Money doesn’t appear out of the sky, most people have to work hard for their money, some even balance work, school, families and many other activities, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 6.6% of Americans are still unemployed coming out of the nations recent recession.

Each semester Washburn Career Services holds a career fair for students, alumni and even members of the community in hopes of helping people find employment or internships.

The latest career fair was on Wednesday, Feb. 19 at the Lee Arena. Some of the local participants included: City of Topeka, Midland Care, Westar Energy, Saint Francis Community Services Inc., Kansas First News, U.S. National Guard, Capital Federal Savings, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas and many more.

One of the hardest parts of finding a job or a life long career is just knowing where to start. There are many jobs that might pertain to your certain field of study that you would have never thought existed.

“It’s a really good opportunity for people to see who is out there. I like being able to discover what options are there for me”, said Marina Quimby, a sophomore kinesiology major.

The career fair offers the opportunity to speak to representatives that might be able to link your field or passion to a career for their company.

Stanley Travis, a senior creative advertising major and a former WU football player, enjoyed visiting the booths of KTWU, Great Plains Media, KTPK Country Legends 106.9 and Payless ShoeSource.

“I’ve discovered that you really don’t need a degree in a specific field as long as you can learn the skills needed for the position. It’s about what you know and what you can do.” Travis also added, “I see many government related jobs. They could add more variety next time.”

While employers value a college degree it is also essential that you are open to learn new skills and be able to adopt to new situations.

Today many Americans use websites like monster.com, snagajob.com or indeed.com but nothing compares to the human interaction that you get at a fair like this. It allows you to develop a network of contacts which is very important in a job search.

It’s not always what you can do, but who you know. Moreover, interacting with the employers is great practice for when that big interview comes around. So have your resume ready, dress to impress and take advantage of the next career fair.