In just a couple of months hundreds of Fairfield University students will receive their diplomas, representing four years of hard work, sweat, tears, and late nights at the library.  The world will be at their fingertips, waiting to be forever changed by their contributions.  And after the caps have been tossed, the pictures taken, and the parties attended, what exactly will they do?  Good question.

It’s no secret that we’re living in a tough economy.  Not only are recent college graduates battling for jobs, but so are many other laid-off employees who have been victims of the recession.  I know students who graduated two or three years ago who are still looking for that full-time job.  So as a senior, this does not give me much hope.

It’s true that this year is supposed to be better. CNNmoney.com reports that although most economists still expect a high unemployment rate of about 9 percent by the end of the year, they also predict that an average of 2.5 million jobs will be added to the U.S. economy.

The National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) reports that for the Class of 2011, the job market is off to a positive start. Employers are reported to hire 13.5 percent more new bachelor’s graduates from the Class of 2011 than they did from the Class of 2010.

But while this should give us hope, it’s hard to get excited when everywhere I look the only jobs open are for accounting majors and doctors.  Adding to the frustration, I feel like I’ve done everything right.  I’ve got the sparkling resume, I’ve had the internship, I’ve made the contacts, and I’m on the job sites every day, staying open to anything and everything that comes my way.  However, like many other students in the same position, I’m still struggling to stay positive about my plans after graduation.

Even the Career Planning Center, of which I have taken full advantage, admits the job market’s tough right now.

Cathleen Borgman, Director of the Career Center on campus said, “Students need to understand that it is still extremely competitive in the job market, and they have got to make sure their resumes are strong and that they go into interviews with their A-game. They are not only competing with each other, they are competing against students from prior classes who haven’t secured a position and in some cases people with experience.”

So here I am, scouring every job website out there that pertains to my field of study, and unfortunately so is everyone else which means that if I do find an opening that’s even remotely close to what I’m looking for, the ease of technology means that there are at least 200 other people applying as well.  It is upon searching these sites that I find myself wishing I wanted to be a biomedical engineer or a surgeon because, apparently, those are in high demand right now.

Some students will be postponing the job search by going to grad school right after graduation or volunteering.  However, the majority of people are beginning to find themselves in the same boat I am right now, wondering, wishing, and doing everything short of begging for even just an interview.

Says Borgman, “As the saying goes, looking for a job is a job.”  I have a job right now, it’s called being a full-time college student, and frankly, it’s exhausting.

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