Career expo needs more careers

By Thresher Editorial Board     9/24/24 11:56pm

Of the 116 recruiters advertised for the Fall 2024 Career & Internship Expo, 11 are related to the humanities and social sciences. That’s 9% — yes, some of us can do math.

Students who choose not to work in healthcare, software, engineering, consulting or engineering consulting have limited options for potential networking. Opportunities include teaching, one advanced degree program, one law firm and several law enforcement and military organizations. 

None of Rice’s masters or Ph.D. programs were represented. Brown University’s Master of Public Affairs program was the only advanced degree outside of STEM and business. Future lawyers could have picked between one law firm, one district court and the Hewlett-Packard legal department. No arts opportunities, none in business-adjacent fields like advertising and marketing, none related to Rice’s many language programs, nor any in publishing or journalism. Personally, we’d love to be employed in the future.

---

---

Rice is a research university, but our school’s motto is “Letters, Arts, Sciences,” and our academics reflect that. STEM majors are required to take distribution I and II classes because the university acknowledges that these fields are important, regardless of one’s career. Why, then, are they not important enough to have careers of their own? 

There are dozens of renowned museums within walking distance from campus. The Houston Chronicle is one of the biggest newspapers in the country. iHeartRadio has an office in Montrose. There are a variety of foreign consulates and law firms throughout the city. If students want to pursue these careers and use their degrees, they have to figure out how to do so on their own. They do not get the luxury of meeting with a recruiter or networking with employees. 

As the Center for Career Development prepares for its next job fair in the spring, it should prioritize inviting a larger diversity of employers. Rather than the current 1-to-10 ratio, future career-focused events need a fairer distribution between all of Rice’s schools of study. 

These resource fairs provide crucial chances for students to figure out their goals and interests. We don’t believe only select groups should reap these benefits. 

And let’s not forget that Rice stands to gain, too. Many college ranking methodologies weigh student outcomes and salary impact when determining the highly-coveted label of a “top 20 university.” Our win is Rice’s win.

---