Gwangju Talks – Finding a Good Job

Compiled by Jo A-ra, Kim So-hyun, Kim Yoo-joong and Park Eun-young

How concerned are you about finding a good job in your field when you graduate?

Connie, exchange student from the U.K.

“I majored in English literature, and one of the jobs I want to have in the future, when I get out of Korea, is a writer, which is related a lot to my major. However, when considering the job I will have to get in Korea after graduation, I am kind of concerned because I don’t have good grades, compared to Korean students studying at Ewha University in Seoul.

It’s easy for me to become an English teacher, but I don’t want that, and I want to use my Korean bachelor’s degree, so I want to apply to banks or the British Embassy, which doesn’t necessarily use my major. I want to complete transactions that fund foreign investments into the bank.

So in my case, what I am now concerned about is not my major, but my grades.”

Yoon Junyoung, 25, University student

“My major is statistics. First, I’m concerned about finding a job with my major. There are many seniors who get jobs with their majors, because a lot of companies need many people who majored in [statistics], thus various firms recruit students from my field. However, I’m more worried about things, such as: ‘Will I be able to work all my life in a job related to my major, not according to my preference?’ I don’t think I can do that. Therefore, I really want to do the work I’m eager towards, even though I should spend more time to prepare for that. I think it would be great to spend my life in this way.”

Kim Yumin, University student

“In my case, I want to get a job that is related to industry management. For this reason, I’ve studied the fields of social psychology and management.But the firms have required higher stipulations that are not connected to job offerings, such as the TOEIC or computer licenses. Even the SSAT test for each company burdens me financially. I can’t concentrate on what I really want. Instead, I just try my best to live a competitive life.”

How important was it for you to find a job in the field which you studied at university?

Lim Aream, business administration professor at Chosun University

“Students choose majors based on their dreams. So, it is needless to say that it is surely related to work. When a company hires people, they consider how good and well the applicants are. Unfortunately, students who majored in Humanities have limited choices when they get related jobs. So, they either change their major or they choose to double-major. This is why choosing the correct major is very important.”

 A teacher in a public high school in Gwangju

“In my case, my major highly contributed to getting my job. I majored in English Education, and now, I am working as an English teacher in a public high school.

People whose major is English Education like me usually decide to take an exam to become an English teacher in a public school. My major did not make me an English teacher in public schools as soon as I graduated, but the test to become a public school teacher requires my degree and is greatly related to my major.

In addition, before passing the exam, I had to have a temporary job, so I worked as an English teacher in an elementary school for two years. I got the job from what I learned in university. My major helped me receive a temporary job and pass the exam to get my dream job. The field that I studied at university is very important to me, because I could not take an exam without it!”

A business woman in a major company

“According to recent survey results, 36.1 percent of businessmen stated that their major is not related to their job. Also, 82.4 percent of those questioned said they found it difficult to put it to work because of low salaries compared to colleagues who find jobs in their field, job-changing difficulties or the lack of work expertise. Also, most companies give preference to jobseekers having majored in the same field related to their jobs. For these reasons, I think it is important to find your job in the field that you studied at university. The most important thing however is considering your aptitude for the job. If you don’t want to get a job related to your major, you make an effort to appeal your own competency to the recruiters.”