The sluggish economic recovery has the Hub's collegiate upperclassmen wracked with worry over their job prospects come graduation day, yet many say President Obama remains the right leader to fix the nation's ills.
"Obama has already pushed down the unemployment level. Romney just seems entirely out of touch with the whole situation in that he approaches everything as if it were a business plan," said Boston University senior Colin White, 21, of New Jersey. "He always talks about how he's a self-made man, but he's had his opportunities."
White, a double major in anthropology and film and television, said he has some job prospects, "but at this point they are kind of tenuous."
"I wish I had done engineering to begin with, because jobs in engineering are much better to come by," he said. "Anthropology and film and television, while interesting industries ... are looked down upon in a lot of regards."
The Herald interviewed upperclassmen at seven local colleges and universities this week. When asked whom they would vote for on Election Day, more than two-thirds pledged their support for Obama.
Amira Downes, 22, a Boston University senior from Harwich majoring in sociology, said Obama needs more time to repair economic damage left in the wake of George W. Bush's two terms as president, yet added she was "scared" about finding a job in her field.
"I'm sort of relying on my father to help me out," she said. "I think in the future I do wish I took something that could help me gain more skill instead of just having general knowledge."
Last month, the unemployment rate for 16- to 24-year-olds with a bachelor's degree or higher and not enrolled in school was 6.3 percent, compared to 8.1 percent and 9.1 percent for the same period in 2011 and 2010, respectively, according to U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
While new jobs are being created, there aren't enough to meet the needs of both the unemployed and new entrants into the workforce, said Michael Goodman, a public policy professor at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth.
"Just because you have degrees in the social sciences or humanities doesn't mean you're unemployable," Goodman said. "There are jobs available for college students, but they aren't always going to be held for new college graduates."
Connecticut native and Suffolk University senior Elizabeth Kelleher, 20, said while she has some concerns about securing a job, Obama seems more apt to keep financial aid funding intact for students.
"I think that government majors do fairly well with finding a job," said Kelleher, who is majoring in international affairs and Spanish. "I think that my professors here at Suffolk and the different experiences that I have had have set me up so that I will be ready for the workforce in May."
College students looking to land performing arts careers told the Herald they were prepared to hit vocational roadblocks post-graduation, yet added Obama was the more trustworthy candidate.
"I had five jobs this summer, so, at least for me, I don't think it's hard getting a job just to survive," said Devin Holloway, 21, an Emerson College junior from New Orleans majoring in musical theater. "My gut feeling, from just looking at Mitt Romney, is I just don't trust him. I think (Obama's) doing the best he can."
"I don't really have a job opportunity ahead unless I get cast in something," added Adam Santaniello, 21, a theater major at Suffolk University from Connecticut. "If I have to vote, I'm voting for Obama. He's more gay-friendly, and that's a major reason for me. I don't think you can turn (the economy) around in four years."
Job fears also extend to members of Boston's graduate student population.
