Washington University’s Career Center has stepped up its efforts to help students obtain the jobs they want. This initiative is a reaction to students’ worries about finding jobs in the current economic climate.

Washington University prides itself on its career center and the career services it provides for its students. The prestigious jobs its students are offered every year, the clout those students hold in the working world, and the substantial alumni network that we have are all indicators that a lot of things are going well.

While the national student loan default rate jumped from 7 percent to 8.8 percent between fiscal years 2009 and 2011, the default rate at Washington University dropped from 2.2 percent to 2.1 percent.

Folk musicians and sisters Nerissa and Katryna Nields led a workshop for students on constructing individualized careers around their passions.

The Nields urged students to consider career paths based on what they want to do instead of what they feel that they need to do.

Students seeking jobs with the federal government may be at a disadvantage if they’ve used social media sites to comment on or post links to classified State Department documents released by WikiLeaks, according to emails sent out last month by several schools’ career service offices.

This semester, Teach for America (TFA) has employed a set of aggressive recruiting tactics for Wash. U. seniors. TFA liaisons—undergraduate Washington University students hired to recruit students for Teach for America—are paid to run through lists of student group leaders and mark potential candidates with a priority level for the organization.

As the school year comes to a close, seniors can be heard chatting around campus about their post-graduation plans. Usually about 30-40 percent of graduating students enroll in graduate or professional school for the year following their graduation, according to Mark Smith, director of the Career Center. Another third of the students enroll in graduate school within five years of graduation.

As students’ academic and career interests grow to be more diverse, Washington University has made upgrades to its career counseling program, Junior Jumpstart, in hopes of meeting students’ needs. Junior Jumpstart is a one-day conference for third-year students to explore their career interests after final exams in May.

People are always talking about bridging the gap that exists between students in different geographical areas. And while some groups like Teach For America are well known and attract many applicants, one lesser-known organization is Reasoning Mind (RM).

Students across the nation are seeking to major in fields that traditionally lead to secure employment, resulting in a drop in enrollment in the humanities and other liberal arts fields, The New York Times reported. At Washington University, students are embracing these majors, and the University is taking steps to ensure that they are marketable.