For most students, next year feels light years away. For freshmen, thoughts of graduation are more likely to recall high school. But for this year’s 5C seniors, real life is on the horizon.

With the employment market so dismal, many seniors have to plan ahead earlier then most would expect. While some are on the ball, others are overwhelmed by what might come next.

Nate Wilairat PO ‘11 is an Environmental Analysis Policy major who has attempted to cover all of his bases for next year by applying for a few different opportunities.

Wilairat’s first choice is a research Fulbright grant to study forestry as a political and social movement in Chiang Mai, Thailand.

“I’d be interviewing people at nonprofits in that region” Wilairat said, “I’d also be hoping to stay in some of the forest villages and talking with the people”.

Though Wilairat hopes this opportunity comes through, the Fulbright selection process is in two stages and obviously very selective. Ideal jobs are not always available, especially in the current market. The Career Development Office’s senior class checklist advises, “Don’t spend too long ‘finding yourself’ or searching for the ‘perfect’ job. Find an opportunity where you can learn. GET STARTED!”

Wilairat agrees that the jobs available to graduating seniors are not always optimal.

“The jobs I would really like to get are hard to get, they require graduate study and experience.”

So, to make sure he has something for next year, Wilairat has also applied to a job at Southern California Edison as an energy analyst. He also plans to apply to some environmental consulting firms later in the year.

Despite seeming organized, Wilairat places himself in the middle for amounts of preparation done by seniors for next year.

“It’s funny because basically until senior year no one wants to talk about future jobs” he said.

With such intense schoolwork, and a poor job market, the process can overwhelm many seniors. Wilairat said that many seniors plan on just waiting until next year to figure out their options because they simply do not have time.

“For a lot of seniors I think that’s what they cut off when they’re busy,” Wilairat said, “The cliché is that searching for a job is like having another class.”

Senior PPE major Meredith Willis agrees that many seniors feel pressed to put education before the job search.

“A lot of the deadlines for applying for recruitment days and applying for internships coincide with midterms,” she said, “People want to do well.”

But with such a focus on doing well while they are still here, how can students organize themselves enough to set goals for the upcoming year? The CDO’s “Are You Ready for the Future? Class of 2011 survey shows that 40 percent of graduating seniors cannot confidently state their immediate career goals. Their May 2010 survey showed that 29 percent of graduating seniors were undecided on what there plans were.

Willis, on the other hand, knows exactly what her career development goals are for next semester and the following year.

“I’m pursuing an internship in the entertainment industry next semester,” she said, “It’s all about getting your foot in the door.”

Willis plans to find employment as either an executive producer or development executive and she disagrees that students are becoming overwhelmed. However, Willis does see many seniors coming to terms with starting the processes of looking for a job or volunteer opportunity next year.

“There is not a feeling of urgency,” she said, “A lot of seniors are taking an interest now because we’re realizing our time is limited at this point.”

Luckily, both seniors point to the CDO as an extremely valuable resource in helping both seniors and younger classes in deciding their plans.

Though the CDO’s survey results show that 28 percent of seniors cannot clearly articulate what they have gained from their education and 61 percent cannot identify at least five types of employers that might employ a person of their qualifications, the CDO offers a multitude of resources to remedy this situation including practice interviews and help with the actual job search.

“The Career Development Office is extremely helpful and can devote more time to each student,” Willis said, “I really feel prepared to enter the workforce.”

Though thinking about the job search is difficult when your mind is set on collegiate worries of relationships and what’s the best Jell-o shot recipe, seniors are looking more and more in advance for ways to spend the upcoming year.