Kerry Willigan

"Employers know that Brown has a high-quality [computer science] program and so the students are really sought after," said Kerry Willigan, associate director for employer relations at Brown Career Services.

Technology companies have been "banging down our doors" for the technology career fair on Oct. 4, she said.Technology firms have even recruited interested non-computer concentrators from Brown, she said.

Kerry Willigan, associate director of employer relations at Brown's career services office notes, "If we had had a banking/consulting fair in the fall, we would have had seven or eight people."
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"They are sometimes looking for us to gift-wrap the perfect job for them," says Kerry Willigan of career services, "and obviously we can't do that."Anticipating that such skills as networking and job searching would be essential tools for a class facing fewer on-campus recruiters, this year career services called on alumni to help.Willigan and her colleagues convened a career fair that included nineteen panels staffed with 125 alumni to address such professional fields as finance, nonprofit work, and entertainment.

Kerry Willigan, associate director of employer relations at Brown's career services office notes, "If we had had a banking/consulting fair in the fall, we would have had seven or eight people."As a result, hundreds of students hoping for a high-paying job in strategic consulting or investment banking have been forced to look elsewhere.

Ironically, this bad economy could benefit public service.With fewer lucrative offers coming their way, students seem more willing to pursue noncorporate options.Last fall's hotU Inc. survey found that 32 percent of students surveyed said they were more likely this year to consider a career in government, politics, or international relations than they were last year.Statistics from Teach for America and the Peace Corps, two reliable barometers for student interest in public-service careers, already show unprecedented increases.
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Sheila Curran (left) and Kerry Willigan face the challenge of getting students to adjust to the realities of a changed job market.
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"They are sometimes looking for us to gift-wrap the perfect job for them," says Kerry Willigan of career services, "and obviously we can't do that."Anticipating that such skills as networking and job searching would be essential tools for a class facing fewer on-campus recruiters, this year career services called on alumni to help.Willigan and her colleagues convened a career fair that included nineteen panels staffed with 125 alumni to address such professional fields as finance, nonprofit work, and entertainment."In some ways," Curran quips, "a poor economy is the best preparation for a lifetime of job seeking."But the disappearance of so many on-campus recruiters has also led to a great deal of anxiety.

Kerry Willigan, Brown University

Kerry Willigan, associate director of Career Services said that many seniors she's spoken to seem discouraged."It's hard when you visit family and friends over break and the question of what you're going to do comes up pretty often."

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At Brown, Willigan said, about 30 percent more seniors than last year have chosen to take the LSATs.

Career Services strongly discourages this tactic.

Kerry Willigan, associate director of Career Services said that many seniors she's spoken to seem discouraged."It's hard when you visit family and friends over break and the question of what you're going to do comes up pretty often."

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At Brown, Willigan said, about 30 percent more seniors than last year have chosen to take the LSATs.

Career Services strongly discourages this tactic.