Ann Kopecky

As finals week approaches, many students are thinking of nothing but sunny days, rest and relaxation from a year of classes.

For others, the summer break means substituting teachers, books and homework for bosses, hard work and long hours.

According to a study in April 2002 by CollegeClub.com, most college students don’t plan on taking it easy for the summer. Ninety-two percent of college-aged men and women said that they either have a summer job lined up or are looking for a job when asked if they plan on working this summer.

This summer is no exception, especially at SDSU.

Katie Oberg, a sophomore from Jefferson, does not have a job lined up yet, but is looking for a full-time opportunity.

Oberg, a broadcast journalism major, lived at home and worked two jobs last summer; one at South Dakota Public Radio in Vermillion and the other at KMEG, a television station in Sioux City.

This year, Oberg plans to stay in Brookings and find work.

“I’m hoping to work indoors but will spend lots of time outdoors,” Oberg said.

Mark Rausch, a junior from Onaka, also has not found a job yet for the summer, but has made plans to work at home if nothing pans out.

Rausch has been trying to find an aviation job in Sioux Falls for the summer.

“If not, I’ll try to go home and help my dad out on the farm for a month,” Rausch said.

Farming and crop spraying are nothing new to Rausch as he has spent past summers helping his dad and grandpa.

Rausch said that he hopes to figure out what he is doing for the summer in the next two weeks.

While some students are still looking for job opportunities, others have the summer all mapped out.

“I just plan on working in my hometown in Highmore and taking classes at the Capital University Center in Pierre,” freshman Jayme Bawdon said.

Bawdon, a nursing major, will be returning to the Highmore Auction Barn for the third summer in a row.

“It’s not really exciting but we get to work outdoors part of the time and it’s a chance to get some extra cash saved up,” Bawdon said.

Ryan Carda, a mechanical engineering major from Cresbard, will be putting his classroom knowledge to the test this summer.

Carda has a job lined up at Aeromet, an engineering company in Tulsa.

Aeromet provides airborne mission support for government and commercial customers.

Carda will be working with a group to redesign a plane for surveillance missions and will also be collecting data from missions and analyzing it.

“It’s a good job experience and Tulsa is a cool city,” Carda said. “Hopefully, working for them this summer, I can get a job from them when I get out of school.”

As spring semester comes to an end, graduates will not be the only class hitting the job market.