Damian Lay, assistant director of The Career Center, 715 S. Wright St., in Champaign, said he has not had this many seniors come to him for help in a long time. With the economy in a recession, Lay has been busy advising students and trying to make sure they have job placements after graduation.

“They can’t give up,” Lay said. “Even if students don’t get the job they want right away, because of the economy, they may have to settle for less.”

According to Bureau of Labor Statistics Web site, the unemployment rate is at 8.5 percent, a .4 percent increase from just weeks ago.

During the past few months he has seen many students seeking help in fields from business and engineering to humanities and community health. Students in all majors are experiencing anxieties about the job market, he said.

Anne Chan, a senior in Business, said she feels lucky to have gotten a job offer so quickly. Chan received a job with an accounting firm over a year and a half ago, which was before the U.S. economy entered the recession.

“Everyone is struggling right now, and I’m so glad that I got this job when I did,” Chan said. “I’m looking forward to the chance to finally pay off my student loans and make some money.”

Chan said she has friends who were not as fortunate at finding career opportunities and, after facing an unsuccessful job market, decided to enroll in graduate school instead.

Samantha Michalska, a senior in LAS, said she chose to apply to graduate school because when she searched for jobs, all she found were jobs in the federal government, which had little to do with her Russian and European studies major.

“Most people in my field become teachers or study abroad, and I think if I get an MA first, I’ll have a better chance of finding a good job,” Michalska said.

Rabhea Chaudhry, senior in AHS, said she plans to attend graduate school because she fears she is not ready to start working. Getting a higher degree will be beneficial for getting a well paid job in her field, she said.

“There aren’t enough jobs in MCB,” said Shalini Bhettacharya, senior in LAS. “If I go to grad school, maybe I will have a better chance.”

Unlike some other fields, the rate at which students are finding jobs as social workers has remained constant, said Barry Ackerson, associate dean of academic affairs for the school of social work and associate dean of the social work placement center, 1207 W. Oregon St., in Urbana.

Every year more than 90 percent of students going into social work have jobs lined up before they graduate, Ackerson said. He attributes this to the fact that the school of social work requires students to do a six-month unpaid internship while they are still in school.

“If more fields had this internship model, I think more students would have jobs lined up after graduation,” Ackerson said.

Lay said he thinks there are sill career opportunities out there, even though the current economic situation is making it difficult for students to find jobs. Students just have to know how to find them.

“You need to network; talk to people, talk to family friends. See if anyone knows anyone to get you in somewhere,” he said. “Meet as many people as you can and always have a flawless resume and a good attitude.”