By Nachalie Rodriguez—

With graduation approaching, students become excited and overwhelmed at the same time with the “what if” thoughts. “What if I don’t find a job within my field of study? What if I don’t find a job with a decent pay? What if interview after interview I don’t hear back from an employer?”

With the unstable economy that we are facing, landing a good paying job within your field of study has become a rarity. With the job market being frustrating at times, the best thing to do is remain positive, keeping in mind that it may take more than six months to find a decent job that can pay enough to cover basic expenses and loans.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, New Jersey’s unemployment rate is at 9.0, which sounds awful, but there is still hope says Shanette Taylor, 26, who graduated in December of 2011 from New Jersey City University, “I majored in education and sociology. I have advanced in my current job through more field work; however my pay hasn’t advanced much. I’ve put in for new positions and I am currently working on my resume. Jobs I have been offered pay less than my current job. The economy is really horrible. But I have ventured out and started my own business outside my field of study.”

Collegegrad.com stated last year that another way of landing a job after graduation would be the undergraduate major and whether the student has held an internship or has previous work experience. There has also been an increase of 22% from 2010 in entry-level positions in companies such as: Enterprise Rent-A-Car, Teach for America, Verizon Wireless, hertz, Pricewaterhouse coopers, KPMG, LLP, Target, Ernst & Young, City Year and Aerotek.

The College Graduate Salary Statistics show that most popular degrees are BS in Accounting, Finance, Computer Science and Business Management with salaries ranging between $28,383 – $90,744.

Even though many recent graduates may not find jobs within their fields, a State or Federal job may be the answer for some.

Kelly Rodriguez, 28, Jersey City graduated from Rutgers Newark in 2008 with a BS in Criminal Justice said, “I finally got my foot in the door last year working for the federal government as an officer for TSA under the department of Homeland Security, currently in the process hiring pool with both the U.S. Customs and Immigration to become and officer.”

President Obama has also proposed a new rule for students and recent graduates starting in the summer of 2012. The proposed programs are for agencies to reform Federal hiring processes for recent graduates. There are three programs: internship programs, recent graduate programs and presidential management fellows programs.

The internship programs are for students who are currently in school who will be given the opportunity to work in federal agencies while still going to school. The proposed recent graduates program are for recent grads from qualifying institutions and PMF program are for advanced degree candidates.

There is still hope for college graduates in the workforce.