The economy grew at a 3.5 percent pace in the third quarter, the best showing in two years, fueled by government-supported spending on cars and homes. It’s the strongest signal yet that the economy has entered a new, though fragile, phase of recovery and that the worst recession since the 1930s has ended, according to the Associated Press.

While the economy still has a very rocky and upward hill to climb before it reaches a more solid footing, these new statistics just released by the Commerce Department offer a beacon of hope for Americans, but for graduating college students, they may have to be a bit more patient as they begin their real-world job search in the next few months.

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The Class of 2009 knows that finding a job in this market will be a difficult task. They have been watching the job market disintegrate since the U.S. entered the recession.

According to a new study by the National Association of College and Employers, fewer than one in five graduates who are looking for jobs have found one; employers are planning to hire 22 percent fewer graduates than they did in 2008. This is very discouraging news, and explains in part why fewer students are actively seeking jobs. This time last year, 67 percent of college grads had begun looking for a job. This year, only 59 percent have even begun looking.

“Whether they’ve decided to delay their careers because of the economy or don’t realize how tough the job market is, fewer grads have started job hunting,” said Andrea Koncz, employment information manager at NACE. Read the rest of this entry »

The recession is hitting college graduates hard. Around 14 percent of recent grads aged 20-24 are currently unemployed. This makes being able to financially support themselves very difficult, if not impossible. So, how can an unemployed college graduate save a few hundred dollars every month? Move back in with mom and dad. However, many recent graduates are finding this option less and less appealing.

Brooke Chrzan, a graduate of The University of New Hampshire, says that living with her parents after being independent in college is “worse than when [she] was a teenager.” Brooke feels her parents treat her “like [she is] 14 again.” Read the rest of this entry »

The Class of 2009 has just graduated college in many states. They have worked hard for about four or five years, spending countless hours in libraries, classes, and review sessions. And now, all of their hard work should start to pay off, in the form of a new career. Unfortunately, for more than 80 percent of recent college graduates, there is not a job offer waiting for them after they walk across that graduation stage.

A recent survey of employers on CareerBuilder.com showed that only 43 percent intended to hire new college graduates this year, compared to 79 percent in 2007. With hundreds of thousands of others graduating this year, it is no wonder that 60 percent of college students polled said they started actively looking for a job during their senior year of college. Read the rest of this entry »

One career seeking more employees is teaching. Virginia is one state in which they are welcoming professionals who are ready to get in to the classroom to teach. They’re even making it affordable for people to go through the certification.