One of a student’s great?est fears is whether or not they will find a job when they graduate. Yet despite this fear, the Burlington job market offers plenty of opportunities for recent UVM graduates, as well as for current students. “There are a good number of job opportunities,” said Pamela Gardner, Director of Career Services.According to Gardner, areas such as technology, engineering, health care, accounting and non-profits are especially promising for those looking for a job.She added that recreation related fields, such as the ski industry (including re?sorts, sales, manufacturing, and the like) are also rather popular at the moment.”[Career Services] has good relationships with local employers. We post a lot of jobs for them,” she said. Although the job market as a whole appears to be thriving in Burlington, Gardner emphasized that it is important to start the search early.”What most people don’t realize is that the average job search takes six months. You need to think about it as another class,” she said.The nice thing about the job search, she said, is that it has no deadline. “It is important to realize how much time and energy it takes,” she said.Career Services can definitely help in the job search, with career counselors who specialize in different fields and with numerous job-related events throughout the year, according to their Web site.”It will never be easier to have access to jobs. We offer so much help, so many potential employers in one place and such good odds!” Gardner said.She added that students might as well come in and meet with a counselor because, “your tuition dollars are paying for us to be here.”Although the search sounds grueling, UVM students do seem to have been very successful in the past, according to a survey conducted by the Office of Institutional Studies on those who graduated in 2006.The survey showed that only 1 percent of those who wanted a job were unable to find one within a year or two after graduation. In addition to this, around 86 percent of graduates reported being satisfied with their jobs in the same short amount of time after graduation.The survey also showed that over 50 percent of students found jobs within three months of graduation.There are many job opportunities for current students as well, Gardner said.Although she said that many on-campus jobs go to students with work-study, some are available for those without it. “Many departments have a few wage jobs. There are also lots of paid student leadership positions, the learning co-op hires tutors, the gym hires a few for jobs like scorekeepers, lifeguards and intramural officials,” she said.”The alumni office hires students to call alums, and the library occasionally has a few spots open that they can’t fill with work-study students.”When asked why there are so many jobs available to work-study students and not to others, Gardner explained that 80 percent of the money paid for work-study comes from the federal government, the other 20 percent from the University.Gardner also highly recommended internships and stated that, “every employer we’ve talked to likes to see an internship or two on a resume?.””Employers are coming to expect to see them listed on the resumes of potential employees,” according to About.com.”There is a really good variety [of internships] in the local area. There are world class advertising agencies, such as Fuse and JDK, Burton, State and over 350 non-profit organizations. They all offer internships,” Gardner said.”Last year, we posted internships with over 900 organizations. If you can’t find one you’re interested in, we can help contact an organization with you. It’s not that hard.”Career Services will be offering numerous career fairs and events in coming months, according to Gardner.Career Week, which occurs during the first three days of April in the Davis Center, is made up of three separate career fairs. “We’ll have between 120 and 140 employers coming to hire UVM students for summer, internship and full-time jobs,” Gardner said.”Life After College” is an event targeted at seniors. It will take place on Feb. 28, and is a good opportunity for seniors, many of whom have never met with Career Services before, to meet with a counselor and begin the search, according to Gardner.There will also be “a series of networking roundtables for students interested in non-profit, social justice and community engagement work,” she said.The roundtables will take place on Jan. 30 (for local employers and professionals), Feb. 27 (for national) and March 26th (for international). Each will take place at 5 p.m. in the Chittenden Room on the fourth floor of the Davis Center. For “a ton of information…and thousands of job openings,” Gardner recom?mends visiting the Career Services Web site at www.uvm.edu/career or stopping by the office, located in L/L E 140.But if all else fails, Rite -Aid is always hiring.THE STATS:According to a survey conducted by the Office of Institutional Studies on those who graduated in 2006, – Only 1 percent of those who wanted a job were unable to find one within a year or two after graduation. -86 percent of graduates reported being satisfied with their jobs in the same short amount of time after graduation.-Over 50 percent of students found jobs within three months of graduation