Seniors graduating from colleges and university campuses around the state were asked the following questions:

. Name, age, hometown, major

. Have you been looking for work?

. Staying in state or going out of state?

. If you are staying in Maine, will you be going to a job in the field for which you earned your degree?

. What’s your perception of the job market?

. What are your friends saying about the job market?

1. Robert Arnold, 46, Lincoln

Northern Maine Community College

Staying in state

Displaced paperworker after 25 years with Lincoln Pulp and Paper; been finding work in field of study of plumbing and heating in Bangor. Job market seems “pretty healthy” and competitive. Lot of people looking for work. More than half of class found jobs, and will start work when out of school.

2. Marilynne McCarthy, 57, Blaine

University of Maine at Presque Isle

Staying in state

Not looking for work because going to graduate school at University of Maine Orono. Major field of study is natural resources and environment. Perception is job market is “tough.” Friends are concurring.

3. Gordy Kline, 29, Moncton, New Brunswick

University of Maine at Presque Isle

Going out of state

Already has a position in field of study of physical education-science. Job market in area of expertise is strong, and friends also feel there will be jobs available.

4. Tiffany Crozier, 25, Trure, Nova Scotia

University of Maine at Fort Kent

Going out of state

Not looking for a job yet, but understand there is work in her major field of study, elementary education, in Nova Scotia. Perception is job market “pretty good” in education. Friends’ impressions of the market seem positive overall, but depends on where they are.

5. Nicholas Thibodeau, 22, St. Francis

University of Maine at Fort Kent

Staying in state

Looking for work in Maine but cannot find one in major field of study: computer applications. Perception is job market is very good, but not in the immediate area. Friends are finding good jobs.

6. Amy King, 34, Presque Isle

Northern Maine Community College

Staying in state

Looked for and found job in Presque Isle in major field of study: nursing. Perception of job market is “very healthy.” Eighteen out of 20 graduates are staying in the area and have found jobs.

7. Scott W. Newton, 21, Skowhegan

Washington County Community College

Staying in state

Looked for and found job in Maine in major field of study: adventure recreation and tourism. Perception of job market is area of expertise is a growing industry. Friends are saying, “Wow! Congratulations! Stop working so hard.”

8. Wendy Harmon, 38, Princeton

Washington County Community College

Staying in state

Looked for and found job in Maine in major field of study: plumbing technology. Perception is there are not a lot of jobs to be had in this area. Friends are backing her 100 percent.

9. Matthew Wyman, 21, Minot

Unity College

Staying in state

Conservation law enforcement major; summer job lined up as an officer with the Brunswick Police Department, where he worked last summer. Also is being interviewed, tested and examined for possible jobs with the Maine Warden Service and Maine Marine Patrol. The process began in December. “I have pretty good feelings about both,” Wyman said. “I’d like to stay in Maine. You hear all this stuff about college graduates not being able to get jobs here, but there’s jobs available. You have to be willing to work.”

10. Jayme Haverly, 23, Narragansett, R.I

Unity College

Staying in state

Wildlife biology major; seeking 13-month appointment with USDA’s wildlife service in Augusta. If job doesn’t come through, she plans to pursue a master’s degree, possibly from Alaska. “It think it’s very competitive and I think grad school’s the way to go to get to where I want to be,” Haverly said. She is especially interested in research and fieldwork “The jobs are out there. It’s just tough to find them,” Haverly said.

11. Bob Sterling, 23, Scarborough

Unity College

Staying in state

Aquaculture and fisheries major is bypassing the job hunt by joining with a friend in a business they are launching in Biddeford to raise tropical fish for sale. He did not find the move daunting. “I didn’t find it too difficult because I was prepared,” Sterling said, giving high marks to Unity College. “We get a lot of hands-on [experience].”

12. Heather Litchfield, 23, Dracut, Mass.

Unity College

Going out of state

Double major: ecology and landscape horticulture. She and another graduate plan to work at a nonprofit in Weston, Mass., that manages suburban farms and forests. The jobs should last through the fall, but she is confident about finding work beyond then. “There’s a lot of jobs,” Litchfield said, and she is willing to relocate.

13. Albert Hall, 22, Oakland

Unity College

Staying in state

Conservation law enforcement major in the process of interviews and tests for a job with the Maine Warden Service. If that does not come to fruition, plans to work for the state Department of Conservation in the Allagash Wilderness Waterway. When that job ends in the fall, he has a job lined up in Greenville working for the state Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife. “I’d like to stay in Maine, but it’s not a big deal,” he said, if work takes him elsewhere.

14. Julie Kearney, 22, Amherst, N.H.

College of the Atlantic

Staying in state

Majored in marine biology and secondary science education; working this summer for a marine conservation nonprofit in New Hampshire; looking for research position at COA next year. “It might involve the Atlantic humpback whale catalog,” she said. Plans on graduate school at University of Maine or in Newfoundland. If a teaching position opens, she might seek that. “I’ve heard there’s a high need for science and math teachers,” she said. “In relation to education, I think there’s a good job market.” Maine is where she wants to be. “I think, no matter where I go, I’ll always end up coming back here.”

15. Nikhit D’Sa, 22, Mumbai, India

College of the Atlantic

Going out of state

Majored in psychology and human development; plans a Watson Fellowship-subsidized world tour to do ethnographic research on street children in London, Dublin, Ghana, Fiji, Guyana and Jamaica. “I’ll be getting them to tell me their life stories with a variety of different medium,” he said, including personal interviews, photographs, audio interviews and perhaps a cricket match or two. He was unconcerned about the job market in the United states because he plans to return home to help street children through a nonprofit organization he helped found.

16. Cristina Hinkle, 22, Roswell, Ga.

College of the Atlantic

Going out of state

Studied marine biology and policy; plans to either work at her old camp in Georgia or crew a sailboat across the Atlantic and Pacific oceans before looking for a permanent job. The job market is giving her headaches. “I feel like it’s very limited right now, especially for undergrads in the field of anything marine,” she said. “It’s hard. In the field of fishing management or marine science, they don’t even want to talk to you. It’s very frustrating.” Graduate and law schools are in her future. She wants to be an environmental lawyer. “I would stay in Maine if I had a job offer, but it’s not looking like that,” she said.

17. April Clockedile, 22, Mars Hill

Husson College

Staying in state

Majored in business administration with concentration in hospitality; going to graduate school, master’s program at Husson; hoping to get into event planning. “All of the people in my program are leaving the state of Maine and are headed to California, South Carolina and other places to see what other opportunities are out there and for a change of scenery.” She wants to stay in New England. “I’m going to go where the jobs are, wherever that is.” Will work this summer at investment firm and the college’s dean of student affairs office.

18. Robb Gordon, 42, Bangor

Husson College

Staying in state

Majored in physical therapy; not looking for job but concentrating on passing state board examinations in June and July. He has had several job offers, but he’s not ready. Wants to work for Bangor company, then start his own health and wellness business. He wants to “bring wellness to people who aren’t well,” focusing on people with chronic issues such as diabetes, multiple sclerosis and obesity. “The job market is good in my profession and the rates are fairly competitive. … The younger group wants to leave and experience what they see on TV but they’ll be back once they take a look at the quality of life.”

19. Rebecca Swan, 22, Bethel

Husson College

Going out of state

Majored in business administration with concentration in sports management; will work in Augusta, Ga., as a group sales representative with the Augusta Greenjackets, a minor league baseball team. “I knew there was nothing around here for me to do with sports management and knew I’d have to go to at least [Massachusetts] to get that.” She wanted to work with minor or major league baseball teams and couldn’t find that in Maine. She interned with the Lumberjacks while they were in Bangor. Her “friends aren’t as motivated right now to find a job, hadn’t heard either way, good or bad” on their impression of the job market.

20. Amber Stanhope, 21, Sydney

Husson College

Staying in state

Majored in paralegal studies; an internship with the Smith Law Offices in Bangor turned into a full-time job in March with health insurance, cell phone. She started as a receptionist but soon will move into paralegal work. She wanted to stay in Maine. “My perspective of the job market is pretty positive except the jobs are not as well- paying for employees starting in the field. We have the opportunities here, but the pay is a little lower, so I’ll just have to work up and gain the experience that will bring higher pay.” She may go on to law school later.

21. Dean Knowles, 21, North Anson

Eastern Maine Community College

Staying in state

Trained in welding and pipe fabrication; has job with Portland welding company and hopes to live in North Anson. Company works mostly from New Hampshire to Virginia, so will be on the road. Started last year with the company in the summer. Everyone is looking for a job, but a lot of companies have visited the school to find prospective employees.

22. Evan Gagne, 19, Auburn

Eastern Maine Community College

Staying in state

Trained in refrigeration, air conditioning, heating; has job with Bowdoinham company as a refrigeration and air conditioning technician. “I didn’t have a hard time. I posted my resume online and my phone never stopped ringing,” he said. Two weeks ago, he accepted one job offer based on benefits and pay. “I restricted my search to Maine and most of the opportunities are in the Portland area. … A lot of people are struggling [with the job search], especially friends in Orono, they’re having a harder time because their degrees are so generalized.”

23. Michael Corbin, 19, Van Buren

Eastern Maine Community College

Staying in state

Majored in computer-aided drafting and design; job with a railroad profiling railways; plans to go to University of Maine for bachelor’s degree in new media, with concentration on animation. May pursue master’s. Wants to work for large studio that uses animation. “Its harder around here to find a job because everyone is looking for one.”

24. Jeannie Hatch, 39, Medford

Eastern Maine Community College

Staying in state

Majored in business management; plans to do office work for husband who is self-employed as carpenter; is seeking small office and plans to spend summer with her two children; will work at EMCC enrollment center while finishing a second degree. Daughter starts nursing classes at EMCC in fall, and will be in some classes with her mother. “I look forward to taking classes together [with my daughter]. I’ll see more of her than I do now. … I’ve never thought about leaving Maine. If I were younger maybe, but I grew up here and I like the laid back feeling of Maine and I think the state has a lot to offer.”

25. Brian Payne, 29, Orono

University of Maine, Orono

Staying in state

Receiving Ph.D. in history on Saturday; plans to work as a temporary (adjunct) college professor at Central Maine Community College, University of Maine and Kennebec Valley Community College. He won’t stay in Maine long term. “Ideally I would like to stay in Maine, but colleges and universities around here won’t hire UMaine grads.” His degree from Maine has been detrimental to his job search in Maine because local colleges want Maine students to see and meet professors from across the country. “It’s different when you have a Ph.D. because it’s very competitive out there. It’s difficult to set yourself apart from most people.”

26. Heather Bibber, 24, Harpswell

University of Maine, Orono

Staying in state

Majored in landscape horticulture with a concentration in landscape design; working in Brunswick at a greenhouse-nursery that wants to start up landscaping. Hopes to incorporate landscape design in her job, which was created for her. She had worked at this business over the summer. She hopes to emphasize her creative abilities as a designer and not get trapped in strictly grunt work. “I found it hard to find a job in my major and focused on design. Staying in Maine was a big deal to me, but I always felt I could go somewhere and come back. … There are not a lot of job opportunities or companies around here for the specified thing I want to do.”

27. Ryan Clark, 22, Pensacola, Fla.

University of Maine, Orono

Going out of state

Majored in journalism with minors in political science and international affairs; job lined up at hometown newspaper as a sports reporter; has worked summers there since he was 16. “It’s pretty much over for Maine in my life. After the 14th I have no reason to come back here other than visiting because I’ve accomplished everything I could ever imagine. I am the only person to graduate college in my family and had some of the greatest professors in America. I miss skyscrapers and crime and I want to go back to a place where the library isn’t the highest building on campus. … For my friends, getting a job has been a process, but they have been able to eke out jobs about two weeks before we leave.”

28. Heather Jovanelli, 22, Brewer

University of Maine, Orono

Going out of state

Majored in English and art; graduate school in the fall and probably working at an ice cream shop over the summer; hopes to study interdisciplinary studies at Cal Arts, or get master’s in English at Mills College in California. “There’s no place to work around here in what I’m interested in, like writing poems, prose and making artwork. … I guess I could be an art critic or a professor somewhere to make a living and do my writing and art on the side. … I’ve been here for 22 years and I wanted to go somewhere new. … I thought there would be more opportunities in California because there is more thought going on in artistic trends and it has more accessibility to new ideas, jobs and it has a creative climate with a younger and more upbeat population.”