The economic slump seems to be on everyone’s mind, whether it is affecting each individual directly or indirectly. Students seem to enjoy a sort of distance from the “real world” and hope things will improve before they finally enter the job market.

However, Reese Parrett, a UW senior studying finance, has been job-hunting for the past year. E-mail replies from potential employers saying, “due to economic conditions and business changes, they are no longer hiring” are getitng old.

“I can honestly say the amount of job openings this year are much lower,” Parrett said. “Companies are either not hiring or no longer in business — especially banks and car companies. Companies are [also] raising their standards both in GPA and experience.” For Phil Tomsovic and Hunter Widell, both sophomores and intended Japanese majors, the economy has some indirect effects. But with a few years left in school, they remain optimistic about finding jobs.

“I think for our area of interest it’s not a big problem,” Widell said. “If I have enough motivation and passion, I feel I’ll be able to get hired.”

For graduating seniors and others without the luxury of time, riding out the economic downturn by going to graduate school or staying an extra quarter or two isn’t looking so bad.

“Here at the Career Center, when tough economic times happen, we do see students moving into other alternatives besides employment,” said Vic Snyder, associate director of counseling at the Career Center in Mary Gates Hall. “For instance, we know that applications for the Peace Corps and Teach for America increase and students may increasingly turn to grad school.”

For students not interested in these option, other industries are still growing, such as government, medicine and computer science.

“The overall picture for computer science is that both nationally and within the state of Washington, it’s projected as the fastest growing professional occupation between now and 2016,” wrote Ed Lazowska, the Bill & Melinda Gates chair of computer science and engineering at UW, in an e-mail. “With that said, employment is always cyclic.”

Other options also exist, such as applying for Roadtrip Nation, now a PBS documentary that follows college graduates around the nation and interviews “inspiring people.”

“If you’re not 100 percent about going back to grad school right away, then you shouldn’t,” said Sarah Burlingham, of Roadtrip Nation. “Some students who go directly to grad school after undergrad regret not taking a year off, and since grad school can be so intense, you need to be 100 percent sure.”

Roadtrip Nation’s Kristin Esteves advised that students need to have a variety of skills to become more competitive. She also said students should take the time to explore alternative opportunities.

“Take the time regardless, explore and research, talk to people who are in your field,” said Heather Larrabee of Roadtrip Nation.

The Career Center offers a host of free services available to UW students, including résumé building and interview tips. A free Career Guide is also available with tips on preparing for graduate schools and job search strategies.

“People need to work hard at finding a job; use the Career Center, online and in-person,” Parrett said. “The online résumé builder is amazing; that is one of the greatest tools I’ve used.”

Many employers are waiting to hire until the economy settles by filling some positions now and seeing how things develop, Snyder said.

Snyder also advised finding internships and research opportunities, or doing community service and volunteer work to build experience.

“Major in something you love, and take it seriously,” Lazowska said. “Ten or 15 years down the road, your success will be due to things that the philosophy department teaches just as well as computer science and engineering does: analysis, critical thinking, conflict resolution. If you’re an undergraduate at [UW] for vocational reasons, you’re not taking advantage of what [this] university ... has to offer.”

Reach reporter Doris Wu at news@dailyuw.com.