With the economy in recession and unemployment at the highest rate in 16 years, some seniors are nervous about going into an insecure job market.

"Well, naturally it's just scary to graduate from college, because there's just so much uncertainty out there," said Abigail Richards, a senior in Peabody College. "So, to get a better job, I am going straight to grad school so that I can make more money and fight for the jobs higher up instead of the lower jobs that they're cutting out anyway."

Senior Brian Wile is also going to graduate school, but the economy is still causing problems for him, even as a student in the School of Engineering.

"I'm going straight to grad school, and it's not that hard to get into grad school at this point," said Wile. "But the funding situation is always rough, so a lot of funds that would have been put towards research are going towards other supposedly practical things ... getting funding (for) my research is an issue."

"I am 100 percent nervous about the job market," said Jeanine Mansour, a senior in the School of Engineering. Mansour plans to seek opportunities outside of the country until the U.S. economy stabilizes.

Cindy Funk, the director of the Career Center, said she is not surprised seniors are creating back-up plans like going to graduate school and working outside of the country to ensure they will have something to do after graduation.

"I think students are now a little more open to having some more opportunities to look at," said Funk, who said she thinks the percentage of students going straight to graduate school would be higher than in previous years.

"I've heard it over and over again. I have seen many students who try to avoid the job market by going to graduate school or wanting to start some kind of business or going into teaching. Teach for America was really popular in the past," Funk said. "Also, with the economic situation, students that were thinking of going into finance maybe are changing to corporate finance."

Since most graduate school applications are already due, Funk estimates that a lot of students will consider taking at a "gap year" - either not having a job or settling with a transition job.

The advice given to seniors has not changed due to the economy, however, and the biggest enemy of the senior job hunt is actually the seniors' own job strategies, Funk said.

"Most students rely heavily on online searching, and they must remember the 20/80 rule. Only 20 percent of jobs are advertised," she said. "The other 80 percent you can find through your network. We always talk to students about networking. It's really critical, and even more critical in an economy like this."

Funk suggested students also look toward internship opportunities.

"Companies might be looking more towards offering internships because they would be relatively cheaper. Some companies are cutting back on how many they offer, but they are still offering them," Funk said.

According to Funk, some companies just don't want to pay the travel expenses to come to college campuses and recruit students. And while the number of companies coming to campus to hire Vanderbilt students is down, Funk said she wants seniors to stay calm.

"Organizations are still hiring. It is happening. We've had some success stories. Some students have already been hired by companies, " she said.