less than two weeks away for hundreds of UTEP seniors. As the big day nears, some students are nervous about finding a job in today’s economy.

Claudia Diaz and Dorji Wangmo are two seniors who have a game plan. “Most probably I want to go into business with one of my family members and become a tour operator,” said Wangmo. Their friends, though, aren’t so sure. “It’s that whole ‘you have to start on with your life.’ So they know they have to start looking for jobs,” Diaz told ABC-7.

Diaz and Wangmo work in UTEP’s Career Services Center, so they’re a little more ahead-of-the game than their peers. “I wanna say some of them are the same way; they’re kind of scared. I told them to come by and sign up for job mine,” Diaz said.

Job Mine is just one of the services out of the Career Center. It’s an online job database for current Miners or alums in the alumni association. It’s a place to start for those leaving the comforts of college soon.

“The little light goes on and says ‘It’s time. If I haven’t started looking for a job, if I haven’t gotten a job, I need to start looking.” Craig Thompson has worked in the Career Center for years. They provide resume tips, critiques, and interview pointers, among other services…like last minute counseling.

“It’s a lot of worries and I think they need to understand that they’re getting a late start because some of these students have already started this in September or the middle of the summer. They need to understand it’s going to take a little bit longer to get things together,” Thompson said.

Please see the links to the left of this story for information on El Paso’s current unemployment rate, as well as information on jobs currently available in our area.