As members of the Class of 2008 prepare to leave the Farm, uncertainty remains as to what kind of job market they will face away from Stanford. With the economy struggling to speed back up amid speculations that a full-blown recession has already arrived, graduating Stanford seniors have diverse opinions about how the slowed economy has affected or will affect their post-college plans.

For seniors preparing to graduate, a number of factors — ranging from salary and benefits to the cost of living and gas prices — can influence the type of job they are able to find, and accept, right after leaving school. And when the economy begins to sag, the number of lucrative jobs available to students right out of college generally tends to fall as well.

“I don’t know anything about the recession or economics, but I will say that it was very hard to get a job,” said Sheppard Peng ‘08, who will be graduating this month with a degree in Biological Sciences.

While Peng was able to find a job in the sales and marketing department of a biopharmaceutical company, he also admitted that the competition for jobs among graduating seniors was fierce. But he observed that the slowing economy did not seem to affect all sectors equally.

“I was also very annoyed at the desire for computer science majors,” he said. “I feel if I was a computer science major it would have been a lot easier.”

Cihan Baran ‘08, who next year will co-term to pursue a master’s degree in Electrical Engineering, said he believes when it comes time for him enter the job market he will have an advantage over students graduating from other areas of study.

“I’m an engineer, so I’d be the least affected person,” Baran said.

Baran felt that engineering is and will continue to be one of the more stable professions even as the economy struggles, and was satisfied with his decision to pursue the field.

While co-terming or going to graduate school can provide a temporary haven for some, other graduating seniors have decided to take their chances and try to land a good job.

Alex Bandza ‘08, who will be graduating with a degree in Economics, has decided to bypass the graduate school option and try his luck in the working world. Bandza acknowledged that the job market is going to be tough, particularly because he will be moving to Washington, D.C. to work. And a slowing economy will not make it any easier.

“I know of a few instances where banking is feeling the crunch, and I know a lot of econ majors go into banking,” he said. “It’s not like it was a year ago when there were a lot of internships.”