Employers in the United States set out to hire more college graduates, according to the 2015 Job Outlook Report.

Gone are the days when employment after college graduation was an assured thing. Now what is needed is hands on experience, networking connections, and unique traits that set one apart from all the other candidates who possess the same skills and major. There is a misconception that employers are there eagerly waiting for graduates, so that they can supply them with a job. Many job offices have gone into a hiring freeze and there have been countless college graduates of 2014 who are not working in their field. Countless college graduates are forced to settle for minimum wage jobs that have absolutely nothing to do with the degree which they have worked so hard for. However, according to the National Association of Colleges and Employers, employers plan to hire 8.3 percent more of college graduates of 2015 than they did the previous year.

“Business needs and company growth are the two main factors, which are contributing to more job offers this year,” says research Associate Kenneth Tsang of the NACE.

The top job prospects for 2015 are marketing executive, sales manager, software developer, health services manager, industrial engineer, physical therapist, network/computer system administration, speech-language pathologist, registered nurse, and web developer. Tsang says that this research is derived from the diverse members of employers of the NACE from finance all the way to real estate. He also mentions that the NACE is low in membership from health care and education professions.

Despite the positive news of more job opportunities for 2015 college graduates, Mercy College senior and behavioral science major with a minor in education, Duvane Whilby is starting to believe that his major is a waste of time.

“I can’t say that I am optimistic about the potential hiring boom for 2015 graduates, because I don’t have any career plans connected to my major after graduation,” says Whilby.

Whilby chose this career path after being undecided for many years and realizing that he wanted to work with the youth in a certain capacity. He also saw it as an opportunity to be an asset to the low number of minority male teachers.

There are numerous college seniors who share the same woes as Duvane. They too feel that their major may be a waste of time if it is not able to produce a reasonable income after graduation. These majors require so much within their curriculum and are also very costly. College students would like to have some guarantee that their degree will not go to waste.  People enter college for various reasons and one of them is to be able to have a career that will earn them money. A lot of students chose degrees based on the economy; they know that they have a better chance landing a job, but this can also end with a hit or miss because the economy is ever changing. Some students become weary while other students go against the grain and decide to follow their heart, choosing a major that will land them a job doing what they love. They are very optimistic about they take the proper steps.

Mercy College senior Kevin Middleton is an English Major with a minor in secondary education. He’s also currently a substitute teacher within the Mount Vernon City School District. He believes that taking the proper steps within his major can help one decide where to go after graduation and also another way to put one’s foot in the door to be a more desirable candidate. Unlike his counterpart Duvane Whilby, who has not made any career plans within a major after graduation, Kevin believes that the steps he has taken allowed him to see that this path that he has chosen within his major is something that he really wants to do and knows that he will not be disappointed.

“I’d rather be patient and go through the process of becoming a teacher,” says Middleton.

Middleton is referring to the steps he has to take to qualify for a teaching position. Although he is nervous about being overwhelmed with being a substitute teacher and also going to graduate school to attain his Master’s degree, he feels that this is building his confidence and slowly sealing the deal to be offered a position.

Research associate Kenneth Tsang of the NACEs says that employers are looking for future leaders and college graduates they can build into management positions and also fill other positions for impending retirements. Employers are also looking for candidates who are able to work a part of a team and can also communicate effectively. Along with these qualities employers are looking for students who have written communication skills, problem solving skills, strong work ethic, and analytical/quantitative skills.

Whilby believes that he possesses all these qualities but is unsure whether he will actually become a teacher and whether spending more time in school to complete a Master’s degree to attain that position is worth it.

“I don’t want anything to limit me in my experience with working with students and building my rapport. I want to be patient with time and invest within the school system, while putting my chips in.”

When asked, employers of the NACE will choose a candidate who possesses more leadership skills when having to choose between two equally qualified candidates.