SUNY Oswego Career Fair has students asking about job market

OSWEGO, N.Y.— The annual career fair returned to SUNY Oswego Thursday.

The event happened from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. in Swetman Gym, where students got the chance to seek career and internship opportunities in an uncertain economy. 

Hundreds of students came to the fair yesterday looking for their next career. This ahead of the fall graduation ceremony where hundreds of SUNY Oswego students will be graduating. 

Joshua Payne is one of them. Payne says he is more focused on graduating, but happy to get connections in the real world.

“My main focus is to graduate,” said Payne. “But I mean going in especially being here at the college fair seeing that there are opportunities out there I’m feeling pretty positive, especially making some good connections here.”

And with close to 100 representatives, including around forty student alumni, Jackie Wallace, the Assistant Director of Career Education, says there’s plenty of opportunity out there.

“If you’re a senior or graduate student thinking about employers who are going to be a great fit for what your career goals are,” said Wallace. “Now’s a great time to network… we’re saying numbers here even bigger than pre-COVID.”

Even with all of this opportunity in the job market, students are still concerned about the future.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics estimated that the Consumer Price Index, a measure of inflation, has risen by almost 10% since the start of 2020. 

SUNY Oswego student Madeline Durant said the current rate of inflation worries her. 

“I think the inflation rate has definitely had a big impact especially on college students right now because we’re on a budget,” said Durant. “We’re all kinda living to save money so when you see things in the grocery store prices going up you know it’s a little scary but you kind of adjust and move on.”

For students still looking for a job, there will be another job fair next Wednesday in SUNY Oswego’s Marano Campus Center.