FREMONT, Ohio — After a tumultuous 2020 with a lot of uncertainty about the future, college grads are now a little more optimistic about finding a job.
More than 40 local businesses took part in a spring career fair at Terra State Community College Tuesday.
Terra holds two career fairs a year in Fremont and was happy to finally invite job searchers back on campus again, with plenty of pandemic protocols.
"Normally we can fit 70 to 80 employers in one room and we're spaced out in 3 different rooms just to make it work. But it's not been bad so far, people are following the rules and we're just excited to see people in person," said Holly Hoffman, community education coordinator at Terra.
The public was welcome to the career fair but the primary goal is to connect students with potential future employers.
Many attendees were surprised as to how many businesses were represented.
"It's amazing to know that there are all of these job opportunities here and that you can select where you want to go," said Nathan Faber, who graduates in May.
It wasn't just Terra students soon to be graduating that were looking for potential jobs. There were also current students who are looking for work that they can do while still studying.
"For students, it is kind of hard to find because everyone wants you to be certified or close to being done. But some people do have the opportunity out their for us," said phlebotomy student Jacqueline Lucius.
"We've already talked to two already that hire students, which is pretty nice," said Victoria Hofacker.
Organizers hope the amount of job openings being showcased today is a sign of the local economy bouncing back from the early stages of the pandemic last spring.
"People are excited to get back in person and working again. So we're really looking forward to trying to help as many companies and people looking for work as possible," said Hoffman.