As the job market declines, seniors on campus have begun to strategize about post-grad options. Facing dismal options, students are turning to unusual sources to determine what to do. While historically many students apply to start graduate degrees immediately — and that number significantly increased this year — some students are still finding jobs with companies that really like Carleton.
The top job so far, as usual, is Epic. To accommodate an increase in applications, Epic, which is currently located in Veronica, Wisconsin (a suburb of Madison), is in the process of building an extended campus stretching across all of Madison’s Southern suburbs. By 2030, they plan to have taken over Milwaukee as well.
“We saw more Carleton students applying and just had to make room for them,” said a hiring manager. “They’re somewhat qualified, they have no idea what the starting salary should be and to make them happy, you just need to give them a frisbee. So far, tariffs haven’t increased frisbee costs too much, so it’s not a bad deal.”
The Career Center offers guidance for students hoping to join Epic’s new team, including resume reviews, cover letter editing and interview tips. By coaching students through the hiring process, they hope to increase career outcomes by relying on a trusted hirer.
Leaked documents, though, reveal a larger influence campaign run by Epic to convince Carleton students to apply. An anonymous report sent to the Education and Curriculum Committee detailed the need for a new Project Management Major. A Carletonian investigation revealed the document to be written by Epic, but not in time: Project Management will be added as a minor next year, with the goal of creating a major by 2027.
Additionally, Epic-branded hammocks have started sprouting up across campus, likely in an attempt to convince students Epic will be a fun and jovial place to work.
“They take back the hammock as soon as they hire you,” warned one Carleton alum. “And the frisbees aren’t that good anyway. They’re controlled through an app and the app doesn’t work half the time.”
But Epic isn’t the only company still hiring Carleton students.
The CCCE, in addition to offering its 5th year position, is now running a post-grad program focused on environmental cleanup.
“We found some new toxins in the Cannon, so it would be great to get some students in there to clean them out,” explained a CCCE employee. “We couldn’t ask students to do it for ‘liability reasons’ so a post-grad program made a lot of sense.”
The employee was hesitant to elaborate on the liability issues but eventually explained that it was an issue of protective gear because of the toxicity of the pollution. Since they have increased liability for college students, protective gear would pose a cost barrier. For post-graduate students, the requirements are different. “We hope you all have bathing suits,” said the employee.
Students in the program were advised not to worry about symptoms such as rash, fever and general malaise during the program.
“We’ve never seen those symptoms last more than a few years,” said an employee. “At least not yet.”
On-campus recruitment has also increased in other sectors, especially with non-profits. While non-profits had previously offered unpaid internships for Carleton students, funded through the career center, they’re now also offering unpaid employment opportunities, funded through peer pressure.
“You’re probably not going to find a job that pays, so you might as well find one that doesn’t,” read one advertisement.
The Hooters at Mall of America will be tabling in Sayles next week with paper applications and pamphlets as part of an effort to expand their recruitment strategies.
