( CNN ) -- Desmond Brooks had hoped to major in hospitality and considered attending an out-of-state college . Instead , he 's living at home , enrolled at Georgia State University and working full-time for campus security . He abandoned hospitality . Instead he 's majoring in business to learn the machinations of the market . This way , he 'll be able to help his father run his robot repair business that , like many small businesses , is overcoming a downsize . Chris Singh , a junior majoring in finance and managerial science at GSU , plans to delay graduate school to find work and pay off student loans . In a different economy he 'd start grad school right away , he said . In the wake of the recession , the American college experience has decidedly become more career-driven . Students are reconsidering majors or exploring employment options long before they see a diploma . More 2010 graduates have work waiting for them when they graduate than 2009 graduates , but not because they received more job offers . Read hot job spots for the next decade . Last year , 40 percent of seniors who applied for jobs received an offer and only 45 percent accepted them , according to a National Association of Colleges and Employers survey . This year , 39 percent of seniors reported receiving a job offers , roughly the same percentage as the class of 2009 , but 59 percent accepted . The classes of 2009 saw graduates from previous years turn down jobs and quickly get better offers in terms of location and pay , said Ed Koc , director of Strategic and Foundation Research for NACE . Often , that better offer never materialized for last year 's class . `` This year 's class had the chance to observe last year 's class , '' Koc said . Almost one out of four 2010 graduates who applied for jobs have one waiting for them , a 4.4 percent increase from 2009 's class statistics . Those who were most likely to land a job pursued career-driven majors like accounting , business administration , computer science , engineering , and mathematics , according to the NACE survey . Singh took that into consideration when deciding his major . `` Finance is robust , '' he said . `` It 's not recession-proof , but it 's strong . '' Education , physical sciences , foreign languages , English , history and political science had the lowest job offer rates , the NACE survey showed . Engineering disciplines account for eight of the 10 most highly paid degrees this year , surveys have shown . Engineering premiered on the annual list of most popular majors compiled by the Princeton Review this year . Communications has slipped since the onset of the recession in 2007 . But surprisingly , some degrees that are not in demand remain popular among students . The top majors according to the Princeton Review 's list , respectively : business administration ; education ; psychology ; nursing ; biology ; English ; political science ; criminal justice ; engineering ; economics ; marketing ; liberal studies ; accounting ; finance and communications . More graduates planned to work for a non-profit or teach , or attend graduate or professional school in 2010 than 2009 , according to NACE . Georgia State psychology major Lyle Brittain said he plans to join the military after graduating to put off joining the workforce . `` My plans have n't changed , '' he said , `` Just the outlook . '' Students are also opting for service learning programs -- such as freshman seminars or internships -- earlier in their college careers and more extensively , said Rob Franek , senior vice president of publishing for the Princeton Review . `` Rising juniors and seniors ( in high school ) are looking for a return on investment that will get them a good career and higher education , '' Franek said . Brooks , a freshman , said he is working with two others within the international business department to learn better management techniques . `` Hopefully I can have an internship next semester , '' said Brooks , whose schedule seems packed already . Choosing liberal arts does n't necessarily mean joblessness , said Wayne Wallace , director of the University of Florida 's Career Resource Center . Students , he said , just need to be more proactive . He said job seekers have to be realistic about their career goals and stay geographically flexible . His advice to college students : stay optimistic and work hard . `` Do n't be overwhelmed by the economic problems , Wallace said . `` These things are cyclical . It 's going to happen multiple times in your life . ''
2009 graduates have more jobs off the bat than 2010 graduates because they accepted more offers . Business and technical majors fared better in the job market 2010 than 2009 . More graduates planned to work for a non-profit or teach , or attend graduate or professional school in this year . Career advisor Franek tells grads to stay realistic , flexible and optimistic .