Jobs for Recent College Graduates

Graduating from college is a scary thing. You now have two options: get a real job, or shell out another six figures to go to grad school. Either way, you'll need money to live on-it's only a question of how much, and how you can use the skills into which you've invested your heart and soul for the last four years. Oh, where to begin?

Well, hopefully by now you've thought long and hard about the kind of job you'd like to have. You didn't get into mountains of debt paying tuition just so you could end up working somewhere you could've worked when you were eighteen. Or did you?

Using Your Resources
The good thing is that most fields can be adapted to your own personal interests if you just look into the subcategories of what you've studied. For example, a major in Latin American studies might feel kind of narrow-limited to underdeveloped countries in South America or humanitarian aid in Guatemala-and maybe you might like to work with children and stay local. That's when you can look into things like domestic social programs that involve the Latin American community within the United States (like programs set up to help non-English-speaking parents learn to communicate with their children's school and social environment). So be sure to always check the government programs provided in your area, because there are an awful lot, and they can apply to a lot of different fields.

If you decided to study something (say, business) just because you were attracted by policies and tactics, but had no specific goal in mind, then that's when you can turn to life coaches and aptitude tests (although these might only broaden your already wide range of options and confuse you even more), or career fairs and seminars. Sometimes it helps just to go to people that have ideas, or who can open your mind to careers you didn't know existed. Also, try visiting careercounseling.com or other career-oriented pages.

Check local ads and classifieds (craiglist.com, ksl.com) and see what kinds of employers are advertising under the headers that fit your experience. You'll find that many professional, well-paying companies are willing to put their name on these sites and hire people with relatively basic experience. Here you can build your resume and work with people that were, at one time, just like you. Their influence will help you to achieve your long-term career goals and teach you valuable trades.

Finding a Suitable Career
If you have, in fact, decided to pour more money into your education and attend grad school, then you'll definitely want a job that relates to what you're studying. Likely because a masters in anything indicates a strong dedication to that subject, and you'll want to show your dedication to future employers, not to mention have a few years of experience under your belt by the time you finish up your degree. It might also help to have letters of recommendation from professors, and since you'll still be seeing them regularly it shouldn't be too difficult to ask. And while you're at it, you might as well ask their advice on local jobs that suit your personal career interests-they probably have some pretty good suggestions.