Jobs are often just around the corner for University graduates. When Marc Melamed graduated from LSA with a sociology degree last May, he had an on-campus job at Michigan Telefund waiting for him.
Beginning at the University's fund-raising headquarters as a part-time caller his sophomore year, Melamed started in August as a salaried program manager.
It's no small job either.
"I'm in charge of the whole training process (at Telefund), and I'm in charge of the fund-raising efforts for six schools at the University," he said.
Although the job at Telefund seemed right for Melamed, Melamed said he originally planned to look for a sociology research job at a university. But he also wanted to stay close to Ann Arbor and his alma mater.
"I had no desire to leave this place," he said.
The University's Career Planning & Placement office helps students find jobs, but it was only indirectly useful to Melamed.
He said a meeting with a CP&P counselor was less than fruitful, but that CP&P's Web page helped. Using his interest in public relations and the Internet as a prime tool in his search, Melamed found some job opportunities.
"I applied to four or five different jobs," he said. "This is the one I got first and the one I really wanted."
However, it's not the career he really wants. Melamed took classes every summer between sophomore and senior year, and decided to work full-time when he started to feel the weight of school.
"This isn't a permament job for me," Melamed said. "I'm going back to school eventually. I just need some time off. I want to eventually become a professor."
Melamed only found one opening for a sociology research job, but said there are often plenty of jobs available to college graduates.
"It all depends on what you're looking for," he said.
While looking, or while deciding what to look for, a University job is not a bad stopover, Melamed said.
"U-M definitely takes care of its employees."
