9 months until graduation, EXTREMELY worried I won't find full time work.

[TacticPatrick17]

I'm a male BSN student at Westcoast University, paying $135k for my degree; I'm graduating in less than a year and the job market and starting salary "rumors" is really causing anxiety when I think about finishing the program. Many former students are saying that it's extremely difficult to find a position as a new grad, even more so if you don't have much experience or things you can put on your resume (I do not). I hear starting salaries of $21-$23 an hr, I think half of that would go towards my loans. It's really disturbing and I'm hoping to find a sense of inspiration towards everyone here that being an RN will be worth it. I enjoy psych and peds very much! I would like to work in one of those units one day.

[DizzyLizzyNurse]

Holy cow! That's a lot of money. My Associate's was less than $30,000 and that was at a private school. One thing you definitely have going for you is you'll have a BSN. I'm having some trouble because I only have an Associate's. Do some volunteer work and apply for anything. Good luck!

[applewhitern, BSN, RN]

Good grief, I went to a private college and didn't pay anywhere near that! Boy, have times changed! $135,000 in my area would buy you a nice 3 bedroom house!

[SmallTownCA]

I graduated in August 2010. It took about 50 applications, 3 interviews and 2 phone interviews before I even landed a job... 6 months later. Prior to applying for anything, I made sure to have at least 3 letters of recs from professors and clinical instructors. I also made a generic cover letter and resume, that I had professionally edited. I also used the website: Indeed.com (keywords: RN new grad and RN residency). You can also try googling "hospitals in California" or whatever state to go to the hospitals directly. The market is tough, but just some time and alot of patience.