How do you get an entry level job in that hot field now that employment prospects are cold?  Maybe you don’t, particularly when last year's crop of graduates are being laid off.  And, not to mention the fact that even more seasoned employees are being turned out into the job market as well.  What you need is a “Plan B”!  Let me put this more directly… you always need a Plan B no matter how bright the future looks.  Better to have one and not use it than to find yourself in a pickle with no apparent way out.

Well, it's time now to consider your options if you didn’t have a contingency plan; or maybe it was your plan all along to stay locked in your room at your parent house with the covers pulled over your head... but I think not.  Let’s see how you might move on from being a recession victim to gain control over your life and career.  To get things started, the following options come to mind: 

Use this period to continue (or start) in school/training to let the economy have time to make a rebound, or to better prepare you to compete for the jobs that are available.  This may take some creative financing and staying at your parents’ house a little longer, or in other situations relying on your spouse to bring home the paycheck, but it may be a viable option.

Re-train/ train for fields that you know will be hiring over the next 3 – 4 years.  You may want to re-think your original career choice vis-à-vis job market realities.  If you received a degree in history and want to teach, you should think about adding a second subject (perhaps in the sciences) which is more difficult for schools to find qualified individuals to teach.  To make your history degree work for you in a non-teaching job, for example, you may have to go for a Master’s degree in Business or Public Administration to give you a broader arena in which to compete.

Pick a career field you want to work in and don’t be afraid to take a different (or lesser) job than you were planning on starting out in.  Either when vacancies occur, or the economy improves you will have a leg up on promotional opportunities.  A known quantity is more valuable, because employers usually feel better about promoting a good in-house person, versus taking a chance and incurring the expense of recruiting and hiring a candidate from outside the organization.

Look at your current skills to see which might be marketable outside your intended employment area.  Your journalism degree may have given you the ability to organize and communicate written observations useful in other fields.  You might look to specialized types of writing, even if it involves technical jargon that you would have to acquire.  In many cases it is harder to find someone who writes well, as apposed to someone who can already talk the talk.  (I do, however, want to steer you away from commercial blogging, as that is my Plan B.)

Be available for flexible schedule and part time work.  The foot in the door could be to fill less than a whole position, or involve some wacky shift work which fewer people are willing to consider.  Two part time jobs could equal one full time paycheck, so keep an open mind to the possibilities. 

Consider working for yourself (full or part-time).  With a slowed economy employers may look to out source work that is not sufficient to justify hiring an employee, or because of an anticipated cost savings.  Turn those courses in accounting into a book keeping service.  Take the free training and work for a national tax preparation firm for a tax season to get you started in that business.

And finally, listen to and seek out positive advice from everyone.  It is sort of a given that any one person may not hold the answer for you, but the total of experience held by all of the people you come into contact with on this subject will quite likely exceed your own.  There may be cumulative truths which surface, or individual messages that brings you to options you may not have considered.