Many undergraduates who have witnessed older friends or family members compete in the job market after graduation may have found the results of their efforts discouraging. But recent findings suggest this year may be the most prosperous for college grads seeking careers since that of the dot-com boom.

In a survey conducted by the National Association of Colleges and Employers released in November, there is an expected increase of 13 percent for college hiring compared to last year. More employers are calling the job market for recent graduates very good or excellent, according to the study.

The salary proposals made to those who receive job offers are said to increase by an average of almost 4 percent by seven out of 10 employers, according to the survey.

Acting director of career services Frank Neuber has seen this change firsthand. He said the number of companies at career fairs has increased, and they are booking with San Diego State earlier.

Neuber estimates there has been about a 10-percent increase of companies at career fairs this year.

It has been projected that larger corporations will hire about 13 percent more college graduates than last year, he said.

Although there have been positive changes during the last year, Neuber said the job market is still pretty tight.

“It’s been a real mixed bag,” he said. “We’ve yet to see any consistent growth.”

Reports from CNN and The San Diego Union-Tribune have attributed the better job prospects to retiring baby boomers, but Neuber said he doesn’t think this is the case just yet.

He said in the next four to five years, private, non-profit and government organizations will be seeking more employees to replace those lost. Neuber said governmental organizations will lose up to 40 percent of their employees.

He said he thinks oil prices have to do with the recent changes in the job market.

“I think oil prices are having a definite impact on the economy,” Neuber said. “It creates uncertainty (and) instability in the marketplace.”

The jobs benefiting from the marketplace growth are accounting, finance, business, marketing sales, retail, engineering and the sciences, he said. However, jobs in communication, advertising, journalism, public relations and the arts remain very competitive.

Spanish senior Marilyn Rojas said the market may be improving for some, but it remains stagnant for others.

Rojas is set to graduate in May, but has chosen to go to graduate school instead of seeking a career right away.

She has applied to San Diego State and a college in Los Angeles, but hopes to go to Los Angeles because it is a bigger city with more job opportunities, she said. She also knows people there.

“(The job market) is so competitive, it’s coming down to who you know,” she said.

Rojas said it is harder to attain a job with just a Bachelor of Arts degree because more people are earning them now.

According to the survey, at the masters level, employees are seeking graduates with business, engineering and computer-related degrees. At the doctoral level, engineering and computer-related degrees are the most sought after.

Rojas is not the only student concerned with what will be available regarding the job market after graduation for those students who don’t have those particular majors.

Journalism junior Allison Lambert said she thinks it will be hard to find a job after she graduates.

While Neuber recommends students do what they like and choose their majors based upon their interests, values and personalities, some students are struggling with the ultimate outcomes of their majors.

Lambert said she doesn’t know if she wants to go into journalism now because she can’t see herself working in the setting it entails. She ideally wants to work in Christian journalism, but is thinking about becoming a teacher because there is more stability in that job market.

“Still, (teaching) doesn’t pay a lot and that means more school,” she said.

Despite discouraging prospects, Neuber advises students with majors that still remain competitive in the job market to persevere.

“I think if people are lucky enough to have a passion for something, they should follow that,” he said.