Fiercer Fight

With today's weak economy, some business students say they feel uneasy and unprepared to enter the current job market.

Both students and faculty from the Haas School of Business are saying that the weak dollar and bursting property bubble have made landing a full-time position in the financial industry more challenging than in years past.

"If you're going for anything that is heavily relying on external financing, you will be in trouble," said Thomas Davidoff, an assistant professor in the Haas Real Estate Group.

Those industries include any with ties to direct investment, real estate and perhaps later on, the technology sector, he said.

But despite the economic downturn, some Haas students have still been able to land jobs in the financial sector pending graduation. However, students say that they continue to be concerned about their future options.

"I'm fortunate enough to have received a full-time offer from Merrill Lynch, but the economy has definitely weakened my opportunities for re-recruiting, especially within the financial sector," said senior Shef Osborn, a student at Haas and the president of Berkeley Consulting. "A lot of my friends that don't have full-time offers lined up are in a much worse position."

Others, however, like Ainka Fulani, the associate director of the Chetkovich Career Center at Haas, say that there is no need for students to lose sight of their goals even with today's weakened economy.

"It's not a matter of dissuading people from certain things," she said. "It's encouraging them to be very focused and strategic, and to make sure they have a Plan A and Plan B."

But some business students say that Haas channels students towards certain jobs, making it difficult to consider diverse opportunities, regardless of the state of the economy.

"Besides landing a well-paying job, I don't think Haas sets its graduates up for a 'good living,'" Osborn said. "It seems that undergraduates are pulled immediately into either investment banking, consulting or accounting. It's sad to see so many students who would be great entrepreneurs, lawyers or public servants sucked into the competitive gold standard Haas creates."

Other students disagree, and say that sources other than Haas are responsible for influencing their career choices.

"I feel that more of my guidance has come from outside business organizations like (Delta Sigma Pi) instead of Haas," said senior Candice Liu, president of Delta Sigma Pi. "I feel that's just the Berkeley culture. In Berkeley, you kind of have to figure everything out yourself."

Both students and faculty, however, do agree that there is greater pressure on recruitment this year with competition rising and the number of desks to fill dropping.

"Not as many companies are coming to recruit full-time because they're filling all their spots and hiring less," said senior Amit Arora, a member of Delta Sigma Pi. "Students are up against a lot more competition than they were last year."

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