The Eureka sentinel. [volume] (Eureka, Nev.) 1902-current, 1922-07-01
B. AS Not For Business

you've got a college diploma, what
are you going to do with II?
This question. which puzzled 40
many college girls during the war.
when a variety of careers was omen
to them, no longer remains a conun-
drum. There is only one sensible
thing for a girl to do with property
OF this kind in New York these DAYS.
n that is to conceal tiff she is
looking for a job. For most New
York business men seem to cherish
an Edisonian contempt for college
graduates. They won't hire a b. A.
degree IL they a help 1t.
This widespread prejudice appear
to be based upon the idea that the
average college girl is hard to man
age; that she resents the routine of
Office work. and that she assumes a
tactless air of superiority toward the
other. non-collegiate members of the
working staff. Yet there is consider
able evidence to show that wherever
college girls manage to gain a foot
hold In the business world, they usu-
ally make good and are rarely mob
bed by their fellow workers.
The real truth OF the matter is that
there Is not sufficient requirements
for a B. A. degree in the average com
mercial Office. The great demand is
for technical training and business
experience. A knowledge of biology
and higher mathematics is not es-
sential and probably not even desir-
able in a secretary. A young woman
who can quote S~chopenhauer and
Heine-if she did the quoting in the
ofice-would doubtless prove ex-
tremely irritating to-say a bank
president. What is wanted ever in
the big Wall street houses is nothing
more complicated than a practical
damsel who a take dictation at a
fast clip. punch a typewriter with
speed and dexterity, and present an
impregnable barrier to undesirable
visitors bent upon reaching the pri-
vate Office of the boss. Often, 1t is
true. she must herself write a GER
tain amount of the firms correspond
ence, but this-as a glance at the
average business letter will shows
a task requiring experience rather
than a knowledge of higher English.
WARTIME OPENINGS GONE
During the war things were differ
emit. Then the college girl was in
constant demand to fill numerous re-
markable Jobs created by the war.
She managed large organizations; ran
publicity campaigns. sold Liberty
bonds; operated c~anteens. and was
sent. at a high salary and expenses
paid, to spread cheer and gladness in
the embattled regions of Europe. Two
years were Topped of the regular
nursing courses for her benefit. and
she was invited to contribute her
brains and initiative to all kinds of
enterprises offering her a brilliant flu
ture. 1t was during this glorious
war boom that the b. A. decided to
turn her back on teaching forever
more, and concentrate her abilities
on conquering the business world.
But last years crop of college grad
yates, setting blithely forth to con-
quer, met a cold and hostile recep-
ton. Most of the attractive COM
mercial jobs appeared to be gone, and
those that still remained vacant were
to let only to a technically trained
tenant. Worst of all. the intercol-
legiate bureau of occupations, for
merly a great aid to applicants for
jobs. vanished abruptly and myster-
iously. leaving the girls without a
guiding hand. They had to go charg-
ing about. seeking their w jobs
and learning by bitter experience to
conceal their collegiate past.
One girl. a Vassar graduate, ap-
piled for fifteen different jobs with
out getting M of them. In every
case. she said. the employer was very
courteous, very digniied. and took
her name and address, explaining
that she would be informed as soon
as a vacancy occurred. But appar-
emily 1t never did. Then she applied
for and got the sixteenth job. This
was after she met another college
girl of her acquaintance to whom she
confded her experience.
"You poor kid" said the friend
alphabetically. 81 know all about
1t. It's because you tell them you're