Celia Rose waited for her plane at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport on March 7 at the start of spring break.

By about 8 p.m., she would land in Guanajuato, a mountainous colonial city in central Mexico. She’d visit the Wong family, who lodged the senior from Columbia, Tenn.

Students spend four years in class and 15 minutes in a job interview.

That can be scary, but it can be easier with preparation, said Becky Bennett, director of the Career Services Center.

Bennett said many employers want someone who can learn and adapt, has done research, has experience and leadership and communication skills.

When I was a kid, I had some sort of hero complex. I changed career goals weekly, as most kids do, but each of my jobs came with some strange caveat.

Normal kids want to be a veterinarian. But I wanted to be a veterinarian who worked in a zoo so I could help the animals escape.

Students can get ready early for job fair

The following is a calendar of events and workshops leading up to the spring job fair as part of the career services department’s Career Preparation Program Series.

Nervousness filled Cristina Prado, a senior from Sao Paulo, Brazil, as she entered the Graduate Management Admission Test.

Her anxiety stemmed from the realization that she wasn’t as prepared as she wanted to be.

Prado took the business exam so she could get into graduate school.

Sheryl Hagan-Booth graduated from Western almost seven years ago. She never left.

The university photographer and many others have worked at Western since their graduation or returned to the Hill after spending time working elsewhere.

About 700 of Western’s 2,001 employees graduated from Western, said Donald Smith, assistant vice president of the Alumni Association.

$49,672

Average yearly salary for 2006 engineering graduates.

$48,717

Average yearly salary for 2006 computer science graduates.

Bowling Green senior Brandy Davidson diligently presses the iron to her chocolate-colored slacks as she steams a perfect crease into the middle of her pants.

When she sees her slacks are ironed to perfection, she carefully hangs them next to her also perfectly pressed cream blouse.

Searching for a job or internship might be easier in the Internet age.

According to a Western Career Services survey, 27 percent of the surveyed May 2005 graduates found a job through the Internet.

Web sites such as www.monster.com and www.CareerBuilder.com feature thousands of job listings and opportunities to post resumes.

There comes a time in every college student’s life when he or she must face life after graduation.

Some may have jobs lined up, while others may not be sure about what they want to do with their lives; some may be trying to figure out who they are and who they want to become.