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Advice from WVU Alumni on Today’s Job Market

Her Campus Placeholder Avatar Chloe Detrick
Her Campus Placeholder Avatar Rachel Borowski
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at WVU chapter.

With about 13.9 million people looking for jobs today there is no denying that the job market can be discordant with a recent college graduate.  The 9 percent unemployment rate can dishearten many ambitious alumni, who find themselves accepting jobs they would’ve never predicted agreeing to and that have absolutely no correlation to their field of study.  The fact of the matter is that a college degree doesn’t guarantee you a job anymore, and many are losing sight of the plans that they had for themselves.  Her Campus WVU caught up with two WVU alums to find out how they are coping with the job market and what advice they could give to those who may be struggling. 
 

George Gerbo
Age: 24
Graduated: May 2009
Major: Broadcast Journalism
Minor: Geography
 

Mike Asti
Age: 24
Graduated: May 2010
Major: Broadcast Journalism
Minor: English
 
CD: What was it like trying to find a job when you graduated?
 
GG:  It took me about a year to find a job, which was frustrating, but I got to do some traveling during that time.  I was sending my resume out on a lot of different job websites.  I had a couple of leads, but they never really amounted to anything.  My friend told me about a site, usajobs.com, which listed some federal government jobs.  I applied to one in the United States Capital Building and in June of 2010 I moved to Arlington, VA and started working there.
 
MA:  It didn’t take me that long to find a job once I graduated, but I am always looking for things that are more in tune with my major.  I’ve done some work for the radio station FOX Sports Radio in Pittsburgh.  A recent venture of mine has been with www.champssportsnetwork.com that is affiliated with USA Today.  I am now in their rotation as a color commentator.  The Champs Sports Network broadcasts WPIAL high school sports in the Western Pennsylvania area. Then, of course, there is the talk show George and I co-host together.
 
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CD: You both have your own talk show?  Can you tell us more about that?
 

GG: The show is called the Howitzer and Buzz-saw show after the nicknames we have both acquired through broadcasting.  I got my nickname my sophomore year of college while calling a Hockey game at the WVU school radio station, U92FM.  An announcer in Canada says Howitzer every time someone slaps the puck and the name just stuck with me.  Mike got his name through a trivia show we did at the station because many said he was “mowing people down” and since we already had the tool theme going we went with Buzz-saw.  The actual description of our show on our site depicts how we analyze the world of sports through the eyes of the quintessential sports fan: passionately, intelligently and without reservation.  Too much of sports broadcasting lives in the present, so Mike and I also like to incorporate our knowledge and personal experience of the history of sports.
 
MA: I think the reason the show works so well is because we don’t just talk about sports.  We also like to include our humor into some banter and talk about other asinine things to make it so even the non-sports fan might want to listen.  Our personalities contribute well to the show because while George is usually the calm negotiator, I can very passionate about the topic we are discussing.  George is the Coach K to my Bob Knight in terms of our sports media personalities.  This polar opposite blend works well together on a talk show like ours.
 
CD: How do you incorporate what you did in school to your career?
 
GG:  Working at the school radio station was probably the best decision I could’ve ever made.  I got very familiar with a program called Pro Tools there, which I still use today.  Not to mention it is where I met most of my friends that I still keep in contact with to this day.  I also got familiar with the program Final Cut Pro through the Journalism school and met many of my mentors through my classes there.
 
MA: I agree with George.  I had a job working for the Daily Athenaeum in college and if it weren’t for the radio station I may have never pursued my dream of hosting a talk show and probably would’ve been doing more of a writing job.  Getting involved with the station gave me the confidence to realize that I want my opinions to be heard and that I don’t want my career to be covert.
 
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CD: What is the most important advice you can give to someone about to graduate from college?
 
GG: You have to create opportunities for yourself.  It isn’t like it used to be where you go to college, get a degree and get a job.  You have to work hard and be dedicated to your career, especially in the broadcasting field.  You have to have the passion for it and many say that they have it, but few actually do.  You also need to make connections and network now while you are still in college.  As many find out soon after they graduate, it is not always what you know, but who.
 
MA: You can’t worry about the money.  I would be willing to walk away from a job that didn’t have anything to do with my major for a job that I might not be as well compensated for, but was more in correlation with broadcasting/communications.  Many give up on that and are fine with working any regular job that has nothing to do with what they wanted, but that isn’t me.   If it is something you really want, you should pursue it nonstop.  George and I have made a few connections, including acquiring guest affiliated with professional media outlets such as the Washington Post, with our show and are always looking for ways to network.  There is no such thing as shameless self-promoting.
 
You can find the Howitzer and Buzz-saw Show at:
 
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/howitzerbuzzsaw
 
http://stitcher.com/listen.php?fid=16595 (Stitcher Smart Radio)
 
The HBS is available on iTunes. Search “Howitzer” to find us.
 
Belligerent Daring and Loud Sports is the main home for the Howitzer and Buzz-saw Show: http://bdlsports.net
 
The hosts of the Howitzer and Buzz-saw Show are both on Twitter:
 
Mike Asti – http://twitter.com/MikeAsti11 
 
George Gerbo – http://twitter.com/Gerbo3
 
The HBS – http://twitter.com/HowitzerBuzzsaw
 
BDL Sports – http://twitter.com/BDLSports11 
 
 

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Rachel is a junior at West Virginia University and a direct-admit to the P.I. Reed School of Journalism, majoring in public relations with a minor in dance. She is the treasurer of the WVU chapter of Public Relations Student Society of America and a member of the WVU Dance Ensemble. Rachel is currently an intern with the Morgantown Area Chamber of Commerce, where she single-handedly designs, writes and edits the monthly newsletter. She also works part-time at Guess. Writing, dancing and fashion are all passions of Rachel’s. In her free time, she enjoys getting coffee, shopping (especially for high heels and dresses), tanning, sushi, reading, listening to music and being a closet movie buff. Rachel’s hometown is Pittsburgh, PA, where she hopes to return to live and work someday at a public relations agency.