Even Career Services got into the Halloween spirit this past Wednesday by holding their annual Halloween open house featuring a scary careers workshop.
"We're having this scary careers workshop so (students) can learn about some different career opportunities," said Megan Pendergast, a career development associate for Career Services. "We just want students to know that we're here and we're willing to help them."
In addition to the festive costumes, games and candy, the workshop presented some of the scariest, grossest and most dangerous professions out there. According to graduate assistant Leslie Meister, students and staff thought that some of the scariest jobs include paranormal investigators, prison guards and stunt doubles.
There are some dirty, phobia-challenging jobs students like Meister would never consider pursuing as a career.
"Oil drilling, crab fishing, working on sky scrapers, window washers, stuff like that (are things) I would never do," she said.
Meister also considered President of the United States to be one of the scariest jobs.
She noted that the importance of the workshop stems from the fact that many students do not take usual career routes after graduation.
"I think that there's a line that people view of a career and a job, but it all depends on what you want and what makes you happy as a career," Meister said.
Almost 100 students visited the workshop throughout the day. Many came to see the festive Halloween decorations and stayed for the information.
"It's really good; I didn't know they were going to go all out with the decorations. I think it's really cool," said Olakunle Ola, a junior accounting major. "I think they're actually getting a lot more people coming in just because of their attractions that they have outside."
Career Services found the holiday to be a great way to show they are a reliable resource for students who need help with their career planning process.
"It's a really helpful office in terms of getting (the best) out of your undergrad," Meister said. "You (also) need to have a resume and a cover letter, but you need to know how to do those things. This is really the only office that does that (except for) the school of management career center."
The office offers a wide variety of resources and strategies for students looking to start planning their future. According to Pendergast, services such as the Bull's Eye system help students with job searches, interview practices and resume critiques.
Megan Whalen, a sophomore art history major, feels that Career Services can help out with finding jobs in a big city like Buffalo.
"There are so many opportunities, especially being in a large city. It's hard to narrow down your choices and know what's available so it's good to have somebody that can help," Whalen said.
Wayne Porter, a senior counselor for Career Services, felt that the Halloween open house was an opportunity for students to relax and have fun while getting information to help them with their future careers.
"It's kind of a fun way for us to kind of get out and meet some students, bring some students that might be really locked in and focused on their academics right now," he said. "Just to kind of get them to think a little bit outside of what they're going to school for and what they want their degree to be used for afterwards."
