HUNTINGTON -- Not everyone knows what they want to do after college.
But one couldn't help but get some ideas after absorbing the battery of information and opportunities on hand at Wednesday's annual Spring Job Fest at Marshall University.
Roughly 85 employers were present at the Memorial Student Center, with everyone from local large employers such as the regional hospitals to internationally recognized businesses like Eli Lilly & Co. vying for the students' attention.
"It's been very exciting," said Denise Hogsett, director of MU Career Services, which organizes the job fair every year.
Hogsett said the fair serves as a sort of positive reality check for students, letting them know what is waiting for them once they complete college.
"We are kind of re-tooling the student to think about what's out there," she said. "We want them to think about their career path, and think about how it really works. Maybe they can't start out as a manager in their field; maybe they have to start in sales."
Senior Shawn Adkins said he is thinking about law school, but gained plenty of insight from the job fair nonetheless. Adkins is majoring in economics.
"I talked to seven different people, and gave my resume out. ... I got some pretty good feedback," he said. "I thought I would come out and check out some of these companies that are in my major just in case.
"I'm surprised how many people are actually looking for employees."
The word "recession" has been thrown around quite a bit lately, but employers on hand Wednesday said they wouldn't have shown up if they didn't need qualified workers.
One was Pittsburgh-based Bayman Construction, which is in charge of several capital projects in West Virginia, from bridges to roadways.
"We have tons of work in this area," said Bayman recruiter Ron Kubitz. "For infrastructure improvements, the market is pretty good. In our industry, there is no recession."
Kubitz said Brayman was interested in finding civil engineers for project planning, and managers well-versed in occupational safety, occupations typically referred to as "white hard-hat" jobs.
Though the engineering program at Marshall is still in its infancy, Bayman said he was impressed by the students he met with Wednesday.
"I talked to four or five people who will be graduating in May that look like good fits," he said.
There were also many financial institutions present, from banks to investment houses.
That's the direction finance and management major Cathryn Davis said she wants to pursue.
"I actually have found a lot of what I'm looking for here," she said. "(The fair) has been great. It's a great opportunity for us students."
Not every employer at the fair was looking for students about to launch their careers. Representatives from Cedar Point amusement park were just on the lookout for those needing a summer job.
"We hire 5,000 people every summer," said recruiter Michael Young. "We have some full-time positions, but not many.
"But we all started out as seasonal employees at some point."
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