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Students may need more than just a degree

With the upcoming job fair on campus, many Cal State Long Beach students are looking into the available careers pertaining to their degree. College degrees provide the necessary critical thinking, analytical and writing skills needed to succeed in any profession, but the degree alone is sometimes not enough.

Betty Schmicker-Black, a career counselor in the Career Development Center on campus, believes that experience is just as crucial to finding employment after college as just having a degree.

“I once had a student who was from another country tell me that where he came from, all they needed was a degree to get a good job. But when he came here, he realized that most employers value experience equally to having a degree,” Schmicker-Black said.

She explained that most students, in all majors, need to work their way up in their fields. Some students take on internships or work part-time to gain the experience they need. There are also several majors on campus that offer the specific skills and programs necessary for job placement after graduation.

The department of family and consumer sciences offers a Bachelor of Science degree in hospitality, foodservice and hotel management, a growing major that continues to attract more students every year.

According to Lee Blecher, the program director for the major, the hospitality, food service and hotel management industries are expected to grow substantially over the next few years.

“Our major had been highlighted by the Chancellor’s Office as a growth area. There is a high demand for good, qualified people. Our program does not graduate enough students for the amount of opportunities out there,” Blecher said.

The hospitality, foodservice and hotel management program requires 800 hours of work experience and two internships. Graduates can find work as restaurant managers, hotel managers, catering directors, foodservice managers in corporations or schools and many others.

Another major that provides specialized skills relating to their industry is health care administration. The health care industry continues to boom and the department offers a Bachelor of Science degree, as well as a forum where students are able to work on career development and network with companies. Graduates often work for hospitals, insurance companies, public health departments as analysts, information specialists and other positions.

The department of professional studies offers a Bachelor of Science degree in cccupational studies, which is a program designed for students who are employed in the business, industry, labor or occupational fields. The program’s primary goal is to provide students with the knowledge necessary for

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