COVID-19 and student career choices
Alyssa Waller, Staff Writer
Stuart Floyd, the director of career planning at North Greenville University, explained some of the impact the coronavirus pandemic has on internships and the job market. Some places have stopped offering internships entirely.
Some job fairs went online, but they couldn’t reach the scope of their in-person counterparts. Greenville is doing well economically and there are some jobs, but internships remain rare. Still, fewer places can afford to train an intern, much less pay one.
The career planning office at NGU is still open as always to try and help students navigate getting jobs and internships during the pandemic. Students can meet in person or virtually if they would prefer.
Rick Martinez, associate dean of business at NGU said, “Almost every career path looks less appealing in a pandemic-infused recession.” The business students know there are businesses out there struggling because of the restricted social interactions.
Education majors also must prepare to teach both online and in the classroom. Schools are constantly changing as cases rise and fall.
In healthcare fields, the stress involved can be a high price to pay.
Students must choose between starting college, doing online college or maybe even taking a gap year. It is hard for anyone to say what the full effects of the pandemic will be until more time has passed.