With graduation approaching, seniors are thinking about the next big step in their lives.

Some will go to graduate school and some will use their degree to find a job. However, the availability of jobs is on the minds of many students.

According to the National Association of Colleges and Employers, employers plan to hire 13 percent more graduates from the class of 2013 than they did from the class of 2012. However, according to NACE, English majors saw a 5.6 percent drop in job offers from 2010 to 2011.

Jennifer Stakich, a senior English major, is heading to law school after graduation. She was originally a communication arts major, but she changed her major to English before beginning classes her freshman year.

When she first changed her major to English, she had hopes of being a teacher. However, she didn’t realize the other certifications necessary to teach.  Just a bachelor’s degree in English wasn’t sufficient for what she wanted to do.

“To teach the kind of area that I wanted to, I probably would have had to go into a night school program to get the certification or just get a Master’s degree,” Stakich said.

Stakich feels that going to law school is a better option for her because of the extensive amount of writing involved. She also enjoys the research aspect of an attorney’s job.

“Writing is my best skill, and I want a career where I can capitalize on that skill,” Stakich said.

Stakich also said that she feels it would be difficult to find an English-related job with just a bachelor’s degree in English.

According to Stakich, finding a job is more difficult due to the economy and even obtaining a graduate degree doesn’t guarantee a job. Statistics from NACE show that more total jobs are becoming available but jobs in some areas are decreasing.

Clay Orr, a senior mass media major, is heading straight to the workforce after his graduation in December. He plans on moving to Los Angeles after graduation to work in the entertainment industry.

“My main reasons for planning this major move across the country are that my major and job qualifications require that I move to an area with an industry that has lots of opportunities for entry level positions,” Orr said.

Orr feels that the economy has little to do with the availability of jobs in the entertainment industry.

According to Orr, there will always be a desire for jobs in the industry, but the number of jobs available will decrease.

While Orr doesn’t feel that his mass media degree from VSU will be absolutely necessary to find a job in his field, he feels that it will be beneficial. Orr believes that the skills he acquired at VSU are more important than the degree itself and agrees that a bachelor’s degree is nice to have in case his career changes.

Orr has no intentions to attend graduate school.

“Graduate school wouldn’t do anything for my position unless I were planning on pursuing a career in academia, which I’m not,” Orr said.